Barry Gibb admits it was time to "get off his backside" and start writing music again.
The sole surviving member of the Bee Gees – whose youngest sibling Andy died in 1988 aged 30, while twin siblings Maurice and Robin passed away in 2003 and 2012 respectively – wasn’t sure if he could make it as a solo artist again after losing his siblings but says the time was right to try.
He said: ""I didn’t really retire. I kept talking about it and thinking it was all over.
"I feel energised. I needed to get off my backside and I’ve always needed to write and play music.
"I’ve been writing music since I was eight years old – they were pretty bad songs then but, as time moved on, I got better…"
So he wrote ‘In The Now’, his first solo album in 32 years, and it is another family affair as he made it with his sons Stephen and Ashley.
He told The Sun newspaper: "Working with my sons is not unlike with Maurice and Robin – though they are quite different types of people. Stephen is very heavy metal and a gentle giant whereas Ashley is very analytical and very concerned with everything we do and every lyric. In that way Ashley is like me, a little intense.
"But they are great and I love them both. And my daughter Ali is involved in publishing and licensing I just want the Bee Gees’ music to end up in a good place where they are looked after and presented in a big and bright way."
And he’s certainly making the most of his return to music, saying: "It’s just wonderful to have this chance again. Everyone has been so positive and I try to seize every moment in life. And that’s what making this album has allowed me to do."
Barry Gibb: ‘It was time to start writing again’
