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Repairing one of his treasured vintage analog synthesizers sparked the creation of Howard Jones’ latest single, “Stand Up,” which is premiering exclusively below as the first preview of his upcoming album, Global Citizen.

The Roland Jupiter 8 is the same synthesizer Jones used to create Billboard Hot 100 hits including “New Song,” “Things Can Only Get Better” and “What Is Love?” Speaking with Billboard over Zoom from his home in Somerset, England, the British singer and songwriter said the instrument became the starting point for the new track after it was restored. “I decided to do a whole track based on sounds from my favorite synthesizer. That’s how (‘Stand Up’) came about, really,” he said. “My friend up in Leeds fixed all my synths for it. He had (the Jupiter 8) for several months and I hadn’t really had a chance to mess with it.”

“When it came back I just realized, ‘This synth is so good.’ It really makes the software of today look pathetic, to be honest. So I was inspired by the sounds I was getting, going back to the old school of performing the pieces, actually manipulating the sound as I recorded it. It was very joyful.”

The song’s message was shaped by a different source. Jones said he discovered Rev. Jesse Jackson’s 1972 poem “Stand Up, Black Man” after the civil rights leader died in February, and it inspired the lyrics for “Stand Up.” “I wasn’t familiar with the poem,” Jones said. “So I looked it up online and was very inspired to write something along those lines. ‘Stand up. You are somebody. Don’t let no one put you down,’ for people to realize the greatness they have inside themselves. I’ve always written songs about self reflection. How do you live your life as a human being in a successful way? How do you work things out? Why are we here? It’s always been about that for me. And there’s plenty of material to be inspired by now, with the way things are in the world. It’s a scary time for pretty much everyone. You’ve got incredibly powerful people who do not have any philosophical or moral compass whatsoever. The turn to the populist right in all parts of the world is really concerning, and at the same time our climate is just going haywire.”

“There’s plenty to write about, and I will be doing that. I feel so fortunate that I can sing those songs with more conviction than I probably had when I was younger because I’ve lived so much more life now.”

Jones said those ideas, combined with the sound of his vintage synthesizers, are shaping Global Citizen, which is expected to arrive in 2027. “I’m sort of five tracks on the go right now,” he shared. “Who knows how long it’s gonna take me. I’m working on it every day. It may be the last album that I do (of) original work, so I want to make it very special.”

The last album?

“Back, I guess, 10 years ago I said to the fans that I would do four album projects over the next 10 years, and I told them what the albums were gonna be called,” Jones explained. The artist, who is releasing Original Studio Albums 1984 to 1992, featuring his first five studio albums this week, said he views Global Citizen as a fitting conclusion to his recording career. “I just feel (Global Citizen) is an album that wraps up the whole career in a way. And it takes me so long to write and so long to do stuff, so…yeah.” Moments later, however, he admitted that those plans could still change.

“It may not be the last one,” Jones said with a laugh. “But I think it’s the last sort of full on synth record that I’ll do, put it that way. My wife said to me the other day, ‘When you did the (piano) albums you said, “Oh, I only want to compose music for the piano now, and I’m not gonna do any more synths or anything like that.” I just want to remind you that you said that.’ She’s got a point there.”

Jones said fans can expect a full electronic performance, complete with his synth setup and electronic drum kit, when the Things Can Only Get Better Tour begins on July 19 in Napa, California. The 23 date run also features Wang Chung, The English Beat and Modern English, and Jones hopes the concept will eventually become an annual touring event.

“It’s the biggest project, live, that I’ve ever done,” he said. “It’s a mini festival. It’s been quite a lot of making sure that the other bands have got what they need to do the show. I didn’t realize we would be so involved in that side of it, practically. You want every band to be able to function at their highest level, so they’ve got to have the equipment they need, things like that. It’s interesting to be involved on that side of it.”

Jones also noted that while the artists all came from the same era, they rarely crossed paths during the 1980s. “I didn’t bump into any of those people during the ’80s. But I’ve gotten to know them since then. I’ve gotten to know Jack [Hues of Wang Chung] really well. When he was a professor at Norwich (University of the Arts) he invited me to come and give a songwriting seminar, so I got to know him really well through that, but we never toured together. It will be great.”

He also said audiences can expect him to embrace the same colorful style that helped define his early career, adding that he has never regretted those bold fashion choices or hairstyles.

“I’m so pleased that I did all that because, again, it’s a statement, isn’t it? ‘Be who you are. Don’t be afraid to do that,’” Jones said. “Somebody once said to me, ‘Be yourself. Everyone else is taken,’ and that’s so great. So, y’know, the having dyed hair and crazy outfits, this is me, and I’m proud of it. That’s how I was then, and I still have that streak in me now. There’s more coming for this tour than ever, real fun things. So, no regrets.”

The itinerary for Jones’ Things Can Only Get Better Tour includes:

JULY

19 Napa, CA Blue Note Napa Summer Sessions

20 Saratoga, CA The Mountain Winery

21 Paso Robles, CA Paso Robles Event Center

23 Los Angeles, CA The Greek Theatre

24 San Diego, CA Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre

26 Las Vegas, NV Resorts World Theatre

29 West Valley City, UT Maverik Center

30 Greenwood Village, CO Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre

AUGUST

1 Council Bluffs, IA Harrah’s Stir Cove

4 Austin, TX ACL Live At The Moody Theatre

5 Grand Prairie, TX Texas Trust CU Theatre

7 Indianapolis, IN Everwise Amphitheater At White River State Park

8 Rochester Hills, MI Meadow Brook Amphitheatre

9 Nashville, TN Ascend Amphitheatre

11 Kettering, OH Fraze Pavilion

12 Lewiston, NY Artpark Amphitheater

14 Atlantic City, NJ Borgata Resort Spa & Casino

15 Washington, DC The Anthem

16 Cleveland, OH Jacobs Pavilion

19 Boston, MA Citizens House Of Blues

20 Wantagh, NY Northwell Health At Jones Beach Theater

21 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center

23 Toronto, ON The Bowl At Sobeys Stadium