Dead Daisies Recruit Ex-Foreigner Singer Kelly Hansen

Kelly Hansen is back in business. The former Foreigner frontman has officially joined hard rock supergroup The Dead Daisies as their new lead singer, the band announced on Monday, October 5, 2026. The move kicks off a new chapter for the veteran rock collective, complete with a brand-new single, a 2027 studio album and an extensive world tour, reported by Consequence.

Hansen, 65, fronted Foreigner for two decades after joining in 2005, and announced in May 2025 that he would leave the legendary band, with guitarist Luis Maldonado taking over as lead vocalist. He made it clear at the time that he was not done with music. In a statement released with the announcement, Hansen said he had not been retiring when he left Foreigner, only moving on to other things, and described the new project as an opportunity for new melodies, a new vibe and fresh energy.

The new Dead Daisies lineup and the new single

The Dead Daisies have been built around veteran star power since 2012, and this latest addition continues that tradition.

The band is signaling a restart with a powerhouse lineup. Joining Hansen are longtime guitarists Doug Aldrich, known for his work with Whitesnake and Dio, and David Lowy, alongside drummer Tommy Clufetos, formerly of Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne's band, and bassist Jimi Crutchley of The Quireboys. For Aldrich, the reunion is decades in the making: he and Hansen played together in the band Hurricane between 1989 and 1991.

Fans do not have to wait for the album to hear what the new chemistry sounds like. The band has premiered "Lift Me Up," the first track from the new lineup, with a video out now. In a statement, Aldrich said the song began as a simple guitar riff and heavy groove, with the melody growing from there, and added that the lyric carries a positive message meant to lift listeners during difficult times. He also praised Hansen's exceptional vocal range and said he is looking forward to sharing a stage with him again after more than three decades.

Lowy added his own endorsement in a statement, saying the band is fired up about its direction, that Hansen has slotted in naturally, and that a killer record is taking shape ahead of a big year of touring. The group is currently in the studio working on the full album, which is slated for release in 2027.

The Dead Daisies plot a 2027 tour spanning the globe

The Dead Daisies have unveiled an extensive 2027 tour to support the new era. The band has confirmed a European spring run in March with dates across the UK, followed by a US spring leg in April and May with special guests Bulletboys and The Fell, and a Scandinavian tour in September visiting Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. According to reporting by Consequence, the band announced both the new frontman and the tour dates together on October 5, making this one of the most ambitious live schedules the group has ever attempted.

The timeline is significant. Hansen's addition comes about three months after the departure of John Corabi, whose exit was announced in July 2026 after a three-year run. Corabi's stint was his second with the band: he originally joined in 2015 and departed four years later to make way for Glenn Hughes. Earlier this year, the band briefly reunited with Hughes for a May 30, 2026 performance under The Purple Daisies banner in St. Charles, Illinois, before Hughes announced his retirement from touring. With that chapter closed, Hansen becomes the fourth permanent vocalist to front the group since its formation in 2012.

Why it matters

The Dead Daisies have built their entire identity around a rotating cast of veteran rock players, and Hansen fits that model perfectly. As the voice of Foreigner for twenty years, he sang the band's catalog through its Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction era and kept a legacy act sounding fresh on massive stages. Pairing that pedigree with Aldrich's guitar work and Clufetos's drumming gives the new lineup serious heavyweight credentials, and "Lift Me Up" suggests the band is leaning into melodic, positive rock rather than nostalgia.

For younger rock fans, this is a reminder that classic rock is not standing still. The 2026 concert landscape has been dominated by legacy acts reinventing themselves, and The Dead Daisies' 2027 tour promises to bring one of the genre's most fun live bands back to stages across three continents. Hansen spent two decades proving he could fill arenas with Foreigner; now the test is whether the new lineup can do the same with chemistry and new material. Concert season remains packed across genres: Diljit Dosanjh's Aura tour heads to seven cities in India, and Tinashe just earned her first top ten album.

The open question is how much new music the band can deliver before the tour kicks off in March 2027. With "Lift Me Up" already setting the tone, fans have a preview of the direction. For a supergroup like the Dead Daisies that has always thrived on momentum, the timing of this announcement, just ahead of the holiday season, could not be better, reported by Parade and music outlets covering the October 5 reveal, with Parade also reporting the band's 2027 album and tour plans.