Will Tracy Chapman Ever Tour Again and Release New Music?

What We Know About Tracy Chapman's Future Tour and Album...

Many of you have been wondering if, and when, Tracy Chapman might return to the stage, possibly with a new album. So I’ve decided to explore this recurring question in today’s newsletter.

Here's the short answer Tracy gave to the German press last month (April 17, 2025):

“I'm still on a break. I have no plans to go on tour, and I have no plans to go into the studio. Who knows what might happen, but right now, there are no plans.”¹ Tracy Chapman

So for now, there are no plans. It's important to note that she will only tour again if she releases a new album, which she considers essential:

“If I were to tour, I would tour for something new, new material, and in that process, I would, of course, play these [old] songs, too. But that would be the thing that would be most interesting to me at this point.”² Tracy Chapman

Yes, some of you wouldn’t mind if she toured without promoting a new album. Many artists do it; some go on so-called greatest hits tours, while others perform one or more albums in full on stage. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but none of this is currently planned for Tracy.

However, she assures us that her break is not due to a lack of inspiration or loss of interest in music:

“I continue to write songs, play, rehearse… I’m still involved in all the creative aspects of making music, but I just haven’t tried to go into the studio or tour in quite some time.”³ Because “whether or not I’m in the studio or going on tour, I’m always writing, always playing, always practicing. It really is fundamental to who I am, and I think about music all the time.⁴ I’ve been doing it since I was 8 years old. It’s just part of my DNA. It’s part of who I.” ⁵ Tracy Chapman

Back in 2015, she was already saying so:

“I write songs regularly and am also very interested in politics. But I don't want to make music for the masses at the moment. I took a break after my last tour. It's been a bit longer now…”⁶ But “It will come at some point. I'm not working on it now but I already have several songs written. I still have to go to the studio. It may seem like I'm retired but I'm not.”⁷ Tracy Chapman

So, we have reason to be hopeful. Based on what she said last month, it's not a question of if she'll be back. She will be back. Period. We just don't know when.

But why such a long break for Tracy Chapman?

Since she started writing music and then performing live while she was in college, and even then, time was already an issue. In one of her earliest interviews in 1985, she explained how hard it was to juggle her studies and her art:

“The two things I’m doing going to school and then doing my music could take up all of my time. Just one of those things could take up all my time and I find I’m not getting enough sleep!”⁸ Tracy Chapman

From the moment she signed contracts with SBK and Elektra Records, nothing in her life was ever the same. She recorded her debut album, promoted it relentlessly and then, almost overnight, global fame arrived. Her breakthrough came after a powerful performance at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute Concert (more on that soon). In the months that followed, the touring schedule intensified, the interviews multiplied and the machine became unstoppable. “Nothing was the same after that”.⁹

Things moved too quickly. It was just too much.

"I had success with the first record, and I had to keep making records. I felt like my life was on this cycle that was beyond my control. Making records and touring, making records and touring, and in that process not being at home and not being settled. They weren't particularly happy times."¹⁰ Tracy Chapman

This statement dates back to the year 2000. Tracy became disillusioned with the music industry early. After releasing her third album, Matters Of The Heart, in 1992, she even considered ending her recording career altogether.

Nevertheless, she worked on her fourth album, New Beginning, using a different process than her other albums. She brought together a band of Bay Area musicians and first toured small university venues, using the experience to refine her sound and explore deeper musical collaboration.

The album was released in mid-November 1995. Then, the huge success of the single "Give Me One Reason" reignited her career in the U.S. charts. New Beginning could have been her fourth and final album. Instead, it opened the door to four more studio albums: Telling Stories (2000), Let It Rain (2002), Where You Live (2005), and Our Bright Future (2008). What a gift it was!

It's not that she didn't work on her own terms before recording this fourth album; she's always worked on her own terms but the months of promotion and touring that followed each album release left her exhausted: “I admit that I don't enjoy touring as much anymore. I probably did it too extensively before.”¹¹ Tracy Chapman.

In my archives, I came across a short video from 2003 aired on VRT1, a Belgian TV channel, where Tracy is briefly interviewed on the topic. I’ve also included an excerpt from her live performance of Another Sun in Antwerp, recorded on February 21, 2003. The video quality isn’t great — but as you can imagine, most online footage from 2003 hasn't aged very well.

TRANSCRIPT OF THE VIDEO:

Question: “You're very busy with touring and recording new albums. Do you still have time for a family?”

Tracy: “Occasionally sure. I try to. It's hard to create a good balance between work life and you know home life. But you know I do what I can. And of course when you're touring, it's very heavily balanced on work so…”

Question: “Do you like touring?”

Tracy: “Not really, I don't like to travel. I'm not going to sit here and complain about it. It's really hard. But it's great to have the chance to play music for people all over the world so it balances out.”

So, if you were wondering why Tracy Chapman doesn't perform anymore or why she hasn't performed in a long time, now you know.

Released in 2008, Our Bright Future was the eighth and final album Tracy owed under her original 1987 contract with Elektra Records. She promoted it with an extensive tour, performing 64 concerts across Europe and the U.S. Then, for the first time in decades, she took a step back, chose to take a break and fully embrace her freedom.

"I'm happy to be free in every sense of the word" she told the Swiss newspaper Le Matin.¹²

But what was originally supposed to be a short break ended up being a little longer. She didn't have any specific plans afterward.

When her Greatest Hits was released in 2015, she spoke with the British press about her absence: “I kept saying, ‘it’s a short break.’ A short break that got longer and longer. To take time and just be in the world, be at home, be in one place.”¹³

She did the same for the Italian press: “I chose San Francisco because I didn't feel like being in New York or Los Angeles; it's a city that looks like me, quiet without being provincial. I put quality of life before work. One thing is true though, after so many years I wanted to get it over with touring. Life on the road, which many people find exhilarating, was beyond wearisome for me. I wanted to stop in one place and stay there, take a break, which then became long, and even longer. Not that the years of frenetic activity were a nightmare but living in a normal place as a normal person is essential to my balance.”¹⁴

What does Tracy Chapman do in her free time?

When asked to define luxury, she replied, "Time."¹⁵

“As an artist, I need time of repose. I need those moments when I’m doing nothing¹⁶ (...)

I lead a quiet life, enjoy cooking and have a small garden where I grow strawberries, tomatoes and green beans. (...)

I read all the time, I read all kinds of things. I read a lot of non-fiction actually. In the time on my short break [laughs] I had some goals in mind, being in one place and one of my goals was to become a regular at a restaurant to the point where they knew what I wanted to order before I even said anything. And I feel that I’ve been successful in that.”¹⁷ Tracy Chapman

And if you wanna know what Tracy Chapman would order for breakfast without having to say anything: “I’d get orange juice, tea, scrambled eggs with mushrooms and wheat toast. And all I’d ever have to do is walk through the door.”¹⁸

For her balance and her creativity, it is essential that she have a normal life away from the public eye:

“You need to keep something for yourself. As a writer, I feel that even more strongly. I feel like I need to be able to freely observe the world. That’s the way I like to move through the world; I don’t need to be the focus of attention. If I am, it impairs my ability to write and to do what I do.” ¹⁹ Tracy Chapman

“I'm often at the beach or hiking, I'm out in nature and also enjoy being around people. I don't want to have to barricade myself at home, I want to take part in life, because that's the only way I can find new themes and inspiration for my songs. And one thing is also clear: I'm definitely still too young to retire.”²⁰ Tracy Chapman

Too young to retire, that's reassuring, isn't it?

So what now?

While we await her return with a major artistic project, I propose two things:

1. Let’s celebrate her music!

She's given us eight studio albums. There's bound to be one or two that you've listened to less than the others. Take the time to experience those albums in a new way.

There are many original ways to do so:

• Listen to her albums in unusual settings, such as in the car, while walking in the forest, while lying on your bed during the evening twilight…;

• Use an old device you no longer use, such as a cassette Walkman, a Discman or your parents' vinyl turntable;

• Play the songs in shuffle mode, one album at a time, or mix her entire discography mixed together.

Yes, this requires you to have digitized your music or to use a streaming platform, which she doesn't really approve of, we know that.²¹

Shuffle mode is a great way to rediscover songs. When you know an album by heart, you always know what song is coming next. Albums anchor us to specific moments in life, tied to a mood, a memory. However when you listen to an entire discography on shuffle, all of that fades. Suddenly, each song stands on its own. You hear things you hadn’t noticed before: meanings, textures, and emotions. Even songs you thought you knew by heart can surprise you.

Give it a try. It's surprisingly refreshing!

2. Let's get together every week in a newsletter!

Tracy won't be back in the spotlight anytime soon. I'm sure you miss her as much as I do. So, let's meet up every week through this newsletter.

What's the goal? To get to know her better. Together, we'll explore her music, career, and interviews.

I make a point of sourcing everything I share with you. In this edition of the newsletter, for example, I selected quotes from interviews published in fifteen articles from 1985, 2000, 2008, 2009, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2025. Yes, it was a huge undertaking! No matter the year, Tracy remains remarkably consistent. Of course, she evolves because life is change. But her way of thinking has remained consistent over the decades. She had this maturity from a young age, undoubtedly shaped by her challenging personal history, which we'll discuss in detail in future newsletters.

I thoroughly enjoyed writing this edition. As with the previous ones, in fact. That's why I'm embarking on this weekly adventure. I'll finally be able to explore all the archives I've accumulated over the last 30 years and share the best with you.

Like this edition? Upgrade to receive the premium newsletters, delivered weekly with exclusive stories, insights, deep dives and archival gems.👇

Tomorrow, I will send you a more detailed overview of the premium newsletter and the editorial calendar for the next four weeks. The first premium newsletter will be sent out on Wednesday, May 28, 2025.

I hope you're as excited about this project as I am! If you're reading this in your inbox, don't hesitate to get in touch by replying to this email. Otherwise, you can comment on this Substack post.

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Disclaimer

All interview excerpts used in this newsletter are all properly sourced in the notes. The references are provided at the bottom of the page. Therefore, we can consider all quotes attributed to Tracy as accurate. However, there is always a possibility that a journalist may have misquoted or misinterpreted what Tracy intended to say. If that is the case, I disclaim all responsibility for any such misinterpretation.

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Written by Aurélie M

Editor, researcher, and founder of about-tracy-chapman.net. I’ve been curating Tracy Chapman’s legacy since 2001—online, in print, and through this newsletter. Co-manager of the Tracy Chapman Online Community (2.7M followers).

1. Tracy Chapman macht weiter Musik – aber nur privat, Deutschen Presse-Agentur, April 17, 2025.

2. Tracy Chapman on Revisiting Her Self-Titled Debut Album, 37 Years Later: ‘I’m Just So Proud of It’, Billboard, April 4, 2025.

3. Tracy Chapman, 17 years on since her last album: ‘I’m worried about democracy in the United States’, El País, April 13, 2025

4. Tracy Chapman Wants to Speak for Herself, New York Times, April 4, 2025

5. Tracy Chapman on Revisiting Her Self-Titled Debut Album, 37 Years Later: ‘I’m Just So Proud of It’, Billboard, April 4, 2025.

6. “Die Songs von damals – beängstigend aktuell”, Focus, January 16, 2016

7. Tracy Chapman: “No estoy retirada”, El Diaro, November 21, 2015

8. Before They Were Famous: Tracy Chapman on WUMB, 1985

9. “Die Songs von damals – beängstigend aktuell”, Focus, January 16, 2016

10. "I felt like my life was on this cycle that was beyond my control.", Time, February 28, 2000

11. Musikerin Tracy Chapman: “Mandela hat mein Leben verändert”, Spiegel, June 11, 2017

12. Tracy Chapman: "Aujourd’hui, je suis libre !", Le Matin, July 25, 2009

13. Talking with Tracy Chapman, Sunday Times, November 17, 2015

14. Tracy Chapman: L’incontro. Rivoluzionarie, La Reppublica, December 06, 2015

15. Tracy Chapman: “Barack Obama würde ich gerne einmal treffen”, Park Avenue, November 2008

16. Talking with Tracy Chapman, Sunday Times, November 17, 2015

17. Sängerin Tracy Chapman “Für Barack Obama sind viele nicht bereit”, Die Welt, 4 November 2008

18. Talking with Tracy Chapman, Sunday Times, November 17, 2015

19. Why singer Tracy Chapman had a feeling she could be someone, The Daily Telegraph, November 21, 2015

20. Musikerin Tracy Chapman: “Mandela hat mein Leben verändert”, Spiegel, June 11, 2017

21. When asked by Lindsay Zoladz from the New York Times if she still listens to new music, she answered: “I do listen to music still. I don’t listen to as much as I used to, and I’m maybe going to date myself now, or someone’s going call me a Luddite, but I don’t stream music. I only buy music in physical form. Artists get paid when you actually buy a CD or the vinyl. That’s important to me. So to some extent, it limits what I listen to, because it’s a physical commitment of going out into the world and finding things, but I still do go out.”