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Kelly Hansen, lead singer with Foreigner for the last 20 years, has announced that he's leaving the band. Hansen made the announcement live on popular NBC show The Voice, and confirmed that Foreigner guitarist Luis Maldonado will be stepping up to the mic.
"Being the voice of Foreigner has been one of the greatest honours of my life," said Hansen. "But it’s time to pass the mic. Luis has the voice, the energy, and the soul to carry these songs into the future. I couldn’t be prouder to hand this off to him."
"This music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember,” adds Maldonado. "I’m ready to honour Foreigner’s legacy and bring my heart to every performance."
"In 1976, my goal was to assemble the finest group of musicians I could find," says Foreigner leader Mick Jones, who no longer performs onstage with the band. "Results have shown that it worked! About thirty years later, Jason Bonham encouraged me to do it all over again and create a brand-new Foreigner, and the magic was still there.
"I was especially fortunate in the choice of lead singer. Kelly Hansen is one of the best front men in our business and over the last twenty years he has breathed new life into our songs. His boundless energy and flawless talent has helped us climb the mountain and set up the opportunity for Foreigner vocalist and guitarist, Luis Maldonado, to bring us home.
"I wish Kelly great happiness in his next endeavors after our summer tour, and I look forward to welcoming Luis to his new position. Luis was my choice as a guitarist and he has already shown us what he can do on lead vocals by fronting the band in South America to incredible reviews. He will soon lead the charge that will carry us forward to new heights."
In what's been a long-winded changing of the guard, Foreigner announced that in March Hansen would not be joining the band on their October tour of Canada, before the singer confirmed that he wouldn't be involved in the April shows in Mexico and South America.
To confuse matters further, Foreigner also announced in March that the Canadian dates would be fronted by Broadway singer and actor Geordie Brown. It has not yet been confirmed if this is still the case, or if Maldonado will be out front.
Luis Maldonado's first releases as lead singer both arrived this month, with the band sharing Spanish-language versions of two classic singles, 1981's Urgent and 1984's I Want To Know What Love Is.
