Original FOREIGNER Singer LOU GRAMM Shares 'Long Hard Look', Second Single From Upcoming 'Released' Solo Album

Legendary vocalist and 2024 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Lou Gramm, best known as the iconic voice of FOREIGNER, has released "Long Hard Look", the powerful second single from his highly anticipated solo album "Released".

A brooding, mid-tempo rock anthem driven by muscular guitars and Gramm's unmistakable, commanding vocals, "Long Hard Look" channels the dramatic intensity and melodic sweep that defined the arena-rock era. Anchored by a gritty, introspective lyric and a towering chorus, the track proves that one of rock's most distinctive voices remains as forceful and emotionally resonant as ever.

Written by Lou Gramm and longtime collaborator and former BLACK SHEEP bandmate Bruce Turgon, "Long Hard Look" is both defiant and reflective. Over soaring lead guitar from Alex Garcia and a thunderous rhythm section featuring Tony Franklin on bass and Ben Gramm on drums, Gramm delivers one of his most impassioned performances in years. The song builds from its shadowed opening into a sweeping, chant-ready refrain, a classic Gramm moment that balances vulnerability, confidence, and melodic power.

Set to arrive on March 27, 2026 on CD (HNE Recordings / Cherry Red Records) and vinyl (Friday Music),"Released" marks the long-awaited completion of a pivotal chapter in Gramm's solo catalog. Produced by Gramm with associate producer Matthew Gramm, the album features ten original songs co-written with Turgon, originally recorded during the 1980s in the wake of his solo releases "Ready Or Not" (1987) and "Long Hard Look" (1989). Recently revisited and carefully completed, these recordings preserve the warmth, grit, and analog character of the original sessions while benefiting from a renewed clarity and sonic depth. The result bridges Gramm's celebrated solo era with the perspective and enduring vocal power that have defined him as one of rock's most influential and recognizable voices.

Lou says: "My new album 'Released' is a collection of unreleased songs that were recorded in the 1980s during the production of my three previous solo albums. These are powerful, heartfelt songs with a great vintage sound taken right from my old multitrack tapes. This new album was a long time coming and it's a real nostalgia trip. When I pulled these songs out of the vault, I knew I had to finish them for my fans around the world, so they can experience what I did when I first heard them after all these years. It means a lot to me to finally see this album released, to be taken back in time when I hear this music again, to remember working with all these great musicians, and to feel that my catalog is now complete."

Produced by Lou Gramm himself, "Released" features appearances from an outstanding cast of musicians, including Tony Franklin on bass for "Long Gone" and Vivian Campbell (DEF LEPPARD) on guitar for the opening track "Young Love", alongside longtime collaborators such as Lou's brother Ben Gramm on drums.

Born and raised in Rochester, New York, Lou Gramm emerged from a highly musical family before forming BLACK SHEEP, whose two albums for Capitol Records have since become cult favorites. A pivotal meeting with Mick Jones in 1975 led to the formation of FOREIGNER the following year, launching a career that produced a run of multi-platinum albums and hit singles. FOREIGNER famously became the first band since THE BEATLES to see their first eight singles reach the U.S. Top 20.

Alongside his work with FOREIGNER, Lou enjoyed major solo success with "Ready Or Not" (1987),featuring the hit "Midnight Blue", followed by "Long Hard Look" (1989),which included "Just Between You And Me". Now, with "Released", Lou delivers his third solo studio album, completing a vital chapter in his solo catalogue while standing proudly alongside both his earlier solo work and his defining recordings with FOREIGNER.

"Released" also includes "True Blue Love (Unplugged)", the original version of which appeared on "Long Hard Look", and follows recent high-profile collaborations with FOREIGNER connected to the band's induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2024.

Lou Gramm will be touring throughout 2026 in support of "Released", including solo dates and special appearances with FOREIGNER.

"Released" track listing:

01. Young Love
02. Lightning Strikes
03. Walk The Walk
04. Long Gone
05. Heart And Soul
06. Long Hard Look
07. True Blue Love (Unplugged)
08. Deeper Side of Love
09. Time Heals The Pain
10. Word Gets Around

In a recent interview with Kyle Meredith, Lou spoke about his previously announced plan to release some new solo material. He said: "I have a friend of mine who was in my solo bands. His name is Bruce Turgon, and he eventually became the bass player in FOREIGNER for about 10 years. And he and I have been friends since we were teenagers. And he plays bass. He's played with a lot of great bands and musicians over the years, and we wrote songs together back in the day. And when I got him in FOREIGNER, he was a participating songwriter too. And I think that's when FOREIGNER sounded its best, actually. And so I'm still in touch with him, and he helped me write songs for my upcoming solo album, which is being released in March."

Asked what fans can expect from his upcoming LP, Gramm said: "Well, I've been working on this album for over two years, and I have been looking through my backlog of songs that were great songs but were unfinished and didn't make it to the cut on my records and went back and finished some of them, and they're awesome songs. So I'm taking some new songs that were written and some of the older songs that deserve to be on the album. I finished 'em up, polished 'em up, and they're on the album. So it's a little conglomerate of past and present."

Back in 2019, Gramm told Kiki Classic Rock that his upcoming solo LP is based on a lot of the material from the "masters" from his solo albums. "'Cause my solo albums always had 10 songs on it, but we always recorded 12 or 13," he explained. "And the ones that didn't make the album weren't necessarily the weakest songs — a lot of 'em were very strong ideas, but they weren't quite finished. And I'm finishing them, and I'm gonna release them."

Regarding how the idea to revisit his unfinished material came about, Gramm said: "My son Matthew came up with the idea. He just asked me, 'How many songs were on the albums? And did you have any extras?' And I said, 'Always.' He said, 'Let's listen to those, polish 'em up, finish 'em, and put them out to be downloaded.' So we went back and we started listening, and there's those songs, not quite finished, that I hadn't heard in 30 years."

Lou added: "I'm so excited to release them, because, to me, they sound great."

Less than two years ago, Lou told Lee Richey about his plans to release new music: "It's song ideas and bits and pieces from my recording of my first [solo] album, second [solo] album and SHADOW KING [project]. Now, what I mean is when you put an album out and you have 10 songs, you might record 13 and pick the best 10. So then you've got three songs that you don't know what to do with. And the years go by. Or maybe they're not complete songs. Maybe you have 10 songs on your album and there's a couple songs that you started and once the album was released, you just forgot about them. So when I was looking to put out a new album, I had freshly written songs too, but I just started going through the tapes in my tape closet and listening to these things that were 25, 30 years old, and the ideas were awesome. So I started them that long ago and I finished them about two years ago."

By the time Gramm left FOREIGNER for the first time in 1990, he had already released two successful solo albums: 1987's "Ready Or Not" and 1989's "Long Hard Look". He went on to launch LOU GRAMM BAND, which released an all-Christian rock album in 2009. He followed it up with "My Baby" in 2015.

SHADOW KING was a collaboration between Gramm and current DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell. The group released a self-titled album in 1991 and performed live only once, at the Astoria Theatre in London, England on December 13, 1991.

Gramm was the voice on FOREIGNER's biggest hits, including "Feels Like The First Time" and "Cold as Ice" from the band's eponymous debut in 1977, and later songs like "Hot Blooded" and "I Want to Know What Love Is".

FOREIGNER's ongoing tour features Gramm on guest vocals for some of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame group's biggest hits. Gramm is sharing the stage with Luis Maldonado, who replaced longtime FOREIGNER frontman Kelly Hansen on lead vocals.

FOREIGNER replaced Gramm with Hansen in 2005. Guitarist Mick Jones, the only remaining original member of FOREIGNER, suffered from some health issues beginning in 2011, eventually resulting in heart surgery in 2012. In February 2024, Jones revealed on social media that he was battling Parkinson's disease, which explained his absence from FOREIGNER's live shows since 2022.

Reconnecting with his former FOREIGNER bandmates, Lou contributed words and vocals for the new song "Turning Back The Time" to coincide with FOREIGNER's induction into the Rock And Rock Hall Of Fame in 2024, and also the unreleased "Fool If You Love Him" for the latest FOREIGNER "4" box set in 2025.

Photo: Krishta Abruzzini (courtesy of Shore Fire Media)