Photo Credit: Scruffy Bear Media
Frontiers Music proudly announces the signing of legendary English rock supergroup Asia for an exciting new chapter in their storied history.
Last year saw a rebirth for legendary supergroup Asia, with a new lineup featuring founding member, keyboardist Geoffrey Downes, drummer Virgil Donati, guitarist John Mitchell, and vocal newcomer and bassist Harry Whitley. This new chapter promises to reignite the band’s iconic spirit, stepping into a promising new creative era.
“Asia is thrilled to have recently signed a new deal with Frontiers Music SRL,” said founding member, songwriter, producer, and keyboardist Geoff Downes. “Having been loyally supported by the label throughout the Asia reunion period from 2005 to 2015, we are now entering an exciting new chapter in the band’s 45-year history with a sequence of live albums, DVDs, and a brand new studio album scheduled for a 2026 release. It’s very much a homecoming for the band, and so we are greatly looking forward to a long and fruitful partnership with them in the future. Watch this space!”
“So proud and excited for the label to be able to bring back this iconic band,” added Mario de Riso, A&R and Business Affairs VP of Frontiers. “There was certainly unfinished business to deal with and thanks to this fabulous new lineup, new music from Asia can now come to fruition. It will be a blast!”
In the summer of 2023, Geoff Downes spearheaded a memorial concert to remember and celebrate the life of his late, much-loved friend and Asia co-founder, the great John Wetton. At the concert, he invited rock n’ roll veteran John Mitchell, who had played with both Wetton and Downes in Icon and in Wetton’s own band, to join him on stage, taking on lead guitar duties. They were joined by newcomer Harry Whitley, whom Downes had discovered and whose vocal talents so closely resemble those of Wetton.
In 1982, John Wetton, Geoff Downes, Carl Palmer, and Steve Howe became the founding members of supergroup Asia, responsible for a string of multi-million-selling albums and chart-topping hits across the globe. Asia’s self-titled 1982 debut album was the biggest-selling album in the world that year. The band dominated the airwaves, and for many, “Heat of the Moment,” “Only Time Will Tell,” and “Sole Survivor,” amongst others, were the soundtrack to their youth.
In 2006, the founding members reformed Asia and released several new albums before John Wetton’s untimely passing in 2017. Since John’s passing, Geoff and Carl have toured with Sam Coulson, Billy Sherwood, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, and Steve Howe guesting.
Busy touring the globe, Carl Palmer is now immersed in a project very dear to his heart, the Return of Emerson Lake & Palmer, while the legendary Steve Howe remains at the helm of progressive rock legends, Yes. Geoff therefore made the decision to take a fresh, new-looking Asia back out on the road, recruiting Mitchell and Whitley as new members and bringing in the drumming excellence of Virgil Donati, who had played with Wetton in the UK.
Asia has entertained and delighted a multitude of audiences over the last forty years. Some of the world’s greatest musicians have taken up the Asia baton during that time. However, Geoff Downes believes that the time is right to bring a fresh, new Asia out into the light.
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