Alexander O’Neal Hopes His Farewell Tour Will Let Him ‘Do Something Different’
This year, R&B singer Alexander O’Neal has toured throughout Europe on his Time to Say Goodbye farewell tour. O’Neal has been steadily working in the music industry since the beginning of the 1980s. Now, he says it’s time to try something new with his life.
Alexander O’Neal played a farewell tour in Europe
On Apr 25, 2024, O’Neal kicked off his farewell tour in the United Kingdom. He hoped to celebrate his career and thank his fans with the tour.
“Time to Say Goodbye will take the audience on a wonderful journey through my career with never-before-seen-photos, testimonies, and tributes, all set to the tune of some of my most iconic songs,” O’Neal wrote on Instagram. “I’ve had an amazing career, and I’m so grateful to my fans for their unwavering support over the years. I’m excited to hit the road one last time, and give you a night you’ll never forget.”
He played a series of shows throughout the United Kingdom, with additional dates in the Netherlands and Portugal. While the bulk of the tour concluded in June, he has further dates scheduled in September.
O’Neal explained that after decades in the music industry, he hopes to do something different with his life.
“After 48 years in the music industry, you know, I just wanted to try something else,” he said. “It’s time for me to do something different. It’s time to say goodbye.”
While O’Neal did not elaborate on what he wants to do with his newfound free time, he has been posting a series on his Facebook and Instagram accounts called “Slumming It.” He used it to document his travels throughout the tour.
Alexander O’Neal’s farewell tour comes decades after he launched his career
O’Neal announced his farewell tour nearly five decades after the start of his career. While he was briefly the lead singer in the band The Time, he reportedly lost his spot after a disagreement with Prince, who signed the group.
In 1985, O’Neal released a well-received self-titled solo album. He also got his first Top 10 hit on the R&B charts for “Saturday Love” with Cherrelle. Over the years, O’Neal consistently had songs hit the Top 40 on R&B charts.
The singer admitted to a history of drug addiction
In recent years, O’Neal has spoken about the way addiction has impacted his life and career. He admitted that he has been grappling with drug addiction since the start of his career. He believes that this has severely hampered his growth as an artist.
“If I’m man enough to say this is one of my demons, surely that’s enough? I didn’t know the music industry was going to hold me hostage with it though for the rest of my career, the rest of my life,” he told the Mirror in 2015. “I didn’t know they were never going to allow me to go straight or grow up. Everything I do is based on drugs. Even today it’s 30 years on, every time they say something about Alexander O’Neal they say seven good things and one thing about drugs. Everything I do has always got drugs attached.”
O’Neal believes his drug use had more consequences attached to it than other artists.
“I think about other great artists who used drugs. Like Ozzy Osbourne,” he said. “He can do anything in the world, and they’ll give him another £10million. It’s because he’s Ozzy Osbourne. But I’m held hostage and they put everything I do in jeopardy because of some scrutiny.”
He felt closer to becoming the type of artist he wanted to be every day he didn’t use drugs.
“I’ve come a long way but you can’t give yourself credit for that,” he said. “Every day I don’t use (drugs) I’m getting closer to where I need to get to.”
How to get help: In the U.S., contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration helpline at 1-800-662-4357.
