Ringo Starr reveals issue with his singing voice: “I always wanted to be someone else”

Posted On January 13, 2025January 13, 2025

Following the release of his new country and roots album, Look Up, The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr has revealed his longtime issue with his singing voice.

Starr released his 22nd solo album on January 10th, 2025. It was produced by the legendary country producer, guitarist, and songwriter T Bone Burnett, who also played with Bob Dylan in the 1970s.

In a new interview with The Times, Starr explained his problem with his vocals. “Well, I always wanted to be someone else, like Jerry Lee or someone,” he said.

The drummer continued: “I mean, I can hold a tune, as long as it’s in my key. And it just worked out with the Beatles because John and Paul were great writers. That’s what made us. And I’d get one song. And a couple of them were really good, you know, With a Little Help from My Friends and Yellow Submarine. They’re still huge and I still do them on tour. They wrote me a lot of really nice songs.”

In Far Out‘s three-star review of Look Up, Starr’s vocals were highlighted as the central issue with the record, writing, “I hate to say it, but where this album falls down is Ringo. He has an unmissable voice, and the reason it’s unmissable is because it lacks any warmth or emotion (dare I say… “peace and love”). It’s an easy joke to make these days, given that everyone seems to say it, but it sounds like someone has asked AI to make Ringo Starr sing country.”

Starr and the other participants on Look Up will play shows at the famous Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on January 14th and 15th. Following that, Starr will tour with his All-Starr Band in the US in June. “What else am I going to do?” he told the publication regarding his touring plans. “The band sounds great. We have a fun time and we just do it.”

“I only want to be in a band,” he concluded. “I don’t want to be out on my own. There’s no way you can go out there and do Yesterday just on drums.”

Elsewhere, despite The Beatles using artificial intelligence to finish their final track, ‘Now and Then’, Starr recently admitted to being “afraid” of the technology.

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