Yusuf/Cat Stevens on his new album, dreams of a Green Day collab, and the Glasto legend’s slot

nme.com:

Yusuf/Cat Stevens has spoken to NME about his newly-announced album ‘King Of A Land’, as well as his thoughts on the Glastonbury 2023 legend’s slot, Rishi Sunak’s government, and his dream of working with Green Day.

Check out new single ‘Take The World Apart’ below, along with our interview with the icon.The first wave of artists for this summer’s festival was revealed earlier this month, with Arctic Monkeys and Guns N’ Roses set to join Elton John in headlining the iconic Pyramid Stage – and Yusuf/Cat Stevens filling the coveted legends slot on Sunday afternoon.Fresh on the heels of the announcement, the iconic singer-songwriter – who first found fame ‘Matthew And Son’ when he was just 18 in 1967, before releasing the likes of ‘First Cut Is The Deepest’, ‘Father And Son’, ‘Morning Has Broken’, ‘Peace Train’ and ‘Wild World’ – has today (March 15) revealed details of his new album, ‘King Of A Land’.“I didn’t have a plan for what this album was going to be and, in a way, I’ve been recording it for 12 years,” he told NME. “I started recording it in Berlin in 2011, but I wasn’t happy with the tracks I laid down there.

Over the years, I’ve gradually been perfecting them. I live in Dubai, where I’ve been adding details in my studio. So it’s taken a long time, but it’s benefitted from that.“I wasn’t going to let go until it’s ready and I’m very, very pleased with the results.

It’s probably one of my best albums.”Made with Yusuf’s longtime producer Paul Samwell-Smith, ‘King Of A Land’ is a fascinatingly diverse album, veering from the childlike wonder of ‘How Good It Feels’ and gospel-tinged ‘Highness’ to the politicised rock of ‘All Nights All Days’ and the heavy ‘Pagan Run’.