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Introduction
Barry Manilow Reflects on His Legacy, New Music, and What May Be His Final Global Tour
After more than six decades in the spotlight and over 85 million albums sold worldwide, Barry Manilow is entering what may be the most emotional chapter of his legendary career. Speaking live from Los Angeles in a warm and candid interview, the iconic performer opened up about his new single, his connection to fans, and why this next trip to the UK might truly be his last.
Manilow’s latest release, Once Before I Go, carries a particularly poignant weight. Though many assume it is his own composition, he clarified that the song was written by his late friend Peter Allen. Manilow recalled first hearing it decades ago in New York—when he was far too young, he said, to sing its message with honesty. “But now that I’m a hundred years old,” he joked, “I can finally sing it truthfully.” Recording the song now, he added, felt like honoring an old friend while closing a personal circle.
The title resonates especially deeply because Manilow insists this upcoming tour will be his final journey across the UK. It’s not the first time he’s said it—but this time, he believes it. “As I sit here, yes, this is the last time,” he said with a smile, admitting he has walked back his goodbyes in the past. Yet the excitement of returning is undeniable. British audiences, he emphasized, embraced him from his earliest performances, and he remains deeply grateful.
When asked what it feels like to perform beloved classics such as Mandy or Copacabana, Manilow laughed, acknowledging how audiences instantly burst into song at the first few notes. At first, he resisted—after all, weren’t they meant to listen to him? But eventually he recognized the joy in letting the crowd take over. “I’m not there for me. I’m there for them,” he said.
The upcoming UK tour, scheduled for cities including Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Cardiff, Birmingham, and a final date at London’s O2 Arena, naturally raises the question: what will be his last song? While he won’t end on a sad note, Once Before I Go will likely appear near the close, a gentle farewell rather than a final curtain.
Despite a career built on powerful vocals, Manilow insists he does not see himself as a singer at all—but a musician. He never took voice lessons, never warmed up, and even now remains surprised by the applause. What sustains him, he says, is honesty and the connection he feels with the audience and the long-standing family of band and crew behind him.
Reflecting on modern music, from TikTok to streaming, he believes the industry will thrive as long as melody and lyric remain at the heart. And that, he says, has always been his only goal: to make people feel something.
Even after sixty years, the thrill remains unchanged. When the curtain rises and thousands cheer, Manilow says, “you’d do it over and over again too.”