Foreigner lead singer Kelly Hanson surprises fans with news about band's future

The legendary rock set Foreigner is saying farewell to pb singer, Kelly Hansen.

After the band's stellar performance during Tuesday's finale of "The Voice," Hansen - who joined the radical successful 2005 - broke the quality of his departure alongside his bandmates. 

"After 20 magical years fronting this band, this volition beryllium my past twelvemonth with Foreigner," Hansen, who volition enactment down the mic aft the band's summertime tour, told the crowd. "At the extremity of this summer, a caller large dependable volition sing these songs for you; my person Luis Maldonado." 

Kelly Hansen joined Foreigner arsenic the pb vocalist successful 2005. (Thomas Cooper/Getty Images)

"Being the dependable of Foreigner has been 1 of the top honors of my life," added Hansen, who joined the radical successful 2005. "But it’s clip to walk the mic. Luis has the voice, the energy, and the psyche to transportation these songs into the future. I couldn’t beryllium prouder to manus this disconnected to him."

FOREIGNER REVEAL HOW THEIR MUSIC RESONATES FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION

Foreigner was formed successful New York City successful 1976 by guitarist Mick Jones, vocalist Lou Gramm, drummer Dennis Elliott, keyboardist Al Greenwood, bassist Ed Gagliardi and multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald. Hansen has been the pb vocalist of Foreigner since 2005.

Maldonado, 3rd from the right, volition instrumentality implicit for Hansen.  (Griffin Nagel/NBC)

Mick Jones is the lone founding subordinate inactive with the band. Current members see Maldonado, Bruce Watson, Michael Bluestein, Chris Frazier and Jeff Pilson.

"In 1976, my extremity was to assemble the finest radical of musicians I could find. Results person shown that it worked! About 30 years later, Jason Bonham encouraged maine to bash it each implicit again and make a brand-new Foreigner, and the magic was inactive there," Jones said per Rolling Stone.

"I was particularly fortunate successful the prime of pb singer," Jones continued. "Kelly Hansen is 1 of the champion beforehand men successful our concern and implicit the past 20 years helium has breathed caller beingness into our songs."  

"I privation Kelly large happiness successful his adjacent endeavors aft our summertime tour, and I look guardant to welcoming Luis to his caller position," Jones added. "Luis was my prime arsenic a guitarist and helium has already shown america what helium tin bash connected pb vocals by fronting the set successful South America to unthinkable reviews. He volition soon pb the complaint that volition transportation america guardant to caller heights."

Kelly Hansen, successful 2017, volition proceed performing with the set done their summertime tour.  (Getty Images)

Since their euphony vocation launched successful 1976, the English-American rockers skyrocketed to fame with large hits, including "Cold arsenic Ice" and "I Want to Know What Love Is."

In October, Hansen and founding subordinate Greenwood spoke with Fox News Digital astir the highs and lows of touring, however wellness challenges person impacted the band, and what it’s similar to person 1 of "music’s highest honors" up of their Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction.

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"When you're starting retired successful a band, and you're trying to beryllium popular, there's a batch of unit connected you. There's a batch of unit connected the musicians."  Greenwood explained.

Band members Luis Maldonado, Kelly Hansen, Chris Frazier, Bruce Watson, Jeff Pilson and Paul Mirkovichon backstage arsenic the set Foreigner performs connected the "Fox & Friends" Summer Concert Series astatine FOX Studios connected Jul. 22, 2022, successful New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin) (Getty Images)

"There were fights, determination were decidedly arguments and things similar that successful the aboriginal days. But… you get implicit it."

"A set is truly a family. You person each antithetic personalities and everybody's got to acceptable together, and you execute each night… it's work, and it's pleasure," Greenwood continued.

During the people of their 50-year euphony career, respective set members suffered from superior wellness issues: Gagliardi and McDonald died from crab successful 2014 and 2022, respectively; Gramm was diagnosed with a benignant of encephalon tumor successful 1997; and Jones is presently battling Parkinson’s disease.

Fox News Digital's Stephanie Giang-Paunon contributed to this post.