Steve Perry Crushes Journey Reunion Dreams: 'Rumors Are Simply Not True'

Former Journey singer Steve Perry has a message for fans: don't stop believin' in a reunion, because it's not happening. In a recent social media post, Perry, who parted ways with the band nearly three decades ago, addressed speculation about a possible return.

"While I’m always grateful for the love people still have for Journey, the rumors about me rejoining the band are simply not true, and I want to gently put them to rest,” he wrote. “I completely understand why people would hope for that. The music we created together means a great deal to me too. But I’m continuing to explore new creative work and really enjoy working on new music that reflects where I am today.”

The rumors ignited following an interview with Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain, where he hinted at Perry's potential consideration of a reunion. Cain stated that guitarist Neal Schon had already approached Perry, who was supposedly "thinking about it." Cain added, "He didn’t say no – leave it at that."

It's easy to understand why fans yearn for a reunion. Perry, despite being the band's third frontman, sang all of their iconic hits recorded between 1977 and their 1987 breakup, including "Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Lights,” “Open Arms,” “Any Way You Want It,” and “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)." After reuniting in 1995, Perry remained with Journey for three years until a hip injury sidelined him. Since then, Journey has seen several frontmen, eventually finding their current singer, Arnel Pineda, from a cover band called the Zoo, in 2007. Notably, Pineda's tenure as Journey's frontman has now surpassed Perry's.

Journey

Perry took a long hiatus from the music industry to address health concerns. He made a comeback with Traces, his first solo album in 24 years, released in 2018, followed by a Christmas album, The Season, in 2021. While he hasn't toured since his return, he did make occasional guest appearances with the band Eels in 2014.

In a 2018 interview with Rolling Stone, Perry definitively dismissed any possibility of a Journey reunion. “I left the band 31 fucking years ago, my friend,” he stated. “You can still love someone, but not want to work with them. And if they only love you because they want to work with you, that doesn’t feel good to me.”