Jon Bon Jovi is receiving strong reviews for Bon Jovi's new album, 2020 — a record that should've been released nearly six months ago. During a chat with USA Today, the now-nearly white-haired New Jersey rocker joked, “Let me tell you, I've earned this gray hair. I've been through enough hurting and healing to be here. Professionally, I've survived trends that have come and gone, and I've even had to mourn the loss of a bandmate who just couldn't effectively keep up anymore. And that was tough.”
Bon Jovi, who is sure to score big with the socially relevant new set, titled 2020, admitted, “I'm not driven by numbers; I really don't think I ever was. When you're just starting out, they're so beyond your reach. The only thing I care about in my career at this point is when I write a song. Writing is the closest thing that anyone will ever feel to immortality, it'll outlive you. Writing it is all I can really give a darn about. Recording it is second because you want to see if it was worth it. And touring is third. It’s last because that is wonderful and all, but I don't live to tour. I don’t live to hear people applaud. That's a byproduct of writing the song.”
When pressed as to whether there were any milestones he still needed to check off, Bon Jovi said, “Honestly, at this point, what I'm hoping to do is to first and foremost enjoy it, and then keep integrity. I don't ever want to be on the 'Where are they now?' pile. I jokingly say, 'No one loved the 'Fat Elvis.' I mean that with the utmost respect, but you got to know when it's time to go. I can still write a song and that's what matters to me most. The rest of it, I'll do it as I see fit.”
Jon Bon Jovi shed light on the decision to scrap his entire tour earlier this year when the pandemic hit. He told The Project webcast, he didn't want to dance around with rescheduling the dates and holding on to fans' hard earned money: “Most of the tours that were slated to go out postponed. And they just, y'know, took a date next year and held on to the money. My first thought was 'People have to pay the rent and they have to pay credit card bills.' I said, 'I'm not worried about it. If in a year from now when we go out or if people have the income and they wanna come, amen!' So, I cancelled the tour.”
