Earlier this year, Phil Collins spoke out about his health issues, sharing that he’s undergone five knee surgeries and developed kidney problems from drinking. But in a recent interview with BBC Breakfast, Collins shared that he’s “healthier now than I have been for quite a while” and may perform live again, though he’s not quite well enough to return to the stage in time for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony later this year.
Collins, who was one of eight acts announced as part of the Hall of Fame’s class of 2026, explained that he’s not in the best condition to perform at the ceremony, taking place November 14 in Los Angeles. “They asked me if I would perform and I said no, because you’ve got to be match fit to do something like that,” said Collins. “You’re going to have to rehearse and then by that point, if you’ve not been singing, your voice is going to be shot and then that’s not going to be good. So I’d rather not do it.”
He didn’t rule out returning to performing in the long run, though, stating that he may one day be up for it. “I would contemplate, yeah,” he said. “I’m constantly saying to myself, I better go back down to my studio at home.”
When asked if he had songs in his head that he hadn’t yet put down, he said that he’s been kicking around some ideas. “Lots of lyrical ideas that I write down,” said Collins. “And there are things that are half-formed and a couple of things that are finished. There’s things that I can get my teeth into to start working.”
In January, Collins opened up to BBC Two about the chronic ailments that previously prompted him to retire from performing following Genesis’ final tour in 2022. He had been struggling with health issues for nearly two decades, as he suffered a spinal injury in 2007 that caused severe nerve damage and developed the condition “drop foot” after a back operation that made it difficult to walk.
He also said that he developed kidney issues from drinking, but had recently celebrated two years of sobriety. “I stopped drinking at six o’clock in the evening. I wasn’t one of those guys that sort of stayed up all night drinking, you know, I’d, I’d drink during the day, but I guess I had too much of it,” he said. “I was never drunk, although I fell over a couple of times. But, it is just one of those things that happened and it all caught up with me and I spent months in hospital.”