Barry Manilow is set to release a new studio album, What a Time, on June 5 – his first album of mostly new material in nearly 15 years.
Primarily produced by Manilow and longtime collaborator Michael Lloyd, What a Time is Manilow’s 33rd studio album and his first mostly original LP since 2011’s 15 Minutes, which became his 15th top 10 album on the Billboard 200. The veteran entertainer first made the top 10 on Billboard’s flagship albums chart in February 1975 with Barry Manilow II.
Manilow has also released “Sun Shine,” an ebullient single that echoes Manilow’s 1977 hit “Daybreak.” The retro vibes include a whistling break and the evocative sound of a needle being dropped onto a vinyl record. Written by Manilow and Take That’s Gary Barlow, the song was produced by Manilow, David Benson and Greg Bartheld. Manilow doesn’t appear in the video, which was directed by Laís Sambugaro, and which focuses instead on an attractive young couple getting ready for the day.
The album opens with “Once Before I Go,” which was co–written by Oscar winners Dean Pitchford and the late Peter Allen and executive-produced by Manilow’s longtime mentor, Clive Davis. The song reached No. 25 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart in February, extending Manilow’s more than 51-year history on that chart. He first charted on both Adult Contemporary and the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1974 with “Mandy.” Manilow acted in the “Once Before I Go” music video, which was filmed at the Westgate Las Vegas, home to Manilow’s long-running residency.
The album includes a new recording of “Another Life,” an “it’s over” ballad which Manilow included on his 1991 box set The Complete Collection and Then Some… Two of the tracks feature guest artists. Saxophonist Dave Koz is featured on “Look at Me Now.” Vocalist Sharon “Muffy” Hendrix sings a duet with Manilow on “When Somebody Says Goodbye.”
Manilow wrote or co-wrote all but two of the 13 tracks. He teamed with John Bettis to write three of the songs. Bettis has written numerous songs for Manilow albums, dating back to “Where Are They Now from 1979’s One Voice. Manilow teamed with Bruce Sussman and Enoch Anderson to write two songs each for the album. Sussman co-wrote what is probably Manilow’s most famous song, “Copacabana (At the Copa),” as well as “I Made It Through the Rain,” his most recent top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Manilow teamed with Adrienne Anderson to write the closing track, “Coming of Age.” They cowrote “Could It Be Magic,” a song from Manilow’s 1973 debut album that was re-released and became a top 10 hit in 1975.
Manilow and Lloyd co-produced nine of the 13 tracks (with collaborators, in some cases). David Benson, Greg Bartheld and Manilow produced two tracks, the aforementioned “Sun Shine” and “Don’t Trouble the Water.” Other producers involved on the album include Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, a 12-time Grammy winner, and Dave Cobb, a nine-time Grammy winner.
The album is being released by Manilow’s STILETTO Entertainment. It’s being distributed by The Orchard. STILETTO has released three of Manilow’s last five studio albums.
The album announcement arrives amid a time of both health challenges and professional validation for Manilow. On Dec. 22, 2025, he announced a diagnosis of early-stage lung cancer, for which he underwent surgery. On March 3, he released an upbeat video in which he declared “But I am getting stronger and I have great doctors and wonderful friends and family, but I am so looking forward to getting back on stage.”
In April, Manilow will receive the American Advertising Federation’s President’s Award at the Advertising Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The event will recognize his iconic work in advertising early in his career. He composed and/or performed jingles for brands including State Farm, Band-Aid, KFC, Pepsi, and McDonald’s. Manilow performed a medley of those jingles which he dubbed “Very Strange Medley” on Barry Manilow/Live, his double live album that reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 1977. Manilow was previously recognized for this work at the 2009 Clio Awards where he received an honorary Clio Award.
Manilow is a 2002 inductee into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and recipient of the BMI Icon Award. He has won two Primetime Emmys (in 1977 and 2006), a Grammy (in 1979) and a special Tony Award (in 1977). He also sang an Oscar-nominated song, “Ready to Take a Chance Again,” in the movie Foul Play and on the Oscar stage in 1979. Other plaudits include three consecutive American Music Awards for favorite pop/rock male vocalist.
Here’s the tracklist for What A Time, showing writer credits.
- “Once Before I Go” (Peter Allen/Dean Pitchford)
- “What a Time” (Barry Manilow/John Bettis)
- “Sun Shine” (Gary Barlow/Barry Manilow)
- “Another Life” (2026) (Andrew Hill/Preston Sturges)
- “Touched by an Angel” (Barry Manilow/Bruce Sussman)
- “The Chosen One” (Barry Manilow)
- “One More Chance” (Barry Manilow/Bruce Sussman)
- “Nobody Knows My Song” (Barry Manilow/Enoch Anderson)
- “When Somebody Says Goodbye” (Duet with Sharon “Muffy” Hendrix) (Barry Manilow/Lisa Sennett)
- “Don’t Trouble the Water” (Barry Manilow/Enoch Anderson)
- “Look at Me Now” (Featuring Dave Koz) (Barry Manilow/John Bettis)
- “Nobody Told Me” (Barry Manilow, John Bettis)
- “Coming of Age” (Barry Manilow/Adrienne Anderson)
2026-27 U.S. Tour Dates
Manilow also announced a long list of upcoming U.S. tour dates, running from April 13 to Jan. 21, 2027. Here are those dates, not including 45 dates that are part of his residency at the International Theater at Westgate Las Vegas. For all upcoming dates, visit Manilow’s website.
- April 13 – Belmont Park, NY – UBS Arena*
- April 14 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center*
- April 16 – Wilkes-Barre, PA – Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza*
- April 17 – Reading, PA – Santander Arena*
- April 19 – Portland, ME – Cross Insurance Arena*
- April 20 – Albany, NY – MVP Arena*
- April 22 – Buffalo, NY – KeyBank Center*
- April 24 – Greensboro, NC – First Horizon Coliseum*
- April 27 – Jacksonville, FL – VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena*
- April 29 – Duluth, GA – Gas South Arena*
- July 30 – Charleston, SC – North Charleston Coliseum*
- August 1 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena*
- August 2 – Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena*
- August 4 – Lexington, KY – Rupp Arena*
- August 5 – Cincinnati, OH – Heritage Bank Center*
- August 7 – Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena*
- August 8 – Norfolk, VA – Chartway Arena*
- January 15 – Sunrise, FL – Amerant Bank Arena
- January 16 – Estero, FL – Hertz Arena*
- January 17 – Estero, FL – Hertz Arena*
- January 20 – Tampa, FL – Benchmark International Arena*
- January 21 – Orlando, FL – Kia Center*
*The Last Concerts
