Courtney Love has given an update on her new solo album and shared how she “almost died”. Find all the details below.
- READ MORE: Courtney Love: “I feel like the luckiest motherfucker in the history of rock’n’roll”
In recent months, Love has been building up hype for her second-ever solo album and long-awaited follow-up to 2004’s ‘America’s Sweetheart’. Now, she’s revealed that the album is finally finished.
In a video shared to Instagram yesterday (August 14), Love told fans: “A lot of you are asking where my record is at. It’s done. It’s kind of been done. It’s a really good record. I put a lot into it.”
She went on to discuss an illness she suffered from in 2019, saying that her body just “exploded” and that she was frequently in hospitals. “I almost died,” she said. “I lost all my hair. I was about 100 pounds. And they told me I was going to die. I didn’t believe them.”
Love then looked back on her childhood, when she’d “pattern interrupt the adults,” and how those memories influenced the upcoming record. “They’d say red was blue, and then I’d see blue. But blue was blue. So I’d gaslight myself that maybe they were right, and red was blue …and my head would explode. Like, fucking cope with that shit. I think some of you can relate to that.”
“Anyway,” she added, “I never really lost my ability to see that fucking red was red, despite them telling me that red was blue. And so when they said I was going to die, I just didn’t believe them. And somehow I got better. I’m healthy, which is amazing.”
She concluded the video by referencing Hole’s last album, 2010’s ‘Nobody’s Daughter‘, calling it “spectacularly humbling”, adding: “Like, playing a Pizza Hut Park at 11am while Limp Bizkit was headlining with 30 Seconds to Mars. That shit’s humbling.”
Love then reflected on how great music is right now: “People sound great live,” she said. “The girlies are amazing. Shit’s amazing. I just need to like, understand how to do this. I will be back.”
In the caption, Love wrote: “When I made [the record], I believed this was my last record so I made the record I always wanted to make. I was in the hospital mostly but when I wasn’t all I did was write & record it.
“I want to tour more than anything. & I want to sing. That’s what keeps my soul & body happy,” she added.
Back in November, she first revealed that she had enlisted Echo & The Bunnymen guitarist Will Sergeant for the new album, but not the “rude” PJ Harvey. She also later shared more details of his contributions, saying he “does these incredible leads. I don’t think he’s ever played outside the Bunnymen, other than his solo stuff. Maybe I’m wrong.”
In March, Love said that the album will also feature her ex-Hole bandmate Melissa Auf Der Maur, who also spoke to NME earlier this year about the possibility of a Hole reunion, hinting that the current state of politics might have made it more likely.
“If there’s one thing I know about Courtney and Hole, it’s that it’s as mysterious as romantic love. You can’t force, organise, or plan these things.”
“What I do know is I’ve always said no for many years, and it wasn’t until the Evil Empire in the US that I began to contemplate where Hole, and Courtney’s fearless feminism, and our generation, could maybe add to this dire dialogue in the US,” she continued. “Some of my interest in returning to Hole in any shape or form is because the world needs that kind of power, rebellion, and intelligence.”
Ahead of that, in March, Love sparked fresh speculation of another return by sharing a mysterious video online. The clip featured Auf der Maur posing in a flowing gown, before showing off a gold ring in a close-up shot. Hole’s 1998 hit ‘Malibu’ played in the background. In the caption, Love wrote: “So do we tell the kids about the tour?” Auf der Maur replied in the comments section: “It starts with eternal love…”
Love later clarified that there would be “no Hole reunion”, but did reveal that she and Auf der Maur would be “playing some shows, new songs” together. She also added a new comment to her original video, telling fans: “Not a reunion baby. Me and [Auf der Maur] touring new songs.”
The pair got back in the studio together in 2024 for the first time in over two decades, and later that same year, teamed up for an appearance on 070 Shake’s cover of Tim Buckley’s ‘Song To The Siren’.
Love and Auf der Maur did appear on stage together in October 2018 in Hudson, New York, playing Hole songs ‘Doll Parts’, ‘Miss World’ and ‘Softer Softest’.
In 2021, Love called her previous solo album one of her “life’s great shames”, alongside Steve Coogan and crack.
Love picked up the Icon Award at the 2020 NME Awards. In her acceptance speech, she said: I woke up this morning and I have the honour of picking up this fuck you thing [waves NME award], which is fantastic in the capital of this fantastic country where I first picked up a New Musical Express in I don’t know, 1981 in fucking Liverpool where I read the other day I lost my virginity to Joy Division’s ‘Isolation’.
“I think that’s psychotic. I’m also 18 months sober today. I can’t believe that and that’s pretty wild. Thanks so much, I’m very honoured. Thanks a lot.”
Shortly after that win, she spoke to NME about the early stages of her latest solo album. “It’s early days and I’ve recorded several new songs whilst I’ve been in London,” she said. “I’ve also taken this time to enjoy rediscovering really good songwriters like Aimee Mann, who’s from LA but went to Juilliard and is a genius and overlooked. Frances [Bean, daughter] sends me playlists, which are fantastic and full of artists that I hadn’t come across before too.”
As for her upcoming memoir, Love has reportedly assured fans that it will arrive before Christmas this year, and will be distributed through HarperCollins. It’s a promising update, as Love last said in 2022 that the memoir The Girl With The Most Cake was complete, but at the time of writing has yet to be published.
