Phil Collins said in a new interview with BBC Breakfast that he has turned down the opportunity to perform at his upcoming Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, but is not ruling out future live performances while sharing a positive health update.
During an interview on Friday, the Oscar-winning musician was asked if he would ever sing again, to which he replied: “I can’t really see that happening. But I’m healthier now than I’ve been in a long time.”
Collins has faced several health issues in recent years, including kidney problems and five knee surgeries. After suffering a spinal injury in 2007, the “In the Air Tonight” singer faced health problems that prevented him from performing.
The “In the Air Tonight” singer also revealed that he has been asked to perform at the 2026 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Collins was already inducted into the prestigious music museum with Genesis in 2010, and now joins a rare group of two-time inductees.
“They asked me if I would do well and I said no, because you have to be fit to do something like that,” he said. “You can’t go on stage and – you’ll have to rehearse, and at that point, if you’re not singing, your voice will be shot and then it won’t be any good. So I’d rather not do that.”
However, Collins said he would “consider” another live performance in his future. “But would I go out again, I would think, ‘Yes.’ I keep telling myself, ‘I’d better go back to my studio at home,'” he said.
The eight-time Grammy winner took part in a five-part interview on BBC Two Ages He was living under 24-hour care in January.
“It’s an ongoing thing,” Collins said of his health. “I have a nurse working 24 hours a day to make sure I’m taking my medication properly. I’ve had challenges with my knee. I’ve had everything that could possibly go wrong with me, go wrong with me. I caught coronavirus in the hospital – my kidneys are starting to go back to normal, you know, everything that started to come together could come together at the same time. I’ve had five operations on my knee now – I have a working knee and I can walk, but with the help of crutches, you know. Or whatever.”
He also explained that drinking alcohol in the past contributed to kidney problems. (Collins is now sober.) “Maybe I was drinking too much, so my kidneys messed up, you know. I enjoyed getting out on tour, getting out on the road, but I thought, well, I’ll do all those things that I couldn’t do. I wasn’t one of those guys who stayed up all night drinking. I drank during the day, but I think I had a lot of it. I was never drunk, although I fell down a few times. But, he said, “It’s just one of those things that happened and it affected “In my mind, I spent months in the hospital.”
