Following the 40th anniversary of his landmark album ‘Suddenly’ and special vinyl re-release, Billy Ocean has announced a huge UK tour for June 2025. ‘The Very Best of Billy Ocean’ will see him perform all of his greatest hits and fan favourites across 14 dates including a very special show at London’s iconic Royal Albert Hall.
Billy Ocean had enjoyed chart success with a pair of hits prior to ‘Suddenly’ (‘Love Really Hurts Without You’, ‘Red Light Spells Danger’) but this record catapulted him to new heights. Its lead single ‘Caribbean Queen (No More Love On The Run)’ raced to number one in the States and number six in the UK, with the follow-ups ‘Loverboy’ and the title track also international smash hits. The album was similarly successful, leading to his first Top 10 album positions in both the UK and US, while ‘Caribbean Queen’ would later be rewarded with a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Performance.
Billy Ocean’s success continued in the wake of ‘Suddenly’, achieving similarly great things with the subsequent albums ‘Love Zone’ and ‘Tear Down These Walls’, as well as further signature hits such as ‘When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Gets Going’, ‘There’ll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)’ and ‘Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car’.
After some years out of the spotlight, his reputation flourished again in the 21st century with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the MOBOs, a return to the upper reaches of the charts with both the ‘Here You Are’ compilation and the ‘One World’ studio album, an Ivor Novello for International Achievement, and an MBE. His recent UK tours have included major London shows at the Royal Albert Hall and the Palladium, while his total global album sales have exceeded 30 million.
Following a run of summer festival shows and a North American headline tour next month, Billy is excited for his major UK tour in June 2025. Tickets go on general sale at 10am on Friday 27th September tickets will be available at first direct arena www.firstdirectarena.com
