'80s Icon Proclaims 'Make-up Is a Lie' on Preview of First New Album in Five Years
- - '80s Icon Proclaims 'Make-up Is a Lie' on Preview of First New Album in Five Years
Craig RosenJanuary 9, 2026 at 11:56 PM
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(Photo by Jim Dyson/Getty Images)
The wait is over. Morrissey preview his first new album in five years with the release of the new single “Make-up Is a Lie,” on Jan. 9. It's the title track of the album that’s set for release on March 6.
The former Smiths singer celebrated the release of the single, which marks his return to Sire Records, on his official Instagram account with a photo of a shocked looking Morrissey and a lengthy caption from the website morrisseycentral.com.
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“THE FRUIT OF PATIENCE IS SWEET“The wait has sometimes felt like a tragedy, but the release today of Make-up is a Lie is like a reunion of lovers. And after several plays it seems to have existed always. We can now place our faith in what is visible. As you may guess, Make-up is a Lie is available for download here,” the message reads, along with links to pre-order the album and stream or download the single.
“please sit in your favorite chair in your dark cabin with the lights out - or, get off your head and enjoy some impulsive self-humiliation - as I often do. I hope you consider Make-up is a Lie to be worth the attention that you give it. Many of us, here, and in France, Turkey, Poland, The Netherlands, Denmark, Greece, America, England … we have waited because our belief is unchallengeable: let the squawkers squawk. What survives beyond their grasp is love. I insist on being myself in spite of much discouragement, and this new music is a valid portrait of much more to come in 2026. Born, then born, and born again. I am your lover-to-be, MORRISSEY.”
The single “Make-up Is a Lie” features tasteful flamenco-style acoustic guitar accents and a trademark Morrissey chorus, with the singer crooning the song’s title multiple times.
The release of the single comes just after Morrissey canceled his first two tour dates of 2026 due to an adverse reaction to prescription drugs, and added 11 dates in Europe for February and March. The singer canceled his shows on Jan. 3 in Rancho Mirage, Calif., and Jan. 6 in San Diego and is now set to kickoff the tour with a sold-out show Jan. 10 in San Antonio. The U.S. dates are scheduled to run through Jan. 22 in Hollywood, Fla.
Morrissey is set to play a date on Jan. 25 in the Dominican Republic before kicking off his European run on Feb. 12 in Denmark. His current European trek is scheduled to wrap up on March 16in Seville, Spain.
Morrissey released his first four solo albums on Sire Records in the U.S. in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. The label also is home to his previous band, the Smiths, in the U.S.
Morrissey’s last album, I Am Not a Dog on a Chain, was released in 2020. He was set to follow that album with Bonfire of Teenagers in 2023, but he split with Capitol Records prior to the album’s release. Another album from that period, You’re Right, It’s Time, also known as Without Music the World Dies, remains unreleased.
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This story was originally published by Parade on Jan 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
