Michael Stipe working on debut solo project

Former R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe has returned to the recording studio to work on his debut solo album.
The veteran rocker took an extended hiatus from the spotlight following the Losing My Religion band’s amicable split in 2011, but now the singer is feeling creative again, and has already completed a full project’s worth of tracks.
“For five years I’d had a clean break from music,” he told Italian newspaper La Repubblica. “Now I’m writing, composing and recording all by myself and for the first time… Eighteen songs are already ready.”
It’s not clear when Stipe plans to release the new material, but he previously gave fans a taste of what to expect in May (19), when he performed a surprise opening set for Patti Smith in New York City, and appeared to debut a couple of new songs.
He has previously branched out as a solo artist on odd tracks over the years, working with Coldplay star Chris Martin on 2006’s Into the Sun, and collaborating with Courtney Love on Rio Grande in 2013.
Stipe, 59, also lent his vocals to actress Rain Phoenix’s Time Is the Killer single earlier this year (19).