Fans of Jon Anderson are eagerly anticipating his upcoming album with the Band Geeks, set to release in the latter half of 2026.

As he shared in an exclusive interview with UCR, he has also been diligently working on a project he first began over 25 years ago. “I’m actually working on a large-scale, full project, simply because my son, Damian said to me one day, why don’t you do [an album called] Son of Olias? And I thought, ‘Okay, yeah.’ I started scribbling and writing a story,” he explained during an interview for the UCR Podcast, which you can listen to below. “I just spent the last four years creating tons of music for it. And whether it will come out, I don’t know, but you just do it because it’s inspiring to create music.”

How Did ‘Son of Olias’ First Begin?

The concept for a sequel to Olias of Sunhillow, Anderson’s debut solo album from 1976, traces back at least 25 years. In a 2001 interview, he noted that he had been developing “a piece of music” for about a year, inspired by “the mysticism of life that surrounds us.” This theme resonated well with the popularity of the Lord of the Rings films being released at that time.

The former Yes vocalist continued to discuss this endeavor periodically over the years. He provided an update to UCR in June 2022, mentioning that the pandemic had afforded him ample time to further develop the concept.

‘It’s Completely Off-the-Wall Stuff’

“I’ve just finished five hours of music, about two weeks ago,” he revealed during the 2022 conversation. “I would say it’s completely off-the-wall stuff. I don’t know what it is [or] why it is. It’s going to be called Zamran: Son of Olias. The name Zamran came to me when my son, Damian suggested I work on Son of Olias. One day he said, ‘Jon, you’re doing this, you’re doing that. Why don’t you do Son of Olias? Come on.’ And I thought, ‘Zamran,’ and I wrote it down.”

He’s Spent Many Hours on the Album

“I’ve collaborated with a dozen musicians worldwide to help bring it all together over the past two years,” he explained in that same 2022 interview. “Like most people during COVID, I was home and had to stay away from everything. I worked 20 hours a day on it. While I still don’t fully understand what it is yet, I know why I’ve done it and what it’s about; articulating it clearly is another matter.”

Although his release plans remain uncertain, he confirmed in our latest conversation that this project continues to be a significant priority for him. “I’m still going strong on it, and it’s still driving me crazy.”

Listen to Jon Anderson on the ‘UCR Podcast’

What’s Ahead for Jon Anderson in 2026?

His first order of business for the new year will be a fresh series of tour dates with the Band Geeks. The concerts will commence on April 17 at the Ridgefield Playhouse in Connecticut and are currently scheduled to conclude on May 7 in Royal Oak, Michigan.

READ MORE: Jon Anderson Announces 2026 Tour Dates

The songwriter is also preparing reissues of 1997’s Earthmotherearth and 2011’s Survival & Other Stories. Both will debut on vinyl on March 27 and will also be available on CD, streaming platforms, and digital download.