Rod Stewart swaps rock 'n' roll for swing, insisting he's "not retiring but moving on"

Sir Rod Stewart has revealed his upcoming Edinburgh performances will be 'the last' of his rock 'n' roll shows.

The 78-year-old is scheduled for two gigs at Edinburgh Castle this July but has admitted that it's time to bring the curtain down on his rock performances.

Known for albums including Blondes Have More Fun and Vagabond Heart, Sir Rod now wants to focus on the more traditional pop sound of his 2002 album It Had to Be You: The Great American Songbook.

Sir Rod explained his decision during an appearance on BBC Breakfast, saying: "My forthcoming concerts at Edinburgh Castle will be the last of the rock 'n' roll shows.

"I want to move on and I've always wanted to do The Great American Songbook live. It sold 38 million copies.

"I've also done a fantastic swing album with Jools Holland which is more Louis Prima than Frank Sinatra. I just want to make a change."

“So I just want to leave all the rock ‘n’ roll stuff behind, for a while maybe… Everything has to come to an end sooner or later.”

Rod agreed he was in a “good place” with his future plans.

Rod said he and Boy George, whose real name is George O’Dowd, will “try and do a song together” as they head out together for the rest of Rod’s Global Hits Tour,

“He’s going to come out and do Sailing with me and I’m going to do Karma Chameleon,” he said.

Boy George joked: “I’m going to come out dressed as a sailor.”

We can't wait to see what Rod does next!