Kelly Hansen has announced that he'll be stepping down as the lead singer of Foreigner after 20 years.
The 64-year-old rocker announced his upcoming exit and revealed his replacement during the band's performance on the season finale of The Voice U.S. on Tuesday.
Following a rendition of Feels Like the First Time, Hansen passed the torch to guitarist Luis Maldonado by saying, "After 20 magical years fronting this band, this will be my last year with Foreigner. At the end of this summer, a new great voice will sing these songs for you; my friend Luis Maldonado."
He then brought out Maldonado to sing Juke Box Hero before their shared lead vocals on I Want to Know What Love Is.
In a statement, he added, "Being the voice of Foreigner has been one of the greatest honours of my life. But it's time to pass the mic. Luis has the voice, the energy, and the soul to carry these songs into the future. I couldn't be prouder to hand this off to him."
Hansen joined the band in 2005 to replace original singer Lou Gramm, while Maldonado joined in 2021.
Mick Jones, who is the only founding member still in the band, praised the departing musician, saying, "Kelly Hansen is one of the best front men in our business and over the last twenty years he has breathed new life into our songs."
He continued, "I wish Kelly great happiness in his next endeavours after our summer tour, and I look forward to welcoming Luis to his new position. Luis was my choice as a guitarist and he has already shown us what he can do on lead vocals by fronting the band in South America to incredible reviews. He will soon lead the charge that will carry us forward to new heights."
It is unclear when Hansen will last perform with the band as they have tour dates scheduled throughout the year.
