Jefferson Starship‘s ‘Jetpack’ is the legendary Stateside band’s first new material to be released in five years, with news that they are currently working on a new album.
Already part of their live act, having first been showcased on tour this summer at London’s Wembley Arena, the new single is apparently already on its way to becoming a fan favourite.
Describing how guitarist Jude Gold initially came up with the idea for the song before she got involved, vocalist Cathy Richardson said: “Jude had written a song around the chorus that was kind of a love song about wanting to disappear with someone into the cosmos. He asked me to take a stab at some different lyrics. I loved the music and the hook was really strong. I thought about why I would want to strap on a rocket and blast off the planet, and the words just came spilling out. We recorded it a while ago with a different ending, but then I had an idea for an outro, and I really wanted to hear the band jam out over that chord progression and go to space musically.”
Adding a special connection to the band’s history, ‘Jetpack’ features longtime Jefferson Starship member Pete Sears on bass, bringing another direct link between the band’s celebrated past and its music today.
The single is out now, with a lyric video.
Founded in the ’70s by Jefferson Airplane‘s Paul Kantner, Jefferson Starship emerged as a collective of musical explorers performing at arenas, earning three platinum and eight gold albums along with a long string of Billboard Top 40 hits.
Today’s lineup features founding member David Freiberg, drummer Donny Baldwin (since 1982), keyboardist Chris Smith (since 1998), guitarist Jude Gold (since 2012), and vocalist/guitarist Cathy Richardson (since 2008). They perform worldwide and continue to embody the adventurous spirit championed by Kantner, who passed away in 2016. As Gold reflected: “That Paul Kantner thing, getting on a rocket ship and blasting off into the unknown, is the very essence of Jefferson Starship. And that spirit is very much alive in the band today.”
Jefferson Starship celebrated 2025 with a successful 50th Anniversary Tour. Keeping the celebratory momentum alive, the band played dates across North America and Europe through 2026, including their first UK dates in over 10 years (as support to Foreigner). Currently, the band is touring North America with Deep Purple, as well as headlining their own Runaway Again tour.
