Since R.E.M.’s breakup in 2011, frontman Michael Stipe has kept a fairly low profile. Last year, he released his first solo song, “Future, If Future”. At the time, it seemed as though the song was a one-off release, but that may no longer be the case.

Stipe recently chatted with Italian magazine La Repubblica where he was quoted saying that he has “18 songs already ready. For five years, I’d had a clean break from music. Now I’m writing, composing, and recording all by myself and for the first time.”

So could 2019 be the year we get a solo album from Michael Stipe? Only time will tell, but let’s hope so.