Rock ’n’ roll mainstay Suzi Quatro will release her new album Freedom on March 27. The second single from the record, “Little Miss Lovely”, is now available, following the title track “Freedom”.
Speaking with Dawn Osborne of TotalRock, Suzi Quatro explained how the album took its final shape. “I was going through the master mixes, and the album was gonna be called “Choose Yourself”, which was the top song for a long time. So I’m going through the mixes to approve, and this “Freedom”, it just kept coming out and smacking me in the face. And I went, ‘Okay, this is the first single, this is the title of the album.’ And have you ever seen and heard a picture and a song, and a title that all says exactly the same thing? Doesn’t it scream it to you freedom?”
The decision also guided the artwork: “Once I decided on that track for the single, I actually had a vision — [it was] so strange — a vision of this album cover and the single cover. And I couldn’t get it out of my mind. So I put out little notes to all my people who photographed me for years. I said, ‘Here’s what I’m looking for.’ And so I have a girl in Australia who’s done me for — I don’t know — since the ’80s. And she had a photograph of me from the back with my bass on, on stage. And the art team then got together and created the image around it. And it’s exactly the way I saw it in my mind’s eye. And it’s important.”
Lyrically, Freedom reflects where she stands now. “I’m 75. I have achieved freedom in myself, in my attitude. I’ve dropped my excess baggage. I don’t have that anymore. I don’t have anything to prove. I’m comfortable in my skin. So it’s a very important personal thing. Also, in this world we live in, I say freedom — what is more precious than freedom? Nothing.”
She expanded on that idea in a separate statement: “It’s all about getting back to who you are, and it applies universally. We all wear masks to get by in this world. For me it’s all about being comfortable in your own skin, having nothing to prove to anyone, and not accepting any B.S.! This is the journey this album takes you on. Here I am, warts and all. Take it or leave it. Choose yourself…and finally FREEDOM. Which also applies to the world we live in today. A very important word, a very important attitude and very important reality… ‘FREEDOM’!”
The album also features a duet with fellow Detroit rocker Alice Cooper on a take of the MC5 classic “Kick Out The Jams”.
From the early chart-toppers “Can The Can” and “Devil Gate Drive” onward, Suzi Quatro has sold more than 55 million records worldwide. Her catalog runs deep, with staples like “48 Crash”, “Daytona Demon”, “The Wild One”, “If You Can’t Give Me Love”, “She’s In Love With You”, “Rock Hard”, and the U.S. million-seller “Stumblin’ In”, her duet with Chris Norman, which returned to million-seller status worldwide in 2024.
Beyond music, she built a strong acting résumé, including her three-season run as Leather Tuscadero on Happy Days, where she received the second most fan mail after The Fonz.
Freedom was produced by L.R. Tuckey and mastered by Christian Wright at Abbey Road Studios, closing the loop on a record that Suzi Quatro sees as a statement of identity and purpose.
