Johnny Depp Announces Next Major Project After Amber Heard Trial

Johnny Depp celebrated his 59th birthday on June 9 with a new era in his music career. After winning his defamation trial, the actor announced his collaboration with Jeff Beck, a new album, 18, out on July 15. The duo has reportedly recorded the LP over the past three years.

A close friendship developed between Beck and Depp after the two met in 2016; Beck previously performed on a track by Depp’s supergroup, the Hollywood Vampires. “When Johnny and I started playing together, it really ignited our youthful spirit and creativity,” said Beck in a statement. “We would joke about how we felt 18 again, so that just became the album title too.”

“It’s an extraordinary honor to play and write music with Jeff, one of the true greats and someone I am now privileged enough to call my brother,” Depp said in a release. The pair have been touring the U.K. since Depp’s trial verdict was announced.

Depp and Beck cover a variety of artists, from the Beach Boys and Marvin Gaye to Killing Joke and the Velvet Underground, on the 13-track LP, according to Rolling Stone. The album includes two Depp originals, “This Is a Song for Miss Hedy Lamarr” and “Sad M– Parade.” It also includes their first collaboration, a cover of John Lennon’s “Isolation,” released in 2020.

“I was blown away by it,” Beck said in a statement about “This Is a Song for Miss Hedy Lamarr.” That song is one of the reasons I asked him to make an album with me.”An official music video has also been released for “This is a Song for Miss Hedy Lamarr,” the first song from the album. Depp teased the video over social media on June 8.

“I haven’t had another creative partner like him for ages,” Beck, 77, said of Depp in the release. “He was a major force on this record. I just hope people will take him seriously as a musician because it’s a hard thing for some people to accept that Johnny Depp can sing rock and roll.”According to reports, Beck will embark on a month-long tour of Europe starting June 19, reportedly with Depp accompanying him.

Depp’s new album follows his high-profile court battle with ex-wife Amber Heard, against whom he won all three claims in his defamation lawsuit. While she settled for just $2 million in her countersuit, he was awarded $15 million in damages. Depp sued Heard for an op-ed she wrote for the Washington Post describing her domestic abuse experiences without mentioning him. 18 will be released on July 15 and vinyl on September 30.