Mick Jagger Praises Sam Fender and Hails People Watching Album as Excellent

Mick Jagger praised Sam Fender’s album People Watching as “excellent” and “stunning” in an interview with NME. The Rolling Stones frontman highlighted Fender’s songwriting and choruses as a primary influence on his current listening habits ahead of the Stones’ upcoming album release.

This cross-generational endorsement arrives as Jagger prepares for the July 10 launch of Foreign Tongues. While the Stones continue to dominate the global stadium circuit, the shift in Jagger’s focus toward contemporary artists like Fender suggests a deliberate effort to integrate modern rock sensibilities into the band’s legacy. For artists and managers operating in the high-stakes music industry, these shifts in taste often signal new directions for collaborations and touring partnerships.

Why is Mick Jagger praising Sam Fender’s songwriting?

Jagger told NME that he has “had my Sam Fender moments lately,” citing a strong affinity for the “general vibe and then the grooves” of Fender’s work. He specifically identified the 2025 album People Watching as a standout, though he also noted his appreciation for earlier tracks such as “Seventeen Going Under.”

According to Jagger, the strength of Fender’s work lies in the choruses and lyrics that reflect the experience of growing up. He observed that Fender has evolved beyond the strictly working-class themes of his debut, noting that the artist is now “very pop orientated” and pointed to a successful collaboration with Olivia Dean as evidence of this growth.

Jagger specifically singled out the track “Crumbling Empire” as being “lyrically interesting.”

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How does ‘People Watching’ fit into the current music landscape?

Released in February 2025, People Watching followed the 2021 success of Seventeen Going Under. The album’s critical reception was strong, with NME awarding it four stars and describing the work as “reflective, analytical and vulnerable.”

The album’s impact extended beyond critical acclaim to industry recognition. People Watching won the 2025 Mercury Prize. Following the win, Fender donated his £25,000 prize money to the Music Venue Trust, an organization dedicated to preserving grassroots music venues in the UK.

Jagger’s admiration for Fender is not an isolated instance of him scouting new talent. He recently mentioned listening to the experimental group Geese and praised the “conceptual” nature of Rosalía’s album Lux.

What can be expected from the new Rolling Stones album?

The Rolling Stones are currently promoting Foreign Tongues, scheduled for release on July 10. The band has already released four singles to preview the record: “Rough And Twisted,” “In The Stars,” “Jealous Lover,” and “Divine Intervention.”

The album features high-profile collaborations. Paul McCartney plays bass on the track “Covered In You,” a partnership Jagger described as “very easy.” Robert Smith of The Cure also appears on “Divine Intervention,” though Smith initially declined the collaboration because he “wasn’t really prepared for it.”

To provide a deeper look at the creative process, the band launched a six-part podcast series titled Speaking In Tongues, which documents the recording and conceptualization of the new material.

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Will Sam Fender join The Rolling Stones on stage?

The possibility of a live collaboration was explicitly raised during the NME interview. When asked if Fender would be a suitable guest for a performance of the classic track “Tumbling Dice,” Jagger responded, “Yeah, he might be really good for that.”

Such a pairing would link one of the most successful touring acts in history with a Mercury Prize winner, potentially expanding the Stones’ reach to a younger demographic while cementing Fender’s status within the rock canon.

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Jagger continues to balance his gaze between the future and the past. While he is writing for the next album and praising 2025 releases, he still maintains a deep connection to the Stones’ foundational era, naming Sticky Fingers, Beggars Banquet, and Hackney Diamonds as his favorite albums, and “Sympathy For The Devil,” “Start Me Up,” “Angie,” and “Honky Tonk Women” as his favorite songs.

The enduring nature of rock music relies on this constant dialogue between the architects of the genre and its new practitioners. Whether through a Mercury Prize-winning album or a bass line by Paul McCartney, the evolution of the sound is a perpetual process of refinement and rediscovery. For those seeking to navigate the professional requirements of the arts and entertainment sector, the World Today News Directory provides a gateway to the verified experts who sustain the industry’s infrastructure.