Jon Bon Jovi on 'Joyous' New Album 'Forever' and Possibly Going on Tour Again (Exclusive)

Bon Jovi is still living on a prayer -- 40 years into their career!

ET's Rachel Smith caught up with Jon Bon Jovi at the opening of his new, five-story Nashville bar, JBJ's Nashville, on Friday to discuss his band's new album, his ongoing recovery from vocal cord surgery and how soon the band might hit the road on tour.

Bon Jovi released their 16th studio album, Forever, on Friday, and the frontman explained that, unlike their two previous albums, this one is simply "joyous."

"As much as I love 2020, [it] was written in a time where the world was in lockdown -- not a joyous record," he recalled. "And This House Is Not For Sale was a statement record."

"Now here we are, coming through all of that -- it was just a great sense of joy as we look back on our 40th and forward to new music," he continued. "It's a good record."

Bon Jovi released their first, self-titled album in January 1984, and four decades later, the group is mostly going strong -- with the exception of some health issues. Jon underwent vocal cord surgery in 2022, and while he sings on the new record, he admitted to ET that he's not quite 100 percent yet.

"I’m seeing the light at the end of the tunnel," he shared. "It’s been a long process --  it’s been two years -- and look, I’m not quite there yet."

In order to go on tour again -- which he hopes can happen sometime next year -- the frontman said he's challenging himself to sing "two and a half hours, four nights a week -- this is the bar I set for myself... I don't mess around when we go out."

For now, Jon said he's enjoying what's been a big year career-wise, so far. In addition to the album and his new Nashville bar -- which is right in the midst of Music City's popular Broadway nightlife district -- he was also honored as the 2024 MusiCares Person of the Year and the band was the subject of a new Hulu docuseries, Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story.

"The docuseries kind of kicked everything off for the year, as did MusicCares... the GRAMMYs took the time to acknowledge our catalog of music, as well as my philanthropic work," he reflected. "Now, today’s release day and the first single, 'Legendary,' has absolutely blown up on all kinds of formats of radio worldwide... I’m pinching myself."

Despite a discography that includes six No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200, four No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, and over 130 million records sold, Jon said it's still a thrill to have a hit -- and even sweeter due to the band's longevity.

"When we started, there weren’t any bands that I could look to that had had a 40-year career," he noted. "The Rolling Stones were 20 years old at the time, you know, The Beatles had long since broken up, The E-Street Band was 10 years old. Now, of course, The Stones are 60 years old, AC/DC is 50 years old, The E-Street Band is 50 years old, Bon Jovi is 40 years old -- which is good for a young band to see how to do this, how to navigate a long, real career."

He's also excited to be in the center of music history with JBJ's Nashville, the opening of which he said is a "a four-year dream come to fruition."

"We've done several albums [in Nashville], some of our biggest hits were recorded here, written countless songs here," he reflected. "I always jokingly say, 'These are my people,' because the acting community is what we call Hollywood, perhaps. These are songwriters, these are my people -- I was drawn to the community [in the] very early 1990s. I had buddies down here and I really did think I was ahead of the curve."

Now, he marveled, "We're the new kids on the block, as we say, and all our neighbors are unbelievable artists."

Bon Jovi's 16th studio album, Forever, is out now.

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