Lindsay Lohan to Appear on Duran Duran's 14th Studio Album

Paper Gods, produced by Nile Rodgers, Mark Ronson and Josh Blair, will feature the talents of Lohan as well as Janelle Monáe, Kiesza and others

Lindsay Lohan may not immediately sound like a typical Duran Duran collaborator, but that hasn’t prevented the Mean Girls actress from making an unexpected appearance on the pop group’s upcoming album, Paper Gods.

Lohan will join futuristic-soul artist Janelle Monáe, dance-pop singer Kiesza, former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante and violinist Davidé Rossi on Duran Duran’s 14th studio album, due out this autumn.

As reported last year, the album includes tracks produced by Nile Rodgers and Mark Ronson, as well as Kanye West and Jay Z collaborator Mr Hudson. Producer and audio engineer Josh Blair, who’s worked with Duran Duran on previous albums, also co-produced several of Paper Gods’ songs.

This new record will see a return to form for the band, according to bassist John Taylor. “It really goes back to that strange early Duran mix: the hard-edged pop, coexisting with this dark, weird, experimental side,” he said in a statement.

The album, labelled by keyboardist Nick Rhodes as a combination of darker material and “a strong shot of pure pop”, first began with Mark Ronson in the band’s south London studio in 2013. Once the producer stepped aside to work on his own solo album, Mr Hudson took over until Ronson’s return last summer.

“We’ve allowed ourselves the time to make music that we can be proud of,” said band frontman Simon Le Bon. “I judge what we release by my favourite albums – Horses, Harvest, Let It Bleed, Blue, Transformer, Aladdin Sane. Those are classic albums. The only rule is it’s got to be music you can live with for the rest of your life.”

Track Pressure Off, featuring Monáe and co-produced by Rodgers, is pegged as the album’s first single and was inspired by Duran’s album Notorious. As well as announcing the album title, the band have shared Paper Gods’ collage-based cover art on their website. Designed by LA-based artist Alex Israel and Brian Roettinger, the artwork mimics a collection of scrapbook stickers, each referencing visual tropes from Duran Duran’s past.

Paper Gods is set for release on 11 September worldwide, and 18 September in the US. Duran Duran are also scheduled to embark on an arena tour of the UK in November and December, after playing a selection of US dates in September and October.

Photo by Stephanie Pistel