Tori Amos has shared the first taste of her 18th studio album, a political allegory titled In Times Of Dragons, featuring a collaboration with her daughter Tash.
by Paul Cashmere
Tori Amos has confirmed the release date for her 18th studio album, In Times Of Dragons, scheduled for May 1 via Universal/Fontana. The announcement marks the next chapter in a career that has spanned more than three decades, producing over 12 million album sales and a reputation for fearless storytelling, musical experimentation, and unflinching political commentary. The lead single, Stronger Together, is out now, offering an atmospheric and emotionally charged introduction to a project that blends myth with the urgency of contemporary global issues.
The new single features backing vocals from the daughter of Tori Amos, Tash, and serves as the primary glimpse into an immersive world featuring ten distinct characters. Each character is linked to a specific track, with Stronger Together introducing listeners to The Daughter. The song is intended as a message of resilience, connection, and empowerment for daughters everywhere. It combines the signature piano-driven art-pop of Tori Amos with a narrative shaped by the complexities of the modern era.
In Times Of Dragons is described by the artist as a parable for the current dangerous times, where she suggests democracy itself is on the line. The conceptual framework of the album involves a story where Tori Amos is fleeing from a character described as a sadistic billionaire Lizard Demon husband. In this narrative, the protagonist runs to the Deep South of the United States to evade capture and encounters various people she had been separated from for years. Stronger Together represents the culmination of the relationship between the narrator and The Daughter, as they vow to stand by one another regardless of the challenges ahead.
The album arrives as a significant entry in the long-standing body of work of Tori Amos, which has repeatedly placed the personal and the political in direct conversation. She has built a discography that moved from the raw intimacy of Little Earthquakes through the mythic landscapes of Boys For Pele and the conceptual boldness of American Doll Posse, while continuing to evolve her sound and her message. Across that career, Tori Amos has consistently treated the album as a platform for narrative and emotional truth, often addressing sexuality, feminism, religion, and power with poetic urgency.
The history of Tori Amos as a child prodigy and classically trained pianist has always informed her approach to songwriting and performance. Born Myra Ellen Amos in North Carolina, she entered the preparatory division of the Peabody Institute at age five, leaving at eleven to pursue popular music. After an early stint with the 1980s pop-rock band Y Kant Tori Read, she emerged as a solo artist with Little Earthquakes in 1992. The confessional intensity and musical restraint of that album helped establish her as a singular voice in alternative rock, and she has remained a figure of influence and innovation ever since.
For the visual side of In Times Of Dragons, Tori Amos collaborated with photographer Kasia Wozniak, who employed a vintage photographic process. Using a large-format camera and direct paper positives through the RA-4 process, the images were slowly composed and processed in a ritualistic manner. This collaboration, supported by long-time stylist Karen Binns, was intended to mirror the mythic and political narrative of the album, adding a visual layer to the themes of the record.
The release also follows a string of recent projects that highlight the enduring versatility of Tori Amos. In 2025, she issued The Music Of Tori And The Muses, a companion album to her New York Times bestselling children’s book, Tori And The Muses. That release continued her practice of blending literary storytelling with musical composition, and it reaffirmed her position as an artist who moves freely between different mediums.
In Times Of Dragons will be available on CD and vinyl, including a limited edition Smoke Swirl colour vinyl that includes a signed art card. Alongside the album announcement, Tori Amos confirmed a world tour that begins in the United Kingdom and continues through Europe and the United States. The tour will feature touring bassist Jon Evans, drummer Ash Soan, and a trio of backing vocalists, marking the first time Tori Amos has utilised backing vocalists in a live setting.
LIVE DATES
April 8, 2026, Sheffield, UK
May 30, 2026, Lithuania
July 7, 2026, West Palm Beach, Florida, US
September 2, 2026, Seattle, Washington, US
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