Why did Peter Gabriel leave Genesis? Exit explored as rock icon announces new album 

Peter Gabriel’s 1982 song I Have the Touch returned to public conversation after appearing in Timothée Chalamet’s Marty Supreme. With the renewed interest came a resurfacing question that had followed Gabriel for decades: why did he leave Genesis?

Genesis was not just another band in Gabriel’s career. He helped form it with school friends Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, Anthony Phillips, and Chris Stewart. It had been built from the ground up, making his departure feel personal to fans and bandmates alike.

As reported by Far Out Magazine in November 2025, Peter Gabriel's decision did not stem from a single incident. The report described a long phase in which he denied the growing sense that he no longer belonged in the same structure. The strain became visible in 1974.

While Genesis focused on an adventurous double concept album and plans to tour, Gabriel explored other creative paths. He was approached by William Friedkin, director of The Exorcist, to work on a film project, pulling his attention elsewhere. The birth of Gabriel’s daughter marked another turning point. His perspective shifted as he later explained,

“I didn’t want to be one of those rock ’n’ roll husbands whose marriage is always on the rocks and who hardly ever sees the kids.”

As touring plans advanced, Gabriel’s reluctance contrasted sharply with the band’s enthusiasm. In a way, his family life and his desire to pursue independent creative work became the reason he drifted away from Genesis.

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Why Peter Gabriel finally left Genesis:

Genesis’ own website later traced the public unraveling of Peter Gabriel’s departure back to mid-1975. From July onwards, music magazines began reporting that Gabriel had left the band, despite no official confirmation at the time.

Charisma Records initially denied the reports, maintaining that Peter Gabriel remained part of Genesis. That position shifted in August 1975, when the label admitted he had departed. Peter Gabriel followed shortly after with a personal press statement dated September 6, 1975.

In his statement, Peter Gabriel reflected on how the band’s original purpose had evolved.

“The vehicle we had built as a co-op to serve our songwriting became our master and had cooped us up inside the success we had wanted. It affected the attitudes and the spirit of the whole band. The music had not dried up and I still respect the other musicians, but our roles had set in hard. To get an idea through ‘Genesis the Big’ meant shifting a lot more concrete than before,” he wrote.

He explained that the band’s scale made spontaneity difficult.

“As an artist, I need to absorb a wide variety of experiences. It is difficult to respond to intuition and impulse within the long-term planning that the band needed. I felt I should look at/learn about/develop myself, my creative bits and pieces and pick up on a lot of work going on outside music,” Gabriel continued.

Toward the end of the statement, Peter Gabriel addressed the personal consequences of staying.

“Even the hidden delights of vegetable growing and community living are beginning to reveal their secrets. I could not expect the band to tie in their schedules with my bondage to cabbages. The increase in money and power, if I had stayed, would have anchored me to the spotlights. It was important to me to give space to my family, which I wanted to hold together, and to liberate the daddy in me,” he added.

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Peter Gabriel looked to AI and human connection on forthcoming album o/i:

According to a report by Rolling Stone, Peter Gabriel announced that his new LP o/i was set to arrive in 2026, with the debut single Been Undone released on January 3.

The rollout followed a familiar pattern for Gabriel. In a repeat of the gradual release strategy used for i/o, the artist planned to unveil a new o/i track with every full moon. The Wolf Moon coincided with the release of “Been Undone” on January 3, with subsequent songs scheduled roughly once a month. The final full moon of the cycle, the Cold Moon, is expected on December 23, by which point the entire album would be available.

In a statement, Gabriel described the thematic direction of the project.

“The songs are a mix of thoughts and feelings,” he said.

“I have been thinking about the future and how we might respond to it. We are sliding into a period of transition like no other, most likely triggered in three waves; AI, quantum computing and the brain computer interface. Artists have a role to look into the mists and, when they catch sight of something, to hold up a mirror. These are my lumpy bits –i/o: the inside has a new way out and o\i: the outside has a new way in.”

He continued by reflecting on connection and creativity.

“We are not, and have never been, the exclusively self-determining, independent beings that have been given the run of the world,” Gabriel said.

“We are something else, a part of nature, a part of everything, and feeling a connection, shaking our booty, and giving and receiving some love can help us find our place – and put a big smile on our faces. Some of these songs are going to form part of the brain project that I’ve been exploring for a number of years, and some just make me feel happy. I hope you like them.”