Def Leppard has unveiled a new standalone single titled 'Rejoice' on January 22, 2026, to mark the start of their Las Vegas residency. The high-energy track features contributions from singer Joe Elliott and guitarist Phil Collen, blending hard rock elements with a tribal drum loop. It arrives ahead of the band's shows at Caesars Palace beginning February 3.
Def Leppard's 'Rejoice' emerged from a collaborative spark between frontman Joe Elliott and guitarist Phil Collen. Elliott described the song's origin in a press release: "This song’s been an amazing journey from concept to conclusion. I said to Phil one day, ‘I’ve got this idea for a lyric where the narrator is at absolute rock bottom and wants to rise up to a higher level. Do you have a musical piece that might match with that?’ And he said, ‘As it happens, yes I do.’”
Collen detailed the musical process: “I had this riff, this idea for a song a while ago actually, so when Joe came to me I created this drum loop based with a tribal sound and it fit perfectly with this other arrangement I had. I sent it to Joe and it was like magic – he sang straight over the top of it. And that’s how the song was formed. Then we gave it to Ronan [McHugh] who’d done a proper drum loop with different sounds. It all started gelling and just sounded like a powerful chant. We love it. It’s hard rock for us. It’s got a bit more of an ‘oomph’ than stuff we’ve been doing for a while. It’s kind of magical.”
The release coincides with Def Leppard's return to Las Vegas for "Def Leppard: Live at Caesars Palace The Las Vegas Residency," running from February 3 to 28, 2026, at The Colosseum. Fans can expect to hear 'Rejoice' alongside hits from the band's catalog. This follows sold-out residencies in 2013 and 2019.
The single builds on recent activity, including a January 2025 cover of Ben E. King's "Stand by Me," which supported FireAid for Southern California wildfire victims and appeared in the Netflix film "Bank Of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger." Their last original track, "Just Like '73" featuring Tom Morello, came out in June 2024. Def Leppard's most recent album, "Diamond Star Halos," was released in 2022, followed by the orchestral "Drastic Symphonies" in 2023.
In September 2025, Elliott confirmed work on a thirteenth studio album, with plans to "drip feed" singles, potentially including more for the Vegas shows and a June British tour. The full album is slated for late 2026 or early 2027. Drummer Rick Allen noted in November 2025 that new music is in progress, calling it "strong."
Beyond Vegas, Def Leppard has three India shows in March 2026 and a European summer tour. Guitarist Vivian Campbell, who underwent a bone marrow transplant in late 2024 for Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosed in 2013, announced full remission in June 2025. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.
