Former Journey singer Steve Perry says he's been recording his new, long-awaited solo album for about a year, and plans to release the "emotional" and "cathartic" record "later this year."

In a brand-new interview with ABC Radio, Perry describes the new album as an "emotional expression" about the loss of a loved one. "I met someone and I fell in love with this person," he explains. "And I lost this person to breast cancer four years ago. In the midst of that, I had written some songs, and before I met her I had sketched some. And so about a year ago, I started recording."

Perry, who's last full-length solo album was 1994's For the Love of Strange Medicine, explains that "it's been a real cathartic experience going back to that emotional place that I thought I would never go back to. And we really have been doing our very best to capture what I think are some timeless songs."

The singer, who last toured with Journey in support of 1986's Raised on Radio, briefly returned to the group to record and release 1996's Trial by Fire, but apart from a handful of appearances with the Eels or at baseball games, has been largely absent from the public eye in recent decades.

He rejoined his former bandmates on stage this weekend to accept their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, delivering a rousing and somewhat David Lee Roth-esque acceptance speech. However, he did not perform with Journey, ceding that honor to the band's current frontman, Arnel Pineda.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2017's Best Photos

More From Ultimate Classic Rock