PHIL COLLINS, the English soft-rocker who was one of the most successful artists of the 1980s, says he is coming out of retirement with an upcoming album and tour.

    The former Genesis singer and drummer, who has not released an album of new material since 2002, said Wednesday that he is installing a studio in his home in Miami and will begin work on a new album in about a month.

    “I’m no longer officially retired,” he told Rolling Stone magazine. “The horse is out of the stable and I’m raring to go,” he said.

    Collins, 64, announced his retirement in 2011 but is planning to return to the stage Dec. 12 in a previously announced charity concert in Miami Beach.

    Collins will also begin reissues of his back catalog starting in November.

    Backed by hits such as “One More Night,” “Against All Odds” and “A Groovy Kind of Love,” Collins has sold more than 100 million albums as a solo artist and another 150 million with Genesis.

    Collins initially moved from Switzerland to Miami after he split in 2006 with his wife Orianne.

    In the interview, Collins said the divorce prompted a dark period in his life. “I killed my hours watching TV and drinking, and it almost killed me. But I haven’t had a drink in three years,” he said. He said he felt more comfortable returning to the road as his sons are older. “My kids are now 10 and 14 and they want to see what their dad does,” Collins said.

    Collins said he has convened a band that includes drummer Jason Bonham, the son of Led Zeppelin’s late John Bonham.(SD-Agencies)