Hall & Oates' John Oates Embraces Newfound Freedom, Rules Out Reunion

John Oates reflects on his 50-year partnership with Daryl Hall, expressing gratitude for their shared success but revealing the creative constraints it imposed. While not ruling out a one-time reunion, Oates emphasizes his contentment with his newfound freedom and lack of interest in a full-time partnership.

John Oates says he's “reveling” in his newfound freedom but has no interest in reuniting Hall & Oates after 50 years together.

Hall & Oates were an iconic duo in the ‘70s and ’80s, generating hit after hit, like "You Make My Dreams," "Maneater," "Rich Girl" and many more.

But in John Oates' opinion, his partnership with Daryl Hall proved to be creatively stifling despite their success.

"I can't speak for Daryl, but I think we both prioritized the collective. We both prioritized Hall & Oates because it was so important, it's where we made our name for ourselves," he told Fox News Digital.

"We created an incredible legacy and body of music that will stand the test of time. And because of that, I think we were both constrained. Here again, I won't speak for him, but … I felt that every time I got momentum on an individual or solo project, it had to be curtailed or shortened to really go back to the … what we laughingly used to call the ‘two-headed monster.’"

But the "two-headed monster" is unlikely to ever reunite again.

When asked directly about a reunion, Oates said, "I don't think so. I think I'm reveling in relishing this newfound freedom. That's just unbelievable to me. You have to remember, I did this for 50 years. That's a long time. A lot of people can't even conceive of that, much less do it."

"The fact that Daryl and I were able to hold it together that long is a miracle in itself. And I prided myself on my professionalism and putting my all in, you know, really committing to, to making the work that Daryl and I did as good as it could be."

Apart from creative differences, the biggest issue dividing the duo is an ongoing legal battle regarding ownership of their company, Whole Oats Enterprises.

Oates said it was a "miracle" he and Hall stuck together as a duo 50 years. (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

In November 2023, Hall sued Oates, alleging Oats attempted to sell his share of their jointly owned company without Hall’s permission. Hall also sought a temporary restraining order against his bandmate.

In an interview aired on "GMA," Oates confirmed he did try to sell and offered an explanation.

"When this whole situation got mired in legality and really complex legal wranglings, I got really frustrated," Oates said. "And I said, ‘You know what? Daryl has always wanted to be his own man.’ I said, 'I’m going to give him the opportunity to do that. If I sell my half, he can … do what he wants."

"It was kind of ruining my life, to be honest with you. I wasn’t happy. I said, ‘Well, I’ll just step aside.’ People do it all the time. Look at all the artists who are selling their catalogs. It's pretty common. It's not that big a deal. But Daryl didn’t like the idea that I would sell to a certain third party."

Hall filed a lawsuit against Oates in 2023, alleging he attempted to sell his share of their jointly owned company. (Michael Tran/FilmMagic)

In a recent interview with Variety, Hall spoke about the lawsuit.

"It hit me by surprise," he told the outlet. "I don’t know, man. All I can say is people change, and sometimes you don’t really know someone like you thought you did. Difficulties can be made from things that aren’t difficult, and then it goes to a place where it can never come back from. It’s unfortunate and untimely, but some things just change. People rewrite history and harbor thoughts you had no idea about."

Oates did not address the specifics of the lawsuit but told Fox News Digital his best advice for young artists is, "Get a good lawyer."

"The music business is a very, very complex, business," Oates added. "There's lots of aspects to it. There's the point of view of the artist and what the artist has to do. There's the point of view of the record companies. There’s the point of view of the managers, the PR people, the social media people, the roadies, the band members. They all have different agendas and challenges that they have to deal with.

Oates advised any up-and-coming musicians to "get a good lawyer." (Santiago Felipe/Getty Images)

"So, everyone has to navigate the music business in their own personal way, and it's very complicated. Just learning about publishing, it's like going to graduate school. I mean, it's crazy. There's so much minutiae and arcane rules and regulations, laws that have to do with music publishing, that are very hard to understand. So, here again, having a good lawyer certainly helps."

Oates has now turned his focus to his own music with his sixth studio album, "Reunion."

"I've always been exploring my own creativity," the musician said. "The difference now is that I'm fully committed to this. Whereas in the past I've made solo albums, and they've always been kind of a little thing that I've done on the side, because Hall & Oates has always taken precedent, has always taken priority with touring and the various demands on my time. So, I've always kind of had to shoehorn my things in between."

"Now I'm really in a different position, you know. [I’m] obviously not going to be working with Daryl anymore, so I can make my own schedules. I can decide how long I want to take to record if I want to be home, if I want to tour. It's a real, you know, kind of a freeing thing. And so it's an overall freedom of creativity, not just the freedom to make a record."

With his new album, "Reunion," Oates said he's been "exploring my own creativity." (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

With "Reunion," Oates is able to reconnect with the kind of music he did before Hall & Oates, including roots, bluegrass, blues