Robert Plant, former frontman of Led Zeppelin, has enjoyed a prolific solo career, experimenting with a variety of musical styles and genres. PBS NewsHour's Jeffrey Brown sat down with the rock legend to discuss his inspirations, whether Led Zeppelin will ever reunite and his newest album, Carry Fire. Read an excerpt from the interview below:

Jeffrey Brown: The question Plant is asked most often is the one he seems least interested in: When will Led Zeppelin get together again? The three surviving members last performed together in 2007. But no encores are planned. I asked Plant about the key to the band’s enduring success.

Robert Plant: "I don’t know. We didn’t know. It’s - you may think it’s naive, because now so much of entertainment is pretty structured. You know, the game is the game. Here we are."

Jeffrey Brown: Yes.

Robert Plant: "We didn’t know what on earth we were doing. We were just doing gigs, and the gigs got bigger, and the crowds got bigger, and we had more fun. To be the guy up at the sharp end, what I call it, as a singer, was a bit of a labor, was a bit of a toil."

Jeffrey Brown: But was it a performance, or was that you?

Robert Plant: "I think it was me responding to music, just like it is right now. I don’t wear a girl’s blouse anymore, but I’m still desperately switched on to the music that surrounds me. So, with Zeppelin, I think I was just playing it out. Interesting to see now. I just wonder how he felt at the end of the night, that guy, when I look at him."

See the video interview, and read a full transcription at PBS NewsHour.

Robert Plant will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Americana Music Association UK. It is the group's highest honor and goes to a UK artist for outstanding contribution to the Americana genre over the span of a career.

The UK Americana Awards show will take place on February 1st, 2018, at the Hackney Empire in East London. The AMA-UK is a professional trade association representing and advocating for the voice of American Roots music in the UK.

Plant's new album Carry Fire is out now via Nonesuch/Warner Bros. at all music retailers and streaming services. You can order the album here.

Plant’s eleventh solo album and first full-length release since 2014’s lullaby and...The Ceaseless Roar, was produced by the singer in the west of England and Wales, at Top Cat studio in Box, Wiltshire with additional recordings at Real World and Rockfield studios.

As with “lullaby”, Plant is accompanied by The Sensational Space Shifters: John Baggott on keyboards, moog, loops, percussion, drums, brass arrangement, t’bal, snare drum, slide guitar, piano, electric piano, bendir; Justin Adams on guitar, acoustic guitar, oud, E-bow quartet, percussion, snare drum, tambourine; Dave Smith on bendir, tambourine, djembe, drum kit; and Liam “Skin” Tyson on dobro, guitar, acoustic guitar, pedal steel, twelve-string.

Plant and the Space Shifters are also joined on Carry Fire by a number of special guests. Chrissie Hynde joins Plant on the duet “Bluebirds Over The Mountain” (written by rockabilly legend Ersel Hickey and later recorded by both Richie Valens and The Beach Boys). Albanian cellist Redi Hasa performs on three tracks, as does the celebrated Seth Lakeman on viola and fiddle.

Plant, who lived in Texas for a time before returning to his native England three years ago, together with his friends, present the songs Carry Fire, melding unusual rhythms with naturalism and smoldering power.

“It’s about intention, I respect and relish my past works but each time I feel the lure and incentive to create new work. I must mix old with new. Consequently the whole impetus of the band has moved on its axis somewhat, the new sound and different space giving way to exciting and dramatic landscapes of mood, melody and instrumentation.”

Tracklisting:

“The May Queen”
“New World...”
“Season's Song”
“Dance With You Tonight”
“Carving Up The World Again…A Wall And Not A Fence”
“A Way With Words”
“Carry Fire”
“Bones Of Saints”
“Keep It Hid”
“Bluebirds Over The Mountain”
“Heaven Sent”

“Bluebirds Over The Mountain”:

"Bones Of Saints”:

“The May Queen” lyric video:

Robert Plant tour dates:

November
16 - Plymouth, UK - Pavilions
17 - Bristol, UK - Colston Hall
20 - Wolverhampton, UK - Civic
22 - Llandudno, UK - Venue Cymru
24 - Newcastle, UK - City Hall
25 - Liverpool, UK - Olympia
27 - Glasgow, UK - SEC Armadillo
28 - Perth, UK - Concert Hall
30 - Manchester, UK - O2 Apollo

December
2 - Belfast, Ireland - Ulster Hall
6 - Sheffield, UK - City Hall
8 - London, UK - Royal Albert Hall
11 - Portsmouth, UK - Guildhall
12 - Birmingham, UK - Symphony Hall

February
9 - Raleigh, NC - Raleigh Memorial Auditorium
11 - Charlotte, NC - Ovens Auditorium
12 - Norfolk, VA - Chrysler Hall
14 - New York, NY - Beacon Theatre
16 - Boston, MA - Orpheum Theatre
17 - Toronto, ON - Massey Hall
20 - Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre
22 - Minneapolis, MN - Orpheum Theatre
24 - Denver, CO - Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre
26 - Phoenix, AZ - Symphony Hall
28 - Oakland, CA - Fox Theater

March
2 - Los Angeles, CA - Orpheum Theatre