London, Jan 3 (IANS): Singer Tom Jones spent the lockdown period working on an album, which is expected to release later this year.

"I recorded an album just before the lockdown, at the beginning of the year. During lockdown, we've been mixing it and putting it together. That's what I'll be looking forward to," the 80-year-old said during a show, reports contactmusic.com.

He also opened up about the coronavirus vaccine, reports mirror.co.uk.

He said: "I've had the jab already. That's one good thing about being 80, you're first in line for the jab."

He said the vaccine was nothing to be afraid of: "It was fine - it was just like getting the flu jab. It wasn't a black market one, it was the real deal."

Meanwhile, band Stereophonics frontman Kelly Jones recently praised Tom Jones as "a second father" to him.

Kelly underwent surgery to remove a polyp on his vocal cords in 2019, and developed a close bond with the music icon during his recovery.

He said: "The only musician I called was Tom Jones because I thought Tom would have gone through it - he's like a second father to me. He's had a lot of experience with his throat in a very long career and was very encouraging, telling me to relax and giving me advice. It was nice to have him to talk to about it."