Ghost have teased the arrival of their “new” singer with a Las Vegas billboard.
On Sunday (March 2), the masked Swedish rockers shared a photo of the billboard to social media. “V is coming,” it reads, with the post also containing a link to a livestream that shows the board from various camera angles.
It’s pretty certain that the billboard is referring to the debut of Ghost’s “new” singer, Papa V Perpertua, who was first named in promotion for Black Sabbath’s star-studded Back To The Beginning event in July, where he’ll appear.
Ghost have made a habit of changing their pope-like frontman with each new album cycle, though in reality every Papa has been portrayed by the band’s mastermind Tobias Forge. The “Perpetua” character will mark their second deviation from having a “Papa Emeritus” up front, following their use of “Cardinal Copia” for 2018’s Prequelle.
During a 2019 interview with Sirius XM, Forge explained why he “changes” Ghost’s singer every couple of years.
“There was only the idea of there being a toastmaster, a leader, the singer who was gonna be the band’s equivalent to Eddie in Iron Maiden, but he was also gonna sing,” he said.
“When that character turned into a fully-fledged Pope that had a name, that’s where I had the idea of, ‘Oh, his name must be The First.’ Because as all popes do, they have their reign and then we continue forward.
“I knew that music lovers today are very nostalgic, but I figured that if we create nostalgia fast by creating these little dynasties that will never come back, there will be people that, hopefully, will be proud of the fact that they saw the first incarnation.”
Given the name of the next character to take the microphone in Ghost, it’s possible that an announcement will be made on Friday, March 7, which is the feast day celebrating the Christian martyrs Saints Perpetua and Felicity.
Papa V Perpetua seems set to front Ghost for their 2025 world tour, which kicks off in the UK in April. See dates and details below.
[MESSAGE FROM THE CLERGY] We wish to inform you, What Happens in Vegas, Stays on the FumataCast! Let us live in the anticipation of what could be. https://t.co/xMpvOvS1n1 pic.twitter.com/sgGnwkWwXkMarch 2, 2025
Ghost 2025 world tour dates:
UK:
Apr 15: Manchester AO Arena
Apr 16: Glasgow OVO Hydro
Apr 19: London The O2
Apr 20: Birmingham Utilita Arena
Europe:
Apr 22: Antwerp Sportpaleis, Belgium
Apr 23: Frankfurt Festhalle, Germany
Apr 24: Munich Olympiahalle, Germany
Apr 26: Lyon LDLC Arena, France
Apr 27: Toulouse Zenith Metropole, France
Apr 29: Lisbon MEO Arena, Portugal
Apr 30: Madrid Palacio Vistalegre, Spain
May 03: Zurich AG Hallenstadion, Switzerland
May 04: Milan Unipol Forum, Italy
May 07: Berlin Uber Arena, Germany
May 08: Amsterdam Ziggo Dome, Netherlands
May 10: Lodz Atlas Arena, Poland
May 11: Prague O2 Arena, Czech Republic
May 13: Paris Accor Arena, France
May 14: Oberhausen Rudolph Weber Arena, Germany
May 15: Hannover ZAG Arena, Germany
May 17: Copenhagen Royal Arena, Denmark
May 20: Tampere Nokia Arena, Finland
May 22: Linköping Saab Arena, Sweden
May 23: Sandviken Göransson Arena, Sweden
May 24: Oslo Spektrum, Norway
USA:
Jul 09: Baltimore CFG Bank Arena, MD
Jul 11: Atlanta State Farm Arena, GA
Jul 12: Tampa Amalie Arena, FL
Jul 13: Miami Kaseya Center, FL
Jul 15: Raleigh PNC Arena, NC
Jul 17: Cleveland Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, OH
Jul 18: Pittsburgh PPG Paints Arena, PA
Jul 19: Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center, PA
Jul 21: Boston TD Garden, MA
Jul 22: New York Madison Square Garden, NY
Jul 24: Detroit Little Caesars Arena, MI
Jul 25: Louisville KFC Yum! Center, KY
Jul 26: Nashville Bridgestone Arena, TN
Jul 28: Grand Rapids Van Andel Arena, MI
Jul 29: Milwaukee Fiserv Forum, WI
Jul 30: St Louis Enterprise Center, MO
Aug 01: Rosemont Allstate Arena, IL
Aug 02: Saint Paul Xcel Energy Center, MN
Aug 03: Omaha CHI Health Center, NE
Aug 05: Kansas City T-Mobile Center, MO
Aug 07: Denver Ball Arena, CO
Aug 09: Las Vegas MGM Grand Garden Arena, NV
Aug 10: San Diego Viejas Arena, CA
Aug 11: Phoenix Footprint Center, AZ
Aug 14: Austin Moody Center ATX, TX
Aug 15: Fort Worth Dickies Arena, TX
Aug 16: Houston Toyota Center, TX
Mexico:
Sep 24: Mexico City Palacio De Los Deportes
