"Sons of Pepper": Beatles Offspring Come Together

April 1, 2026. Next Friday sees the release of a Beatles cover album that fans have been dreaming about for ages, but never expected to happen—mostly because it seemed like a terrible idea. Sons of Pepper, the self-titled debut of a Beatles offspring supergroup, consists of Sean Lennon, James McCartney, Dhani Harrison, and Zak Starkey.

The origins of Sons of Pepper read less like a rock-and-roll origin story and more like the world’s most surreal family reunion. Two years ago, Lennon and McCartney—the sons, not the fathers—collaborated on an acoustic ballad called “Primrose Hill.” The following year, Zak Starkey invited them both to contribute to “Rip Off,” a track for his psychedelic band Mantra of the Cosmos, his supergroup with Happy Mondays members Shaun Ryder and Bez, and Andy Bell of Ride.

When asked at the time whether he planned to invite Dhani Harrison to join, Starkey was emphatic: absolutely not. He had zero interest in forming a band of Beatles’ children.

Last July, the four sons were brought together when Tom Greene, the newly appointed CEO of Apple Corps, invited them to a meeting and then brought them all to Abbey Road for a private preview of an upcoming Dolby Atmos remix of Rubber Soul.

“We were all pointing out parts from each other’s fathers,” explained Lennon. “I’d say to Dhani, ‘Listen to that cool guitar lick your Dad played,’ and James would ask Zak, ‘How did your Dad come up with that part?'” He paused. “It was mostly us complimenting each other’s dads.”

Four grown men sitting in a dark room telling each other their fathers were cool. Rock and roll.

Not long after, Lennon reached out to Harrison about the idea of a Beatles’ sons’ album. Harrison was intrigued, but raised the obvious concern: how could they do this without suffering endless comparisons to their fathers’ band?

On a Zoom call, the solution emerged: they would cover Beatles songs not normally associated with their respective fathers, in completely different styles. This was considered a novel approach and not, as some have suggested, the premise of every tribute album ever made.

After this conversation, the song list began to take shape. Roles were mostly divided along predictable genetic lines. McCartney would play bass. Harrison would play guitar. Starkey would play drums. Lennon would play keyboards, with occasional guitar. All four would contribute vocals.

There was one final question—who would produce the album? “There was really only one choice,” said Harrison, “and that was Giles Martin. When we reached out to him, he was overjoyed to participate.” Martin, of course, is the son of the late George Martin, the Beatles’ longtime producer—meaning the hereditary theme of the project extended all the way to the production booth.

The resulting album pays homage to the Beatles’ songs from across their entire career while restyling them in significant ways. McCartney sings George’s “Think for Yourself” but as a slow string-laden ballad. Starkey transforms John’s “Dear Prudence” into a psychedelic dreamscape with help from his Mantra of the Cosmos bandmates. Harrison tackles Paul’s “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da,” reimagining it in the style of an Indian raga, featuring guest appearances from sitar master Ravi Shankar’s daughters—Anoushka Shankar on sitar and Norah Jones on backing vocals. Meanwhile, Lennon gives Ringo’s “Octopus’s Garden” the full techno treatment. The other nine tracks continue the idea of presenting familiar Beatles songs in completely different ways. A host of additional guest artists—from Duo Lipa to “Weird Al” Yankovic—accompany the Sons in their tour through Beatlemania.

A ninety-minute accompanying documentary, The Birth of the Sons of Pepper, will premiere on Disney+ on the same day. In a development that will shock absolutely no one at this point, it too is a family affair: directed by Paul’s daughter Mary McCartney, with hair and makeup by Ringo’s daughter Lee Starkey, and narrated by Sean’s half-brother Julian Lennon.

A special deluxe edition of the album includes a second disc featuring a song-by-song audio commentary, as well as a bonus experimental track, Revolution Ten, performed by all four Sons, alongside the ten grandchildren of Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney.

This Friday brings a double unveiling: the cover art, a tribute to the original Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band cover, styled by Paul’s fashion designer daughter Stella McCartney, and a video for the lead single, a disco-flavored “She Loves You” featuring James McCartney along with Doja Cat on vocals.

COMPLETE TRACK LIST

“I Saw Her Standing There” — Lead vocal: Starkey with Dave Grohl (backing vocals)
“Think For Yourself” — Lead vocal: McCartney with the Liverpool String Orchestra
“No Reply” — Lead vocal: Harrison with Cardi B (rap)
“Octopus’s Garden” — Lead vocal: Lennon with Trombone Shorty (trombone)
“Eight Days a Week” — Lead vocal: Starkey with “Weird Al” Yankovic (accordion)
“Hey Bulldog” — Lead vocal: McCartney with St. Vincent (guitar and backing vocals)
“Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” — Lead vocal: Harrison with Anoushka Shankar (sitar) and Norah Jones (backing vocals)
“Yesterday” — Lead vocal: Lennon with Dua Lipa (backing vocals)
“Dear Prudence” — Lead vocal: Starkey with Mantra of the Cosmos
“She Loves You” — Lead vocal: McCartney with Doja Cat (backing vocals)
“Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me and My Monkey” — Lead vocal: Lennon with Chris Stapleton (backing vocals)
“All My Loving” — Lead vocal: Harrison with Jon Batiste (piano)
“Tomorrow Never Knows” — Lead vocals: Harrison and Starkey with Fistful of Mercy