David Bowie’s final musical project ‘The Spectator’ has been revealed

Discovered posthumously in his New York study, the work is now part of the V&A Museum archive.

Photo credit: Tony McGee

A previously unreleased musical project by David Bowie has been revealed for the first time, after being found locked in his private study in New York following his death in 2016.

Titled ‘The Spectator’, the work is described as an 18th-century musical set in London. Notes indicate Bowie’s focus on the “manners and fads” of the period, drawing from his long-standing interest in crime and punishment.

The project remained unknown even to close collaborators. According to BBC News, it was discovered alongside stories involving criminal gangs and a character named ‘Honest’ Jack Sheppard. All materials have now been donated to the V&A Museum as part of a larger archive of Bowie’s writings and belongings.

The project was pieced together from handwritten notes on post-its pinned to a wall inside a study accessible only to Bowie and his assistant. Visitors will be able to view these notes and the original desk where he worked on them at the V&A East Storehouse in Hackney Wick from September 13th, 2025.

More information here.