Stephen Wicks is preparing to release his most urgent and powerful song yet, “The Doomsday Clock (85 Seconds To Midnight),” a rock single that confronts some of the greatest fears facing modern society. Inspired by the symbolic Doomsday Clock published by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the track reflects a world increasingly unsettled by nuclear threats, climate change, artificial intelligence and geopolitical instability.
At 74, Wicks has taken an unconventional path into music. After a long and successful career as a corporate executive and property entrepreneur, he has reinvented himself as a singer-songwriter, proving that creative reinvention can happen at any stage of life. His latest release marks his fifth single and draws on both his lifelong passion for composition and his perspective as someone who has spent decades observing power, risk and decision-making at the highest levels.
“The Doomsday Clock (85 Seconds To Midnight)” is built around the image of humanity standing dangerously close to self-destruction. The 2026 setting of the clock at 85 seconds to midnight serves as the central inspiration for the song, giving Wicks a dramatic framework for exploring existential uncertainty. Musically, the track is described as a powerful rock release, combining urgent lyrics, driving instrumentation and cinematic intensity.
Wicks worked with acclaimed British producer George Shilling, whose credits include Blur, Primal Scream and Steve Winwood. Shilling has praised Wicks for combining disciplined storytelling with raw emotional force, describing the song as more than a passion project and calling it “a wake-up call set to music.” Lead guitar on the recordings is performed by Stefan Hauk, recognised as one of Australia’s most exciting young guitarists.
The single will be accompanied by an official music video designed to capture the relentless ticking of the clock and the fragile state of the world humanity risks losing. With “The Doomsday Clock (85 Seconds To Midnight),” Stephen Wicks is using his late-career artistic reinvention to deliver a stark message about the future and the choices facing society today.