Blackstar, the rocker's 25th studio album, will arrive on 8 January (16).

Bowie released his last offering, The Next Day, on his 66th birthday in 2013.

Details surrounding the album's tracks and concept have not been disclosed, but a release on Bowie's official website suggests reports about the "sound and content" are "inaccurate", adding that the music on Blackstar will not be part of the rocker's upcoming Lazarus theatre project.

Bowie has written the music for the musical version of sci-fi film The Man Who Fell to Earth, in which he starred. The production premieres at the New York Theatre Workshop on 18 November (15).