Belinda Carlisle performs at the Palladium in Los Angeles, courtesy Christie Goodwin.

Belinda Carlisle of the Go-Go’s and her husband, Morgan Mason, gave up their home in the U.S. in 1994 and have hopscotched around the world ever since. They spent nearly a quarter century in France, during which time Carlisle released an album of French pop and chanson standards in 2007.

Then came Austria, the U.K., Morocco and India. Her last LP came during this time, in 2017, but it consisted of Sikh chants rather than the punk music of the Go-Go’s or the sleek pop that characterized her solo career in the ‘80s. By that point, the last thing people expected from her was pop music.

The couple was living in Thailand at the outset of the pandemic, and when borders closed, they couldn’t leave for about one and a half years. Carlisle’s dad passed away during this time, and she couldn’t be with her family. She couldn’t be with her son, Duke, either. So when an opportunity presented itself to get out, the two decided they had to be back in North America; Mexico, to be precise.

“We had to leave quickly because there were fewer and fewer flights going in and out of Thailand,” the SoCal native said. “We jumped on an Emirates flight, left everything behind, had the movers pack up at some point, and then came to L.A. for two months. We were planning to go live at the beach, like in Puerto Vallarta or something like that. Then my goddaughter said, ‘You’re crazy. Mexico City is where it’s at.’ … So we came here, not knowing what to expect at all … and we fell in love with it. Here we are, and it’s almost two years. It ticks all the boxes. We love it, and it’s close to California, if I ever need to see family or friends and go to work.”

If Belinda Carlisle was halfway around the world, then she wouldn’t have had had kismet reunion with hit songwriter Diane Warren, who’d written hits like Carlisle’s “I Get Weak” and “World Without You.

But that’s when Duke recognized Warren at a SoCal Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and introduced himself. At that point, Warren and Carlisle hadn’t spoken in decades. Within seconds, Warren demanded that Duke get his mom on the phone, and then told Carlisle to get herself to the studio because Warren had songs written and ready to be recorded. But Carlisle was hesitant. Working on new music wasn’t something she thought she’d ever do again. She was ready to settle down after a last hurrah with the Go-Go’s documentary and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Warren played her the demo for “Big Big Love,” the first song from what would become five-track EP Kismet, and Carlisle was sold.

“I’m really picky when it comes to singing pop songs,” she said. “First the melody has to speak to me, and then I look at the lyrics. I always thought, before I did this, that if I was ever going to be doing pop music again in the same sort of vein that I was doing it in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, that it would have to be something—since I’m an older woman—that was more age appropriate. And then I thought, ‘That’s boxing myself in.’”

She fell in love with all five songs Diane Warren presented to her. She was also taken aback that Warren, who worked with countless superstars like Lady Gaga, wouldn’t have given the songs to someone much younger or currently a proven chart- and sales-topper. She didn’t even need to tweak any of the lyrics to fit her own life experience or preferences. Because she’s lived through so many experiences, she could relate to all of it.

“It wasn’t hard for me to get into that head space of when I was singing specific lyrics,” she said. “The fact that she gave a song as good as ‘Big Big Love’ to me, a 64-year-old woman, is pretty amazing and a leap of faith on her part. … I love Diane, and I love her as a person, besides being a great songwriter. I said yes because she’s a lot of fun. … Obviously it was meant to be, this whole project.”

Even though the Go-Go’s officially disbanded after their 2021 Rock Hall induction, bandmate Charlotte Caffey contributed backing vocals on “Big Big Love” and “If U Go.” The Go-Go’s stayed close, and Caffey lives close to where Carlisle recorded in L.A. (she also did some recording in Mexico City).

The EP, her first collection of unabashedly pop songs since 1996’s A Woman & A Man, also includes “Deeper Into You,” “I Couldn’t Do That To Me” and “Sanity.” Fans can expect to hear some of the new material at dates on Carlisle’s Decades tour, which picks up this summer and includes a run of California shows this month.

And after that?

She’s been asked a lot whether she’ll keep making pop songs; if a full-length album will follow. Diane Warren has already told some people that it’ll happen. Carlisle isn’t as definitive, saying how much fun she had making the EP and how “if it’s fun, I’ll do it.”

Belinda Carlisle, courtesy.

The door is completely closed on the Go-Go’s, though; a legacy cemented with director Alison Ellwood’s documentary in 2021 and the Rock Hall induction, which Carlisle said are directly linked.

“[It] captured the essence of the band, and I think it really woke people up,” Carlisle said, pointing out how the band had become eligible for the hall about 20 years earlier, but dealt with much of the same misogyny and sexism as many female artists. “You may not like us, but you have to hear the story of why we’re in there. I mean, we broke down barriers, and we succeeded against all odds in a time when women were really not represented in music. It’s better now.”

At first, Belinda Carlisle said she didn’t care for the Rock Hall, especially as the years mounted and the Go-Go’s hadn’t been honored. But the induction ceremony, during which the band performed and actress Drew Barrymore spoke, made Carlisle emotional, and she called it one of the best nights of her life.

The 2021 class also featured the Foo Fighters. Pat Smear and Carlisle played together in punk band the Germs, which preceded the Go-Go’s.

“Pat and I had a funny conversation. ‘Isn’t it weird we went from the Germs to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?’” Carlisle recalled.

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Carlisle and Morgan have no plans to uproot again. Mexico City is their home going forward. But for someone who once declared “Vacation, all I ever wanted,” the adventures aren’t over. She recently returned from southwest Turkey, where she visited numerous archaeological sites “I’ve wanted to see for years.” Australia is up next, at the end of the year. She’s already planning trips for 2024 and has some touring lined up as well.

She’s also excited to get to know her new country more, whether it’s seeing the many museums or nearby communities like San Miguel de Allende and Xochimilco.

“I still would like to jump on one of those double-decker buses and get a tour. I love that,” she said.

Follow editor Roman Gokhman at Twitter.com/RomiTheWriter.