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There's been a new twist in the Aerosmith saga today, with frontman Steven Tyler responding to the reports the band are looking for a new frontman.

Speaking before a New York crowd he said the group are not parting ways after all.

"I just want you to know, I am not leaving Aerosmith," Tyler announced in a surprise appearance with the Joe Perry Project at New York's Fillmore venue.

This latest admission casts doubts over comments guitarist Joe Perry posted on his twitter account this week stating they were "positively looking for a new singer."

"We have so many different options to fill up that time. Anything is possible at this point."

Joe Perry

This followed comments made to a Las Vegas Sun newspaper, in which Perry reportedly said: "Steven quit as far as I can tell. I don't know any more than you do about it."

It was Tyler who initially fuelled speculation during an interview with Classic Rock magazine.  Whilst he did not say he had quit, he did reveal his plans to pursue a solo career.

"I don't know what I'm doing yet, but it's definitely going to be something Steven Tyler: working on the brand of myself - Brand Tyler," he said.

'No contact'

Joe Perry also claims that relations with Tyler have been on the rocks for a while, with communication lines down.

"He has had no contact with me or the other band members," said Perry in the Las Vegas Sun interview.

As for plans to enlist a new singer for what he described as a "powerful...steam locomotive", Perry said: "As far as replacing Steven, it's not just about that, it's also four guys that play extremely well together, and I'm not going to see that go to waste."

Now, with Tyler wanting a couple of years off to work on other projects, it seems Perry has not ruled out getting another singer on board.

The guitarist has explained to Rolling Stone: "We have so many different options to fill up that time. Anything is possible at this point.

"Basically, any communication that we've had [with Steven] over the last couple of months has been through managers, so that's been pretty strange ... I never won any money trying to second-guess what goes on in Steven's mind."

Famed for their hits I Don't Want To Miss A Thing, Dude (Looks Like A Lady) and Love In An Elevator, Aerosmith have sold in excess of 100 million albums worldwide after nearly 40 years together.