SINGAPORE \u2013 In recent years, Sting has been collaborating with a long list of musicians from all genres and backgrounds, from Jamaican-American reggae singer Shaggy and American hip-hop veteran Snoop Dogg to American music icons Barbra Streisand and Dolly Parton.<\/p>\n
Despite being one of the most successful musicians in the past few decades, the 73-year-old British singer says each of these partnerships has been a learning experience for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m the eternal student. I\u2019m here to learn. I\u2019m still learning about music,\u201d he tells The Straits Times in an exclusive Zoom interview from his house in Italy. \u201c(These collaborators) always bring something new, something I hadn\u2019t discovered, something I can learn.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sting\u2019s work with Shaggy includes 44\/876 (2018), which earned a Grammy for Best Reggae Album in 2019, Sting\u2019s 17th win.<\/p>\n
The collaborations are on brand for the performer, whose wide repertoire since the late 1970s has encompassed genres ranging from jazz and classical to new wave and opera.<\/p>\n
Sting\u2019s music adapts easily to different artistes\u2019 styles, which makes these tie-ups with fellow music stars exciting and educational for him. \u201cThere\u2019s a reason they\u2019re successful, and it\u2019s great to be in the same room with them.\u201d<\/p>\n
The singer and bassist is also full of praise for the two musicians who are accompanying him on stage for his current Sting 3.0 World Tour \u2013 British guitarist and long-time collaborator Dominic Miller and London-based drummer Chris Maas. Their global jaunt includes a date in Singapore at Arena @ Expo on Sept 23.<\/p>\n
While previous iterations of his live band have included up to seven musicians, paring it down to just three on stage \u2013 just like his former ground-breaking pop-rock band The Police \u2013 has been very exciting and fresh.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to work harder, but the challenge is something that we all look forward to.\u201d<\/p>\n
The audiences at the shows have been surprised by how dynamic a three-piece band can sound, and he notes that \u201cit\u2019s never the same performance every night\u201d.<\/p>\n
British singer Sting with fans at Koninklijk Theater Carre, where he said the new version of his musical The Last Ship will have its world premiere in Amsterdam in 2026. <\/p>\n
PHOTO: AFP<\/p>\n
Still, fans in Singapore can look forward to hearing all the songs that made the sometime-actor famous, from his solo output dating back to the mid-1980s, as well as hits by The Police from the late 1970s and early 1980s.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always want to play the hits that people know. I don\u2019t want people disappointed that they haven\u2019t heard Roxanne (1978) or Englishman In New York (1987). So, I always give them that.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut within that context, I give them something that only this band can do, which is something close to improvisation. We\u2019re not playing jazz, but the sensibility of jazz is within the band.\u201d<\/p>\n
The upcoming concert comes a mere two years after he last performed in Singapore at The Star Theatre in 2023, which was part of another global tour in support of his 2019 album, My Songs. <\/p>\n
He has also played here several times in the past, including a show with The Police at Singapore Indoor Stadium in 2008, part of their reunion tour.<\/p>\n
Sting says there is no secret to his long and successful career, which kicked off in the early 1970s with jazz gigs in England. <\/p>\n
Both his solo output and with The Police have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide. Other than Grammys, his string of accolades includes 25 wins at the American Music Awards, as well as a star on the\u00a0Hollywood Walk of Fame.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t really have a secret, but I\u2019m very fit and I love my work. I\u2019m a hard worker, and I just like staying in the game. But to stay in the game, you need to be physically and mentally strong. It\u2019s an athletic pursuit. It\u2019s not something you can do without being strong.\u201d<\/p>\n
He likes to keep up to date with current music trends, but acknowledges that \u201cthere\u2019s so much music out there, so many formats and streaming platforms, it\u2019s difficult to have a complete picture of everything\u201d.<\/p>\n
He says the ability to have instant access to any song via streaming services is a \u201cmiracle\u201d and \u201cwonderful tools for education\u201d. Still, he notes: \u201cI\u2019m not sure musicians are paid fairly on those services, but hopefully that will happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked if there are any contemporary pop stars he is particularly fond of, he names American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish, 23. \u201cI love the voice, I love the sensibility. I have a great deal of respect for her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Besides the current 3.0 tour, which will continue to 2026, Sting will also be busy taking on the lead role in the 2026 run of his musical\u00a0The\u00a0Last\u00a0Ship, which features original music and lyrics by him.<\/p>\n
British singer Sting at Koninklijk Theater Carre. <\/p>\n
PHOTO: AFP<\/p>\n
It was staged on Broadway from 2014 to 2015 and was inspired by his childhood in the shipbuilding town of Wallsend, England.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis play will start in Amsterdam, Paris, Australia and New York, but maybe one day in Singapore, because you are an island nation, you know about ships.\u201d<\/p>\n