Sting is the rarest of artists. In 1978 – the year he first visited New York, “Roxanne” established him as one of the great voices in music and a formidable songwriter who would go on to pen the most played song on the radio ever. (Which one is revealed in the video) While his commercial success is unsurpassed, his artistic integrity is unquestioned. He plays a mean bass too!
The Police were the most popular band in the world when he walked away from them in the mid 80s. He started his solo career with two albums that immediately established an identity for him apart from his ex-trio: The Dream of the Blue Turtles in 1985 and Nothing Like the Sun in 1987. On both he was backed by the likes of Branford Marsalis and Kenny Kirkland who had built their reputations in the world of jazz. In the decades that followed, he’s explored myriad aspects of that identity as he’s collaborated with the Algerian Raï singer Cheb Mami, the Bosnian lutenist Edin Karamazov, the Jamaican-American reggae singer Shaggy, and The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra among many others.
In this chat, Sting offers insights into the themes explored on his album The Bridge that comes out this Friday. He reveals details of the recording process and uses a fishing metaphor for the creative process. He also expresses his love for his adopted home of New York and explains how he ended up in the TV show Only Murders In The Building. Plus he names his favorite three Police songs as well as his favorite three songs recorded as a solo artist.
This Zoom chat video has been enhanced with fun facts for your amusement. Special thanks to WFUV’s student Sports Manager Alexander Wolz who skillfully edited the video.
