Sting has sold his entire songwriting to Universal Music Publishing Group in a deal rumoured to be worth over $250 million (£184 million). NME reports
The agreement covers all Sting’s solo songs, including the likes of ‘Shape Of My Heart’, ‘Fields Of Gold’ and ‘Englishman In New York. The deal also extends to the songs Sting wrote for The Police, such as ‘Roxanne’, ‘Every Breath You Take’ and ‘Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic’.
“I am delighted to have Jody (Gerson, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Publi shing Group) and the team curate and manage my song catalogue,” said Sting.
“It is absolutely essential to me that my career’s body of work have a home where it is valued and respected – not only to connect with longtime fans in new ways but also to introduce my songs to new audiences, musicians and generations.
“Throughout my career, I have enjoyed a long and successful relationship with UMG as my label partner, so it felt natural to unite everything in one trusted home, as I return to the studio, ready for the next chapter.”
“I’m certainly not the first songwriter to equate falling in or out of love with an incurable sickness, nor will I be the last,” Sting said in a statement. “’’f It’s Love’ is my addition to that canon where the tropes of metaphorical symptoms, diagnosis, and downright incapacity are all familiar enough to make each of us smile ruefully.”"I think we're in a very dangerous political climate at the moment where the working class have felt abandoned by what they call the elite," he told AFP on a recent trip to Paris."It has left them vulnerable to demagogues, to right-wing nonsense, fakes, snake oil salesmen."
Don’t expect Sting to be next in line for a big-screen biopic. “Absolutely not,” the 68-year-old rock legend says of getting the Rocketman treatment. “I’m telling my story in an artistic way.”
Excerpt from Hollywood reporter, to read the full article click here
"For me, Brexit is a personal tragedy. I'm sad for my country. We knew it was going to be a disaster Young British people have been robbed of the opportunity to experience Europe. It's insane."
"I had no hesitation in taking the vaccine. I'm old enough to remember kids in my street with polio who were crippled, and that disease was eradicated overnight with the vaccine" .
I did. It's a difficult subject. It's not your standard Broadway [fare] — you know, they usually do fairy tales or Disney [adaptations]. This is the most difficult thing to do — an original musical about a serious subject. So we had trouble selling tickets and then the producers said, "You have to go in the play." I had no intention of going in the play. But I agreed, and when I did I was very happy that I'd done it because I felt, well, one, I could do it. And two, it was so much fun. Even though the subject is a serious matter, it's actually really fun.You stepped in as a performer in the Broadway version.
Does acting feel comfortable to you?
I acted almost by accident, but I've made lots of movies. The last time I was in a play was on Broadway in the '80s. I played Mack the Knife in Threepenny Opera. I've learned a lot on the job. I've also acted with some amazing actors. When you work with the best, you get a lot of gifts.
How do the vocal requirements compare between a Sting rock show and a musical like The Last Ship?
Well, I wrote this character for a baritone. I didn't write it for me.
What are you?
I'm a tenor. So I'm exploring the lower registers of my voice, which aren't normally explored in my rock show. But I actually find it a little less athletic. I can sing more in this range.
Do you mind if I throw out a few of your movies and see what memories they bring up?
Go ahead.
Quadrophenia.
Quadrophenia was the first movie I did. I was in it long enough to make an impression, but not long enough to blow it.
How did you get cast in that?
Just by going along to an audition and having the right look.
Were you the character you played in it — a mod "It" boy?
I was slightly too young to be a mod. But I remember the era. I was 12 when the mods were happening. But I had the right look.
And were you in a band at that point?
Yeah, I was in The Police. But we hadn't broken yet. And then our first hit coincided with the opening of Quadrophenia in London — so it was a perfect storm. It vaulted me into super fame very quickly. Luckily I was 26 or 27 at the time, so it wasn't like I was a teenage sensation. I was a school teacher, so I had my feet on the ground, as it were. Otherwise I think I would've gone crazy.
