A&M/Interscope44/876, the new album by Sting and Shaggy, is out now and the unlikely duo is taking over your TV all this week, with appearances on The Tonight Show, Live with Kelly and Ryan, The View and more. Not bad for a project that wasn’t even supposed to exist.
Originally, the rock legend and the pop/reggae star were going to collaborate on just one song, “Don’t Make Me Wait.” But as Sting tells ABC Radio, they decided they didn’t want to stop there.
“I think almost immediately, we had a rapport and we recognized a kindred spirit in each other,” he says. “And we just had so much fun…we decided that we would just carry on and mess around in the studio.”
“It was an easy record to make, a very quick record to make and a delight,” he adds. “And I think the sunshine and the joy comes through the tracks.”
Shaggy, a fan of Sting and his old band The Police “from day one,” was impressed with the “genius” level of musicianship that Sting contributed. Sting admires Shaggy’s spontaneity and ability to “create a song on the spot, in public.”
“[It’s] a completely alien thing to me, but he forced me into doing it that way,” Sting adds. “Every time he sings, his energy is so high that you have to raise your game to stay up there.”
In fact, Sting says that’s why the album was so much fun to make.
“There’s always competition between musicians,” he says. “You’re upping your game, they’re upping their game. It’s no good playing tennis against somebody who doesn’t wanna play!”
Sting and Shaggy will be on The Tonight Show Monday, Live with Kelly and Ryan Tuesday, The View on Wednesday and Watch What Happens Live on Sunday.
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