Arts & Entertainment

Sting shows respect for Latin music with new Spanish single ‘Por su amor’

By Lorenzo Castro E

Miami, Feb 11 (EFE).- English singer-songwriter Sting on Friday released a Spanish-language version of the track “For Her Love” off of his most recent album “The Bridge,” saying in an interview with Efe that the recording honors the influence of Latin music on his career.

“It’s wonderful that now Latin music has a world audience, a very big audience. It’s very influential,” the 17-time Grammy winner said, adding that “Por su amor” “was inspired by that sound of reggaeton, the rhythm of reggaeton.”

“So it seemed like an appropriate thing to do. It’s a love song, ideal for St. Valentine’s Day.”

Spectacular views of the Gulf of California served as the inspiration for the song, the former lead vocalist and bass guitarist of The Police said, adding that it easily lends itself to Spanish and is a manifestation of his “great love and respect for Latin music.”

“I’m interested in the music of the Spanish language. It has its own quality, different from English, different from French, different from German. It has something about it that for me is very musical. So I’m intrigued how Spanish ears will accept it or not,” Sting said.

Spanish “has a musical quality, nothing to do with the words. It’s how it’s spoken and how it moves. It’s interesting,” said the musician, who in 2020 sang a Spanish-language duet with Puerto Rican recording artist Ricky Martin titled “Simple.”

Sting’s first recording in Spanish came much earlier, with the release in 1988 of “Nada como el sol” (an EP that contained five songs, including four tracks in Spanish and Portuguese from his 1987 album “Nothing Like the Sun”).

The 70-year-old recording artist said he decided to record the single during a stay in Cabo San Lucas, a resort town in the western Mexican state of Baja California.

Sting then entrusted Martin Kierszenbaum – co-producer of his 15th studio album, “The Bridge” (2021) – with the translation of the lyrics and with advising him on how to sing the track in Spanish.

The famed British musician said he will perform the song live for the first time at the Premios Lo Nuestro gala, a Latin music awards show that is organized by Univision and will be held on Feb. 24 in Miami.

On Thursday, Universal Music Publishing Group – Universal Music Group’s music publishing division – said it had acquired Sting’s entire song catalog, both as a solo artist and with The Police.

Formed in London in 1977 by Sting, English guitarist Andy Summers and American drummer Stewart Copeland, The Police – who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 – achieved instant success with their debut album “Outlandos d’Amour,” which contained the hits “Roxanne” and “So Lonely.”

Including his work with The Police and his solo career, Sting has sold more than 100 million albums.

The Police split up three years after the release of their last album, “Synchronicity” (1986), although the trio briefly reunited 15 years ago for a highly successful world tour that grossed $358 million and made them the world’s highest-earning musicians of 2008.

Sting, who has lamented in the past that a clash of egos caused the superstar band to break up at their peak, was adamant that no further reunion tours will take place.

He also told Efe that he has no interest in being part of a documentary film on his life and career.

“I’m not nostalgic at all. I’m living in this moment now. I’m also a very private individual. I don’t really want to open up everything,” he added. EFE

lce/mc

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