Share

Sting to return to rock and politics with new album

New York - Sting announced on Thursday that his new album will come out later this year in a return to his rock roots that will touch on the migrant crisis and climate change.

57th & 9th - the title an allusion to the intersection where the Englishman in New York heads to the studio - will come out on 11 November, his label said.

The former frontman of The Police, speaking to Rolling Stone, said that the album would return to a rock sound after years of more experimental work.

"It's rockier than anything I've done in a while," he told the music magazine.

A longtime advocate for Amnesty International and other human rights causes, Sting said a song on the album, Inshallah, will explore mass migration into Europe and another, One Fine Day, will attack deniers of climate change.

"The biggest engine for migration will be climate. Millions of people will be looking for somewhere safe," he told Rolling Stone.

"I'm still in a bit of a depression about Britain exiting the EU for no good reason. At least the EU has a programme to tackle climate change," he said, referring to the landmark 23 June referendum on "Brexit."

The 64-year-old rocker said that the album will also feature a dark ballad entitled 0 50,000 that he wrote when contemplating mortality after pop icon Prince's death.

Sting's last album, 2013's The Last Ship, accompanied his Broadway musical of the same name that was based on his childhood memories living around shipbuilding.

The musical was a commercial disappointment and Sting said he started working on 57th and 9th in his unexpected free time afterward.

Sting has been touring North America this summer with Peter Gabriel, a fellow rock veteran, as the two collaborate on each other's songs.

Sting has sold more than 100 million albums as a solo artist and with The Police, who shook up pop music by incorporating a reggae sound.


We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE