A little NIGHT MUSIC

TEN YEARS AFTER he first vowed Thai ladies with his sultry vocals and romantic ballads, Canadian crooner Michael Buble returns to Bangkok tomorrow night for a full-length concert at Impact Arena in Muang Thong Thani.
Known and loved for such favourites as “It’s A Beautiful Day”, “Home”, “Fever”, “Feeling Good”, “Sway”, and “Haven’t Met You Yet”, Buble has remained at the top of charts around the globe for more than a decade.
This time round, he’ll be charming fans with cuts from his sixth and most recent album, “To Be Loved”, among them “Close Your Eyes” and “I Got It Easy” as well as such classics as Frank Sinatra’s “You Make Me Feel So Young”, the Bee Gees’ “To Love Somebody” and the multi-covered “Have I Told You Lately” – all rearranged and delivered in the inimitable Buble style.
We had a chat with the 39-year-old singer earlier this week as he prepared to leave for Bangkok.

HOW WERE THE HOLIDAYS?
I celebrate Christmas every year with 40 people who fly in and come to stay with me at my house. We sing too much, eat too much, drink too much, laugh too much and hug too much. I just love being together, and there are kids everywhere, so we set up a playroom with a trampoline – it’s crazy and beautiful.
And for New Year, I took most of my family and some friends to Hawaii for eight or nine days so I could rest and relax before tackling the Asian leg of my tour.

IT’S BEEN A WHILE SINCE “TO BE LOVED”. ANY PLANS FOR A NEW RECORD IN 2015?
I hope not. I need a break. I’ve been on the road for more than a year. I’ve done 167 shows. I need a little bit of time to chill out and get refreshed before I put out another record.
My wife has a great career as an actress. She’s been trying hard to support me and come along with me on the road, so I’m going to take a little bit of time to be with her and do the same for her.

CAN YOU TELL US WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN MIND FOR THE NEXT ALBUM?
I’m less worried about the songs I’ll probably cover than writing great pop hits. It’s funny because I’ve had a strange career. People love to categorise and they talk about me being the next Sinatra or the jazz guy, but the truth is that the most success I’ve had comes from songs that belong on pop radio alongside Katie Perry and One Direction. “Home”, “Haven’t Met You Yet”, “Lost”, “Hold On” are all pop songs. So I’ll go and sit with new writers and try to come up with some great stuff. It’s never easy but it’s fulfilling, fun and challenging. Hopefully I’ll see growth, but at the same time I’ll try to stay true to the people who bought the first 10-15 million records.

EDM IS THE BIGGEST CRAZE RIGHT NOW. ARE YOU INTERESTED AT ALL?
There’s room for every kinds of music, but a lot of music that’s put out today really has nothing to do with music. It has to do with getting high and jamming up with a bunch of DJs. It’s what it is. I’ve been to enough clubs to see 6,000 people high on ecstasy or whatever drug they’re doing, mindlessly bouncing to a rhythm that to me is terrible music. That’s fine, because there’s room for that but it’s not my thing.
There’s a lot of appreciation for great music, well-crafted songs and good voices, and I still see that. I listen to the radio, and you can’t say that
 Taylor Swift doesn’t write great catchy songs, or that Ed Sheeran doesn’t write beautiful music. Bruno Mars is another great musical artist.
There are great DJs out there too that make people feel something. I think a lot of the music today is just about getting as screwed up as you can and throwing up your hands.

ARE YOU LOOKING TO COLLABORATE WITH ANYONE IN PARTICULAR THIS YEAR?
There are so many great people out there that I appreciate and respect. I’ve been very lucky to work with several of my favourite artists over the past few years.
I’ve also got to work with people that I really like, like Reese Witherspoon who’s not only just a great actress but also a great singer. Barbra Streisand and I had a lot of success together on her record, and she just did my Christmas Special show. I worked with Ariana Grande, and the year before that was Mariah Carey.
Every year new things spring up so I’m not sure yet what it’s going to be, or where it’s going to be. I know that I just need to stay positive and to be appreciative of what I have. I’ve been blessed with the greatest fan base in the world. I get to go and play shows and sing for people in more than 30 countries. That’s incredible.

YOU’RE VERY ENERGETIC AND FUNNY ON STAGE. WHERE DO YOU FIND THAT ENERGY?
It comes from caring about people. The people that are coming to the show are probably reading this right now. They work hard for the money they make, and tickets are expensive.
They pay good money to see me and I never forget that. I never forget how that night is important to them. Just because that night might be my 170th show, it changes nothing.
Every single night is the most important show of my life and it’s because of them. I owe them. I have this responsibility to make sure that every night, when I leave that stage, I’ve given them everything I have. As long as I can do that I can walk away proud. The moment I start taking it for granted, it’s over. I don’t’ deserve to be on the stage anymore.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM YOUR SHOW THIS TIME?
It’s going to be one of the greatest shows you’ve ever seen, that’s a promise! I’m bringing the greatest songs and I’ve worked hard on this show.

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Michael Buble performs at 7.30pm tomorrow Impact Arena in Muang Thong Thani.
There are still tickets available, from Bt2,000 to Bt6,500 at ThaiTicketMajor.