There is a reason why Sting named his 14th album "The Bridge."

The music legend explains on his official fan club homepage that "we need a bridge" that leads away from the political, social and emotional crises of this world. "We're all stuck somewhere," Sting says.

Scheduled for release in November 2021, he wrote and recorded the songs for the album during the COVID pandemic, which had also prevented him from performing onstage.

He finally performed live for the first time in two years at Hamburg's Reeperbahn Festival 2021, two weeks before his 70th birthday on October 2.

"I feel honored," Sting declared onstage in Hamburg, the modest venue underscoring the British pop and rock megastar's lack of pretension.

New Wave superstar with The Police

Born Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, he had humble beginnings in a suburb of the English working-class city of Newcastle.

It was there that Sumner, a bassist who worked as a music and English teacher, met drummer Stewart Copeland in 1976. Together they formed The Police in London in 1977.

His habit of wearing a yellow and black striped sweater, reminiscent of a wasp, earned him the nickname Sting. He has since used his legal name only for official matters. 

The Police effortlessly combined elements of post-punk and reggae and became the superband of the New Wave era with hits like "Message in a Bottle" and "So Lonely."

There was always tension from the start among drummer Stewart Copeland, guitarist Andy Summers and Sting.

In 1986, at the height of their success, The Police announced a creative break, which eventually led to a breakup.

After that, the three played only sporadically together, until they finally called it quits in 2008.

Successful solo career

Sting had already started his solo career in 1985 with the album The Dream of the Blue Turtles. It marked the beginning of an enduring success story.

As a solo artist, Sting knew how to surprise again and again.

From synth pop to love ballads, from world music to baroque to rock songs — Sting has mastered the complete spectrum, not only of Western music. He constantly educated himself musically, collaborating with jazz musicians, rappers and early music experts.

Over the course of his career, Sting also starred in numerous feature films (including Dune by David Lynch) and television series.

He is also renowned for his commitment to political causes. Since the mid-1980s, he has campaigned for human rights with Amnesty International.

In 1987, he founded the Rainforest Fund to draw attention to the destruction of the rainforests. He tours the world with representatives of the South American Yanomami people and raises money to preserve their habitat.

Enduring popularity

His success continued into the 1990s and noughties, with his albums repeatedly attaining platinum status. He has won a total of 17 Grammy Awards and has been nominated a whopping 45 times.

He has fans all over the world, and the now septuagenarian is still very much considered a sex symbol. Yoga is what keeps him fit.

Despite slowing down in recent years, he is now back with The Bridge, his first studio album since 2016. His aim is to build bridges around the pandemic-ravaged globe via a world tour between 2021 and 2022 to promote this album.

 

This article was translated from the German by Brenda Haas.