A recent exclusive SiriusXM special for Shaggy’s Boombastic Radio included stories of International dancehall sensation Shaggy and Sting’s unexpected relationship and creative collaborations.
In front of a live crowd at SiriusXM’s Los Angeles studios, Dion hosted the event. The pair also played a brand-new reggae song called “Til the Morning.” Yellowman and producer Henry “Junjo” Lawes’ “I’m Getting Married” (1982) appears to be interpolated into the song’s melody and beat. See the performance below.
- Advertisement -
Shaggy, whose real name is Orville Richard Burrell, began by saying, “This is the brother I never knew I needed,” before going on to discuss how he and the former frontman of the Police became friends. They first met in 2004 when he joined Sting onstage for an impromptu performance of Roxanne in Antwerp. Years went by before fate brought the two together again when Martin Kierszenbaum, who had served as A&R for both artists at different stages of their careers, suggested they work together on the single “Don’t Make Me Wait.”
Sting’s request for Shaggy to create his voice in a really Caribbean sound turned that partnership into something far more meaningful. Shaggy noted that Sting’s candor established the foundation of the collaboration. “It’s your culture,” he continued, “produce me how you want the vocals to be—it’s your culture.’ I was scared out of my mind, but we had more fun than work in that session. That’s when our friendship really started.”
Sting talked affectionately of their fraternal bond, “Sometimes you meet people in life and immediately you recognize a kindred spirit, a soul connection that maybe in past lives or something.”
The “Every Breath you Take” singer continued his remarks, “He says, ‘We’re brothers.’ I think we probably are. But we genuinely love each other and love being in each other’s company. And he brings things out in me that are usually hidden, my spontaneity, and I bring things out in him, which is usually hidden like his intellect. But having said that, he’s a fiercely, fiercely intelligent man and a great lyricist and a great expounder. He declaims like an actor. I love his voice. I love what he does. I don’t think you’re rated highly enough, frankly. I think you’re a genius.”
Their 2018 album 44/876, which won a Grammy, was ultimately the result of their creative connection. Shaggy emphasized how happy they were to make the record, “It was really us being in the studio with two microphones, and just coming up with melodies and ideas and throwing little words here and there and having fun with it. I could say something in marking that record, it was joy. We laughed the whole time and that joy came out on the performance. It came out in the recording. And I think that’s what we both enjoy about it.”
The two also discussed how their artistic endeavors went into unexpected directions, such as a reggae rendition of Frank Sinatra hits. The inspiration for Sting originated from Shaggy’s spontaneous performance of Sinatra’s “Witchcraft” during a boat ride in Oslo.
Sting praise the “Angel singer vocals stating, “Shaggy has the same vocal register as Frank Sinatra.”
He added, “He says he’s a baritone tenor, and he’s singing in tune. And can you imagine if we did these songs in a reggae style? That’s so surprising and completely left field. So I suggested it to him. He said, ‘Are you serious?’ I said, ‘Deadly. Let’s do it.’ And we did.” The outcome was the album Com Fly Wid Mi, released in 2022.
