On his new holiday album, Warmest Christmas Wishes, Humperdinck said, “After 40 years of silence on the Christmas albums, I thought it was about time to do another Christmas album. We endeavored to do a new one, and this one is a very family-oriented album that incorporates family very well, and it includes a few brand new songs.”
Affectionately known as The King of Romance, Humperdinck celebrated 50 years in showbiz. “I am very fortunate because not that many people’s careers last that long,” he said. “I am still going strong, I am still recording and still touring. I am putting out a new TV special at the end of the year, and now I will be releasing my Christmas album. There are a lot of things happening, which is great.”
Each day, Humperdinck acknowledged that he is motivated simply by the “love of the business.” “I love being in show business. I love singing and being creative, and I love to get involved with musical arrangements,” he said, effusively. “I just love walking on stage.”
Humperdinck continued, “I don’t mind doing 80 to 90 concerts a year since it takes me all over the world. I just love touring.”
On Saturday, October 13, Humperdinck will be headlining the NYCB Theatre at Westbury on Long Island as part of “The Man I Want To Be Tour.” “I go to Westbury every year and I always get a great audience. They are always appreciative of what I do. I will be bringing them new songs from The Man I Want To Be album,” he said.
Humperdinck shared that he won’t be singing any of his new Christmas songs at the Westbury show on Saturday since it is “too early.” “I am a little bit superstitious,” he admitted.
For Humperdinck, the key to longevity in the music business is keeping things fresh, looking after yourself, and you need to look good all the time. “I have taken 31 pounds off this body and I’ve felt good about it. Losing weight has made me feel a lot better. I shall talk about that in the show too,” he said.
He defined the word success as follows: “Success means that you have done a lot of hard work in your life. I have and I will continue to do it to keep the success rolling for many more years to come.”
Digital transformation of the music industry
On the impact of technology on the music business, Humperdinck said, “You have to go along with what’s going on in today’s world. I just go along with what’s happening. You have to.”
Humperdinck acknowledged that vinyl is making a resurgence. “Vinyl is lovely. I miss the big albums and the fact that you can hang the album covers on the walls, and I miss the clarity of them,” he said.
For aspiring singers, the English crooner said, “People who are beginning in this business these days have great starts. If you get an audition on The Voice or America’s Got Talent, and you are seen by millions at the beginning of your life and that is an incredible thing. When I first started you had to go around and promote yourself in little places across the country. You didn’t have the big media to get you in front of millions of people at once. It’s good for young people.”
Warmest Christmas Wishes is available for pre-order on iTunes and on Amazon.
To learn more about iconic English pop sensation Engelbert Humperdinck, check out his official website.
