M L INTERVIEW
AN INTERVIEW WITH MICK HUCKNALL
By Marie Fitzsimmons
Mick Hucknall achieved international fame in the 1980s as the lead singer and songwriter of the soul-influenced pop band Simply Red , with whom he enjoyed a 25-year career and sold over 50 million albums . Hucknall is described as " one of the truly great blue-eyed soul singers ", while Q credited him with " the most prodigious voice this side of Motown ".
Mersey Life caught up with him ahead of his performance at the M & S Bank Arena , Liverpool on February 12th 2022 .
How exciting that are you are finally back touring , after what seems like an eternity from when you first announced the tour back in 2019 , bet you can ' t wait ? I ’ ve spent most of life singing for people , it ’ s what I do and I love it , so it has felt strange not to have that for the past couple of years . It is inspiring that people are starting to watch bands live again , and I can ’ t wait to play all the Simply Red hits to raise everyone ’ s spirits . I ’ m confident my voice is in excellent condition , we ’ re going to give our everything and put on a joyous and uplifting show for the fans .
You recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Stars album , did you ever dream it would be the best selling album of 1991 and 1992 ? I knew we had something special with Stars , but I never knew it would have the impact that it has had and would mean so much to so many people all these years later . I ’ m very proud of that .
Do you have a favourite city to perform ? Obviously Manchester is always special for me but we ’ ve had great shows all around the world , I don ’ t think I could pick out a favourite .
Since the release of Blue Eyed Soul , have you been working on any new stuff ? Yes , one thing that has helped me during the pandemic is writing music . I released a track called ‘ Earth In A Lonely Space ’ in 2020 , and now I ’ m working on a new album . At first when I started writing I didn ’ t want to spread myself too thinly across too many ideas at once , so I focused on one song at a time . Gradually I was coming up with more and more ideas that represent who I am and where I ’ ve come from . That will be the angle of this album .
You ’ ve sold over 50 million albums worldwide , when did you start writing music ? Music has been a big part of my life since I was a child , and I started writing music as a teenager . I wrote Holding Back the Years when I was 17 .
How do you distinguish the songs from being solo to writing for the band ? My two solo albums have been covers so when I ’ m writing it ’ s Simply Red .
Did lockdown hinder the band rehearsing ? Usually Simply Red record in the old-fashioned way , cutting tracks live in a studio . We did this for Blue Eyed Soul . Over lockdown we had to do things differently - sending the tracks across to the musicians so they could add their parts remotely . We haven ’ t been able to physically be together much lately , but we will be getting together again soon to rehearse for the tour .
Which artists influenced you growing up ? The Beatles were a huge influence on me growing up , their music sounded so uplifting to me . Because I was from a similar part of the world I found them very inspirational too - they showed me that I could make something of myself . I listened to lots of jazz growing up as well , and this had an influence on Simply Red ’ s sound . I remember hearing Miles Davis for the first time as a student and being blown away by his musicianship . I was also influenced by reggae music , and set up a label called Blood and Fire in 1993 to try and get this music heard by a wider audience .
What ' s your creative process when writing new music ? I don ’ t need a big studio to write . Back when I started in 1985 I wrote by singing into a Walkman . Now when ideas come to me I sing and play guitar into my phone and send my ideas to my producer Andy Wright .
Do you have a favourite song to perform ? Not really , it can vary on the night . I love playing new songs and seeing how people react but it ’ s special playing the older songs too and seeing how much they mean to people .
You are on a massive European tour for pretty much every day of 2022 , what do you like or dislike most about being on tour ? When I ’ m not on tour I enjoy spending time with my family , so being away from them is always difficult . I ’ ve missed not being able to perform for fans for so long though , so being back on stage doing what I love will be wonderful . After the 18 months we ’ ve all had I won ’ t take it for granted .
What do you do for down time ? Recently as well as writing I ’ ve enjoyed being a dad and a husband , and spending time with my wife and daughter . Even before lockdown I wanted to be there for my daughter as much as possible , I didn ’ t want her to have a celebrity dad she never saw , so I cherish every moment I spend with my family when I ’ m not working .
What ' s the biggest highlight of your career so far ? One memory that springs to mind was performing on December 31st 1999 at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich . I sang ' My Way ' and a few of the hits with the London Symphony Orchestra . Then dashing up the road to the Millennium Dome to sing “ Wave The Old World Goodbye ’ for HRH Queen Elizabeth II with a huge orchestra ! It was an unforgettable experience .
Any rituals to maintain your stamina on tour ? I make sure to rest my body and voice as much as possible . When I ’ m not performing I try not to talk too much and I do a full vocal warm-up before every show .
Guilty pleasure ? I enjoy good food and wine , but not sure I would call that a guilty pleasure ! merseylife . com 21