WW L L INTERVIEW
AN INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL BUBLÉ
Michael Bublé has sold more than 75 million albums worldwide over the course of his extraordinary career, a career that includes five GRAMMYs, 15 JUNO Awards, stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Canada’ s Walk of Fame, six platinum albums, and more than 14 billion global streams. He has also performed in more than 30 countries.
BY MARIE FITZSIMMONS
You’ re on tour across UK and Ireland this year. How do you deal with being away from home for so long? Yes, only my entire UK and Ireland summer run will consist of just six nights. Not six weeks. Not a rolling tour. Six carefully chosen dates, compressed into a tight window to ensure I’ m back home before summer truly begins. Come and see me at the Lytham Festival.
The tour begins June 27 at Malahide Castle and wraps July 6 at Scarborough Open Air Theatre, passing through iconic outdoor stages across Ireland and the UK. By ending in early July, it guarantees that in the heart of summer my family vacations, ordinary days, and unstructured time is protected.
You’ ve recently commemorated the 20th anniversary edition of your second album‘ It’ s Time’— a celebration of your incredible music. How does this milestone feel, and what does it mean to you, professionally and personally? At this point in my career, milestones come with processing a lot of different feelings. Of course, I feel deeply sentimental about the wonderful people I’ ve worked with and the family and friends who have helped me get this far. It also comes with the sobering realisation that I’ m closer to the end than I am to the beginning. It’ s always a lesson in being present and grateful. Really, truly, the best thing that ever happened to me was not making it for so long. I was 27 the first time I ever felt like I had real success, and I had become who I was going to be as a man. I was so appreciative.
How did you start singing? It all began when I was a little kid, when I learned my family’ s address. My father taught me to sing it, because he knew that by singing it, I’ d remember it. I’ ll never forget the little tune I composed to sing those four numbers and the name of the quiet street where I grew up in Burnaby, British Columbia. That little song was my first foray into music, and it came to me as naturally as shooting a hockey puck.
My maternal grandfather, Mitch Santaga, was responsible for introducing me to the old American standards, usually sung by Italian immigrants like my own family— crooners like Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, Grandpa Mitch loved those old singers, and he taught me to love them, too.
What made you believe that you could break through as somebody who was crooning these songs from a bygone era? It was probably stupidity. I mean, thinking that I might have success was probably naivety. But honestly, I think I was blinded by the love of the music. And by the way, I love all kinds of music. I love rock, R & B and rap. For me, if it’ s good, it’ s good. It doesn’ t matter who did it or where it came from. I hoped that I could trust my instincts.
After 20 + years in the spotlight, what keeps you inspired and creative in your music? I love music and it’ ll never get old. I love movies, concerts, discovering new voices and watching modern music evolve. I love getting goosebumps. I’ m a builder. It’ s easy to destroy, hard to build.
How would you describe your evolvement as an artist throughout all these years? I would say that I’ m still evolving, still learning, and still being inspired by different artists, different forms of art, cinema, and music. The world is changing quickly, and while I can’ t change it, I can try to help my own kids navigate its twists and turns. I was so stoic about who I was, and the music that I loved. And I loved jazz, and I loved the Great American Songbook. I was so entrenched in loving that, and so protective of it. But it ' s funny, because it was literally so far from being cool or marketable that it took me so long to even get a meeting with a record company.
What would your fans be most surprised to learn about you? Some of my biggest passions in life are fantasy football, classic country music, and any movie starring Eugene Levy.
Amidst such a busy schedule, what keeps you grounded? I have a beautiful family, a wife who leads us and four incredible kids who make it easy to remember what my priorities are.
What can you tease about your upcoming projects and ventures? I have a couple of records in the works, which I’ m really excited about and excited to share more information when I can, and who knows, maybe I’ ll get invited to go into space or something? I will be returning to The Voice as a mentor in 2026, but I have taken time for family and touring.
If you could have one musical legend past or present join you for a duet, who would it be? If I could have one legend, past or present, join me for a duet, I think it would have to be Dean Martin. Love Dino. wirrallife. com 37