Music icon Sting has revealed that he refuses to wear a hearing aid, despite his hearing issues. The 65-year-old singer, who has suffered from tinnitus for years, admitted this week that he once tried out a hearing aid in a bid to fix the problem – but it didn't work out well.
"I'm fairly deaf. 'What' is my favourite word," Sting joked during SiriusXM's 'Artist Confidential' series on Tuesday. "I tried wearing a hearing aid, but I heard more than I wanted to hear. People talk a lot of s***."
Sting stopped by the SiriusXM studios ahead of the release of his new album, 57th & 9th
The Police frontman stopped by the SiriusXM studios in New York ahead of the Friday release of his new album, 57th & 9th, which he named after the daily route he walks through New York.
"My entire musical DNA is on this record," he stated. "Walking has always been important to me. The binary rhythm of walking invokes narrative. 57th and 9th became this taking-stock point."
The UK native, who has called the Big Apple home for a number of years, also said he takes a lot of inspiration from the city. "You could write a play just by listening to people's phone conversations on the street in New York," he commented. "The energy of New York gave [the album] an urgency.
The 65-year-old is set to perform at the Bataclan in Paris on 12 November
"New Yorkers treat me in an even way, like, 'Hey, Sting! I like you, I like your music.' Or, 'You suck!' They're respectful of my privacy, but if they want to say something, they will!"
Sting is set to perform at the re-opening of the Bataclan on Saturday – the music venue in Paris where 90 people were tragically killed during a concert by the Eagles of Death Metal on 12 November 2015.
"We have two important tasks to reconcile. First, to remember and honour those who lost their lives in the attack a year ago, and second to celebrate the life and the music that this historic theatre represents," he said in a statement. "In doing so, we hope to respect the memory as well as the life-affirming spirit of all those who fell. We shall not forget them."