Shaggy Says Sting Became “The Brother I Never Knew I Needed”
Shaggy and Sting recently shared stories of their unlikely friendship and creative collaborations during an exclusive SiriusXM special for Shaggy’s Boombastic Radio.
Hosted by Dion in front of a live audience at SiriusXM’s studios in Los Angeles, the duo also performed a new Reggae track, Til the Morning. The song seemingly interpolates melody and rhythm from Yellowman and producer Henry ‘Junjo’ Lawes’ I’m Getting Married (1982). Watch the performance below.
“This is the brother I never knew I needed,” the It Wasn’t Me singer began, before describing his connection with the former Police frontman. Their connection began in 2004 when he joined Sting onstage in Antwerp for an impromptu performance of Roxanne. Years later, their paths crossed again when Martin Kierszenbaum, who had worked as A&R for both artists at different points in their careers, proposed they collaborate on the single Don’t Make Me Wait.
That collaboration evolved into something much more significant when Sting asked Shaggy to produce his vocals in an authentically Caribbean style. Sting’s openness set the tone for the partnership, Shaggy recalled. “He said, ‘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 spoke warmly about their chemistry: “Sometimes you meet people in life and immediately you recognize a kindred spirit, a soul connection that maybe in past lives or something.”
He continued: “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 creative chemistry eventually led to their GRAMMY-winning 2018 album 44/876. Shaggy highlighted their joy in creating 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 pair also shared how their creative ventures extended into surprising territory, including a Reggae reinterpretation of Frank Sinatra classics. The idea came to Sting during a boat trip in Oslo, where Shaggy’s impromptu rendition of Sinatra’s Witchcraft sparked inspiration for Sting.
“Shaggy has the same vocal register as Frank Sinatra,” Sting said. “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 result was the 2022 album Com Fly Wid Mi.
The full special is available on the SiriusXM app.