Engelbert Humperdinck, the man behind timeless ’60s hits Release Me and The Last Waltz, is continuing to light up the charts at the age of 90.
Faithfully is the latest project from the chart-topping singer, bringing to life classic tracks from the world of rock ‘n’ roll like never before.
Humperdinck has teamed up with a host of music icons, including Rick Wakeman and Al Di Meola, for the new project, putting his own spin on toe-tapping tracks from the likes of Aerosmith, KISS, Journey, and beyond.
The album, produced by Cleopatra Records, hits shelves and streaming services everywhere at the end of August, with the first single Alone already available to give fans a taster of what’s in store.
Engelbert Humperdinck sat down exclusively with GB News to discuss his new album
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GB NEWS
“My whole life was built on love songs and the romantic stories attached to them, but I’m always willing to have a little bit of a challenge,” Humperdinck exclusively told GB News when discussing the new record.
“And when Cleopatra brought this idea up to me, I thought, ‘Why not?’
“I recorded it, and my producer is a guy called Pete Mills, and he’s with a group called Sweet Hill, so he has all the knowledge of these kinds of songs.
“When I went into the studio with him, he was very instrumental in helping me in a lot of ways because it’s so different for me.”
Despite the tracks feeling somewhat out of his comfort zone, Humperdinck admitted he was blown away by the results.
He shared: “I’ve heard the entire finished product, and I decided to hear it in a very confined area.
“I had an hour’s drive to go someplace, so I stuck it on my radio and at full blast, I listened to it.
“I couldn’t believe that the person singing those kinds of songs was me. The sound that came out of it was so today!”
Engelbert Humperdinck used to perform under the name Gerry Dorsey
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That feeling of pleasant surprise is one Humperdinck thinks will be replicated among his listener base.
“It surprised me as much as it’s going to surprise my audience who know my music,” he said. “Me at my age singing these songs.”
Gesturing towards his voice, Humperdinck added: “Thank God my instrument is still in a very contemporary mode. They won’t believe it’s coming from a man my age.”
Humperdinck turned 90 in May of this year, so how does he ensure his voice remains in tip-top condition?
Engelbert Humperdinck has been a regular in the music charts since the 1960s
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“I’ve been very lucky. I’ve been very lucky,” he admitted. “Normally, when a person ages, the vibrato gets slower…
“Well, my one disappeared,” he continued with a chuckle. “Therefore, it became more contemporary in my later years than it was in the earlier years, so I was thrilled to hell about it, I really was. I thought it was amazing.”
One thing Humperdinck didn’t fall into was the trap of using AI, a tool that threatens many artists nowadays.
“I’ve been listening to stuff with AI, it’s sad really because all the people that are involved in the craft, for instance, songwriters, arrangers, all the people who wrote the music down, they’ve lost their jobs.
Engelbert Humperdinck sat down exclusively with GB News from his home in the USA
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GB NEWS
“They don’t need them anymore because you’ve got AI doing it for them. It’s a sad situation, it seems.
“It seems that technology is costing people their ambitions and their lifelong livelihood. It’s sad,” he said.
Faithfully is available to purchase and stream on all major platforms from August 28.