Sting and Shaggy open up about how they ended up forming music's most unlikely collaboration

Music in 2018 has already given us some weird and wonderful collaborations – we’re looking at you, Eminem and Ed Sheeran – but none more so than the team-up of ‘It Wasn’t Me’ hitmaker Shaggy and former Police frontman Sting.

The duo have already released their first album 44/876 into the world, and even performed for royalty at Queen Elizabeth II’s 92nd birthday party last night (April 21), so it’s clear that this is one pairing that’s sticking.

And, thankfully, Sunday Brunch hosts Tim Lovejoy and Simon Rimmer asked the question on everyone’s lips when they dropped by for a chat on this morning’s show: just how did Sting and Shaggy end up working together in the first place?

“Well, I think it’s the mutual attraction of two people with ridiculous names,” Sting joked.

“I think the biggest thing him and I have in common is that we’re both allergic to boredom, and we want something to excite,” Shaggy added.

“When I first sent him the track the first time I think he was intrigued by it, he walked right in singing it and when his vocal was put down on ‘Don’t Make Me Wait’, the first single, it was the first song we did together.

“One thing that hit us was – wow– was that both voices complimented each other, and I couldn’t have seen that coming.”

“I didn’t either,” Sting added. “But I can smell a hit – I have a good nose for it.”

Sting added that it was about a year of working together before the duo decided to make an album together, with the singer explaining that he was recording a solo album and brought Shaggy in because he’s got a “great vibe”.

“It was a real collaboration, a real 50-50 trade off,” he added. “A conversation between two people from different cultures, different islands. And, really, it’s about the joy of making a record.”

With the pair firmly admitting that this is some kind of “novelty collaboration”, both Sting and Shaggy confirmed that they’re enjoying having a lot of fun with the whole thing.

“The good thing about this is that we’re both so accomplished in our own right,” Shaggy explained.

“We’re both just two guys that really don’t care what everybody [says] and we’re having fun with it. We went into it with that thought process.”

Sting and Shaggy’s album 44/876 is available now, while Sunday Brunch continues on Channel 4 at 9.30am on Sunday (April 29).

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