Dancehall icon Shaggy says collaborating with Sting on the upcoming musical The Last Ship has reinforced the importance of stepping outside his comfort zone.
“It’s growth. Every time you become uncomfortable, that’s growth. A hamster in a wheel is comfortable being in a wheel, but the wheel goes nowhere. So you should aim for the uncomfortable,” the It Wasn’t Me singer told American actress Sherri Shepherd during her daytime talk show.
Shaggy and Sting are set to perform on the Metropolitan Opera stage later this year and recently visited the venue to promote their upcoming production. The pair posed for a photo call on Thursday, March 12, in New York City before performing a medley of All This Time and The Last Ship on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
The musical, a revised version of Sting’s Broadway production from 2014, is rooted in his childhood in the shipbuilding town of Wallsend, England. The Last Ship tells the story of a community of shipbuilders facing the closure of their shipyard—the heart of their existence. Sting stars as Jackie White, the shipyard’s foreman, whose failing health threatens his ability to lead the community. The show will run at the Metropolitan Opera from June 9 through June 14, following performances in international cities including Paris and Brisbane.
Describing Sting as “the brother I never knew I needed,” Shaggy credited the musician with encouraging him to embrace the challenge.
“He has more faith in me than I have faith in myself sometimes. There is a part of him that enjoys putting me in uncomfortable situations…but he was also betting on me because he convinced the company that I was the guy for it, and when we went there and started killing it, he was like ‘I told you so,’” Shaggy said.
The reggae star noted the show has been a hit abroad, with more than 60,000 tickets sold for performances in Paris and sold-out shows in Amsterdam.
Shaggy also shared insight into his upcoming album, Lottery, explaining its title reflects his philosophy of betting on himself.
“It’s really me betting on myself, going against the grain and making music outside. I was criticised by reggae purists because I wasn’t doing dancehall and reggae in its authentic form. I did hybrids. Funny enough, dancehall now is pretty hybrid. Just like Bob Marley’s music back in the day, they used session musicians to play rock music over Marley’s songs, and those very recordings are now the blueprint of what reggae music is,” he said.
