Sting

Sting, born Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner in 1951 in Wallsend, England, first found fame as the bassist, vocalist and principal songwriter of The Police, one of the defining bands to emerge from the post-punk and new wave scene of the late 1970s. Hits like «Roxanne» and «Every Breath You Take» made the trio globally successful, blending reggae-tinged rhythms with pop songcraft and Sting’s distinctive tenor voice.

Since the band’s split in the mid-1980s, Sting has built one of the most eclectic solo careers in popular music, moving fluidly between rock, jazz, pop and world music influences. Albums built around songs such as «Fields of Gold», «Englishman in New York», «Fragile» and «Desert Rose» showcase his gift for melody and socially conscious or introspective lyrics, while «Russians» reflected his interest in political themes during the Cold War era.

Throughout his solo work Sting has collaborated with jazz musicians, orchestras and artists from very different genres, reflecting a restless creative curiosity. His songwriting is marked by literate lyrics, unconventional song structures for a pop artist, and a willingness to experiment with instrumentation, making him a respected figure across multiple generations of listeners.