It’s not only fans who are delighted to know that singing superstar Sir Tom Jones, at the impressive age of 75, has still got one of the best voices in the business. Tom himself is very pleased – and also rather relieved – that he can still belt out hits like It’s Not Unusual and Delilah just as well as he did when they were released 50 years ago.
“When I sing and hear what is coming out of my mouth, I think, ‘Wow, it’s still working,’” he says. “It is uplifting for me to hear that my voice is still alive and well.”
Tom’s on the phone from Australia, where he has recently embarked on a worldwide tour that will bring him to Auckland on March 19, and he’s very open about the fact that if his voice wasn’t up to scratch, he would no longer perform.
“I wouldn’t want to short-change anybody. I always want to do the best I can, no matter what age I am. I’m my own biggest critic. Every time I record, I listen to make sure that I have still got the sound vocally and that I’m as good as I ever was. My vibrato hasn’t slowed down as much as it can do with older people, which is good.”
Tom, who started singing in pubs in his hometown of Pontypridd, Wales, when he was a teenager, knows that his voice could eventually give out.
“Time is my enemy – one day it is going to catch up with me and I won’t be able to sing as well as I do now. I’m not looking forward to that.
“But hopefully, by then, I will be tired enough to say, ‘I don’t want to do this any more.’ At the moment, I can’t imagine that. I don’t want to stop.”
After a hugely successful career that has spanned five decades, Tom doesn’t need to tour for financial reasons.
Singer of the moment James Bay, who recently won the Brit Award for British Male Solo Artist, has offered to pen a song for Tom.
“I never really did, apart from in the early days when I was trying to make some money – but I do it because of the love of it. I love to sing, so I might as well come out and sing to people in different countries, rather than just singing at venues in [my current home of Los Angeles.
“I don’t have any hobbies. I’m not a frustrated golfer, I just want to sing. Performing keeps me alive – I get more enjoyment out of it than anything else.”
Tom says entertaining an audience gives him a natural high.
“Everything just seems so much better when I’ve been on stage. Doing a show lifts me up – it’s a great feeling,” he enthuses. “Sometimes I feel sorry for people who don’t have an experience that gives them a rush like that. “Mind you, I am sure there are other things they love doing that they get a rush from,” he adds with a throaty chuckle.
Touring is very demanding physically and vocally, and the singer is careful to stay in shape. He regularly works out at the gym, these days using an elliptical machine rather than running on a treadmill, “because you don’t want to go pounding your joints”.
He eats healthily, tries to get plenty of sleep – “you can’t go burning the candle at both ends any more” – and takes it easy on the alcohol.
“I do enjoy a drink, but I have cut back a lot. I never used to drink before a show anyway, but it tells on you as you get older and you just can’t drink as much.”
Tom looks after his voice by drinking plenty of water and either having steam baths or using a steam pack he takes on the road with him to help with his breathing.
He’s got a busy year ahead, with his tour taking him to Asia, Europe and the United States, and says it’s a shame there’s only time for one New Zealand concert. He has fond memories of performing in Aotearoa on many occasions, including his first visit half a century ago.
“They’ve always been great shows in New Zealand, although once in Dunedin I made the mistake of saying it reminded me of Wales,” he recalls. “I got a lot of boos and then I realised there are a lot of Scottish people there. So I had to say, ‘Okay, I’m sorry, I meant Scotland!’
“I have also learned to tell the difference between Australian and New Zealand accents. You don’t want to make that mistake.”
His 2016 show includes new material, but Tom makes sure to sing all the old favourites, which he says he never gets sick of performing. In between shows, he’s hoping to find time to do some more recording and is keen to do duets with other well-known performers.
“Adele is a beautiful singer – I would love to do a song with her. Bruno Mars, I like – he’s one hell of an entertainer. James Bay has said he would write me a song and Bryan Adams offered to write for me too, so there are a lot of irons in the fire.
“It’s all very exciting to me that I have the chance to do these things, and to still be doing something that I love and other people enjoy. If you have a passion that you can turn into a profession, that’s the secret of a very happy life.”
Words: Donna Fleming
