The first thing you should know about Michael Buble is the correct pronunciation of his name. Say bubble, and you can hear people tittering at your lack of sophistication—it’s pronounced a Frenchy Boo-blay. The next thing you should know is that almost every single media outlet has been raving about that swoony, lyrical voice and drawing parallels to ol’ blue eyes Frank Sinatra.
Swinging by the town to hold a one-night-only concert on September 15 at the Suntec City Convention Hall, Buble met UrbanWire and other reporters at his press conference at Balaclava, Suntec City. We also learned there that he is one goofy charmer.
Casually dressed in a well-cut black suit with just a black T-shirt underneath, Michael Buble appeared warm and approachable. Seated on a high bar stool, he was relaxed, answering questions honestly and with wit. Not only does this man possess an astoundingly mature set of pipes, but he also possesses an old-worldly sense of charm. He surprised the Channel New Asia interviewers when he asked them to talk about themselves on air instead of during the morning show. And anchorwoman Suzanne Jung was visibly mesmerized when he spontaneously changed the lyrics of his serenade to include her name and co-anchor Timothy Goh’s.
UrbanWire speculates on why this bubble, oops, Buble, will not pop.
Grandfather’s Music
He may only be 25, but Michael Buble’s music and influences dive into treasure troves of old-time jazz greats. Under his grandfather’s influence, he grew up listening to jazz legends like Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. Not surprisingly, his brand of music is essentially jazz, with some swing tunes and a bit of rock and roll thrown in for a good mix.
At 17, he decided that jazz music was his passion and wanted to carve a career. Buble confesses, “I grew up in love with all these vocalists and I stole, I just flat out stole as much as I possibly could from each of them. And found my voice in doing that, so I bring myself and my experience to the song. Hopefully, sincerity, love, respect for the music, and just basically to mean what I say.”
However, getting started on the road to success was no smooth ride. It was hard work, not just on his part but also on the part of his grandfather, who also believed in his dream.
At that time, Buble was trying to get exposure and stage experience. However, he was denied entrance into pubs to sing because he was underage. Oddly enough, his grandfather’s occupation as a plumber managed to jump-start his career in singing. Michael reveals, “[Grandfather] would make a deal with [the pub owners]. He would put in a free toilet if the trumpet player would let me get up on stage and play, and that’s how it started.”
Pop-pular Aspirations?
If he weren’t just a shade too big-boned, Buble, with his wholesome, boyish looks, might fit right in with any fresh-faced boy band. However, his aspirations contradict radio-friendly pop, where bands are packaged, groomed, and publicized as commercial entities. Brought to worldwide attention by famous producer and singer-songwriter David Foster, a 14-time Grammy Award winner, Michael Buble is anything but manufactured.
Or, as he put it, “I write my own songs. On the next records there will be one or two of my own. There are so many great songs that I love. This is not a record company that decided to turn one of the Backstreet Boys into a crooner.”
The importance of being Boo-Blay
Even though he counts entertainment heavyweights like Jewel, Sigourney Weaver, Barbra Streisand, and Kevin Spacey as part of his fan base, Michael Buble still recognizes the importance of staying grounded and being himself.
If you are hoping this cutie will suddenly decide to change genres of music like pop, for example, it’s not going to happen. Buble states with conviction, “I will not become a pop singer. It’s not even about a choice. It’s just I would be miserable being a liar.” “I refuse to be something that I’m not. I’ve got to be myself and at the end of the day it’s better for me to be myself and to hope that you like me, than to lie and maybe trick you for awhile. Because you are smart enough to figure me out. I can only get away with it for so long. I’d rather be my goofy self and just hope that you [accept] it, “ rationalizes Michael.
Madonna or Stefanie?
When the topic shifts to women, you can almost see the twinkle in Buble’s eyes. He admits he is not too picky about the particular type of women, just as long as she is “a woman, just alive, [and] pretty smart”.
A woman he is smitten by is the Queen of Pop, Madonna, who shares the same publicist, Liz Rosenberg, as him. “When you look at her, she’s just sexy. She oozes sex appeal, and I’d love to do a duet with her. She’s stunning. . I think what is sexy is that she’s intelligent, I think that is a big turn-on for me,” raves Buble.
He also seems to admire our home-grown singer Stefanie Sun. He comments, “I saw her on MTV, she’s pretty cute, and she has a beautiful voice.”
Critics have written of Michael Buble as a rip-off, someone with no talent or originality, a young singer who covered 10 renowned songs and repackaged them into a self-titled album to be sold to the masses.
These critics will soon be silenced.
In his next album, which he is working on, several songs will be penned by him so that he will no longer be labeled as just ‘stealing’ other people’s songs.
In fact, he has already recorded 5 bonus Christmas songs that will be added to his current album come year-end.
Will the day come when a new promising singer is called the reincarnated Michael Buble, as he recently prophesied? We think so. Because even if fickle-minded audiences eventually tire of Buble’s cover of old classics, they will never be able to erase his sincere and unique charm.
