Eighties pop icon Boy George is currently touring the U.S. in support of his first solo studio album in nearly two decades, but fans who enjoy his classic material should be happy to hear that a "really strong album" from his band Culture Club is also on the way.
George tells ABC News Radio that he made his new solo album, This Is What I Do, after he attempted to get back together with his Culture Club band mates a few years back...but things didn't go so well.
"I approached them about three years ago and said, 'Look, I think we could make another great record together,' and we kind of found out quite quickly that we needed to do some quite serious kind of business and emotional shuffling for us to be able to work together!" he explains. "So I decided, in the sort of chaos of all that, that I should make my own record, and then I'd kind of be better for them."
George says that plan worked, adding, "This year, we went back to write, and it was a very different experience from three years ago...This time around it just felt a little bit more focused and we could sort of fully concentrate on what we were doing and that made a big difference. So, we are about to record and I think we have the bones of a really strong record."
Meanwhile, George and his band are out on the road playing songs from This Is What I Do, mixed in with select Culture Club classics. Asked if he changes those classic songs up in concert, as many artists do, he says yes, but just a bit.
"We do a kind of reggae-fied version of 'Karma Chameleon'...[and] 'Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?' is sort of more of a blues jam now," he explains, "But it's still the same song, you know? We're pretty respectful. You know, you don't want to upset people too much!"
Seems like it'd be difficult for George to upset anyone, judging from the reaction he's gotten lately. While in the past he might have been somewhat controversial, the singer claims that he's gotten nothing but love from people.
"You know, with things like social networking, you do hear about all these trolls and hateful people, but, on the whole, I would say what shocks me the most is how nice people are," he tells ABC News Radio. "You know, when you're doing a show and people are singing along to the words and kind of engaging with the song as you intended it...it's such a nice experience."
George is also happy to see all the many different kinds of fans who've been coming out to see him on his current tour, which wraps up next Wednesday in Los Angeles.
"I've always had an eclectic audience. I mean, I've never been an artist that's been able to say, 'Oh, this is my crowd,'" he says. "But [on this tour], across the board, it's everyone. And I love that. I love the fact that it's just so unpredictable. A lot of young people, as well, which is great."
It's safe to say that the singer, who's been sober for six years now, is currently loving life.
"At this point, I'm kind of so happy to be doing what I'm doing -- you know, I've come back to my work with a sort of renewed enthusiasm and it really feels like a kind of very fertile time to be doing creative things," he tells ABC News Radio. He adds, laughing, "Plus, you know, all that kind of pressure of being the 'new thing' -- having that removed -- it's a bit like losing your hair, you know? That's one less problem to deal with!"
#y101fm #y101tops