Michael Bublé’s new album is a “love letter to country music”.
The 50-year-old crooner’s last studio album was 2022’s Higher, but fans can expect an entirely different record after he fell in love with country music and the community.
He told Billboard at the Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas on Sunday night (17.05.26): “We’re making a record. It’s my love letter to country music.
“When I was on The Voice, Reba [McEntire] would sit next to me and she’d look at my phone, and Kelsea [Ballerini], and my whole playlist was Hank Williams and Willie [Nelson].
“Literally, it was Reba. She was like, ‘Really?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, this is jazz.’
“I never thought it, but when I played the Opry for the first time, I realised that this community – we sort of share a lot of the same values – and I had to be a bigger part of it.”
Asked what fans can expect, he added: “It’s a love letter to the history of country music, to the writers, to the singers.
“For me, there was so much in common when I looked at people I love like Nat King Cole and Frank [Sinatra], Dean [Martin].
“Literally, it’s not that different. Wonderful storytellers, incredible musicianship, and again, a community of people who love music and lift each other up.”
Meanwhile, Bublé recently quipped that his summer run of outdoor UK and Ireland shows could spark a full-blown baby boom.
The Home singer teased that the population in each city he visits may “double” after his performances as the magic of an outdoor concert practically does the matchmaking for him.
He joked to BBC Radio Ulster: “I like to call them Bublé-bies.”
Bublé continued: “It’s so romantic … you’re under the stars, swaying, having a couple of glasses of wine – it’s an aphrodisiac.”
He said life on the road looks very different these days, admitting he only signs up for a handful of shows now that he’s a hands-on dad.
But this summer, his brood is packing their bags and tagging along, turning the tour into a family adventure.
He joked that they’re already buzzing about “seeing Papi” and treating the trip like a mini-holiday.
