Sting and Shaggy on their unlikely, ‘joyful’ collaboration for ’44/876′

TORONTO – Sting and Shaggy are on the phone, joking about ways to combine their names as they promote their new album, “44/876,” out Friday.

“Shingy, Stingy,” proposes Sting, prompting a howl from Shaggy.

“There are many variants there.”

Despite initial appearances, the Jamaican dancehall star and the English rock hitmaker/former Police frontman have many things in common.

Chief among them: reggae music, which provides a bouncy backdrop to first single, “Don’t Make Me Wait.”

“I was a big fan of Sting’s music, and the Police, from Day 1,” Shaggy says in an interview.

“You’ve got to remember — the Police was like a gateway to reggae music being on the mainstream.

“As a dancehall artist, I know how hard it is to get reggae and dancehall music on the mainstream radio, and these were the guys that were bringing that familiar sound to the mainstream radio, that made it a little easier for us to get through.”

Sting also sings about his love of reggae on the title track.

“Reggae music has been very influential in my life,” says the 16-time Grammy Award winner.

“It makes me happy. There’s something in the rhythm of reggae that just gets people vibrating in a positive way.”

The two met through Sting’s manager, Martin Kierszenbaum. He “had an intuition that we would get on and he was more than correct,” says Sting.

They went into a New York studio over a six-week period, “without any real agenda.” But they ended up creating an album, working with some of their longtime collaborators as well as a choir.

“I was joyful being in the studio every day,” says Sting.

“When we were singing, we were laughing — and still are. I think the record reflects a genuine friendship, a rapport, a respect and a trust between two artists who are from very different places.”

Sting praises Shaggy’s “distinctive, signature” voice that has brought a deep growl to party favourites including “Oh Carolina,” “Boombastic” and “It Wasn’t Me,” a cheeky tale of a man caught cheating.

“As soon as he starts singing, it’s Shaggy, and I appreciate that,” Sting says.

“My favourite of his is actually ‘It Wasn’t Me,’ which is a bit of a naughty song but actually, if you listen to the whole lyric, it’s a kind of moral parable. I like storytelling in songs and Shaggy is a great storyteller.”

During production, Sting “learned the art of spontaneity from Shaggy,” he says.

“He can create songs on a dime and he does it very publicly. My creative process is much more private. So he forced me into less than my comfort zone but actually helped me and I got better at it.”

Shaggy says he “learned a lot of patience” from Sting.

“I asked him the other day — ‘Is there anything you’ve ever put out that you didn’t like?’ and he said, ‘Nothing.’

“And I understood why — because he’s so meticulous and he’s a perfectionist.”

Jamaica is referenced often on “44/876,” which stands for their respective country calling codes.

The two also recorded the video for “Don’t Make Me Wait” in the island nation and performed a benefit concert for a children’s hospital in its capital, Kingston.

Sting also sings on the title track about being haunted by the music of late Jamaican singer-songwriter Bob Marley.

“I met Bob a couple of times and he was, whether he knew it or not, a great mentor to me,” says Sting. “His vocal style was very influential, his songwriting, particularly his political writing and his spiritual writing was something that influenced me greatly.”

“44/876” also gets political at times.

“Break Of Day,” for instance, is a “comment on the darkness that seems to be descending on the world at the moment,” says Sting.

And “Dreaming In The U.S.A.” is about the lure of American culture.

“Both Shaggy and I are immigrants to the United States,” says Sting.

“We obviously went there because we love the place, and we loved it because of the music, because of the movies, because of the literature, art, culture. And those things are being challenged, they’re under threat.”