Mick Hucknall thinks staying silent has been one of the keys to his longevity in the music business.
The 58-year-old singer – who recently released a live performance CD and DVD, backed up by a full orchestra – has claimed that keeping his mouth closed and protecting his voice has helped him to enjoy such a long, prosperous career.
He told the BBC: "As I’ve gotten older I’ve got more bass in my voice but also because I don’t talk very much during the day I’ve managed to keep my voice in good condition.
"I’m still lucky enough to be able to hit the high notes … I don’t quite know how I’ve been so fortunate – I don’t do anything to take care of my voice except not talk very much. I try to keep my voice conditioned by just not using it very much and it’s paid off."
Mick actually doesn’t like to rehearse his performances.
But he admitted that working with an orchestra has posed a completely new and different challenge that required him to rehearse thoroughly.
Mick – who is best known for his success with the soul-influence pop band Simply Red – shared: "It was very, very different when you perform with an orchestra – when you watch a conductor working, they are moving to a swing they are not responding directly to the beat.
"I don’t usually rehearse, which scares my bandmates sometimes but in this case, I thought I’ll turn up and sing a bit and keep everybody happy and I was really glad that I did because it was entirely different.
"For the first couple of hours I found it very difficult."
Mick Hucknall: Staying silent is the key to my success
