Chesney Hawkes was surprised by the reaction to his new music
The 53-year-old star – who famously topped the UK charts with his track ‘The One and Only’ in 1991 – is set to release his new album ‘Living Arrows’ next month and is delighted with the response to his new material so far.
He told the Metro newspaper’s 60 Seconds column: “I feel in cloud cuckoo land- it’s crazy to actually have hits again. I didn’t expect the kind of reaction I’ve had to my new material. All sorts of things have happened- like touring with James Blunt and releasing another couple of singles.
“I put it together with my friend Jake Gosling. We got my brother on the drums and Nik Kershaw on board and were just having fun, which I think is reflected in the music.”
Last September, Chesney released his first new single in 12 years, ‘Get A Hold Of Yourself’, along with a bold music video of himself in the buff that was inspired by Barry Keoghan’s nudity in the film ‘Saltburn’.
Speaking about the reaction to the video, he said: “I thought I’d get some negative pushback because it’s a bit controversial- a 53-year-old bloke with a dad bod dancing around naked. But I’ve had nothing but love and people saying, ‘Good for you’.”
Chesney’s latest single ‘LOUD!’ – which was released last month – focuses on loss and the star says it is particularly poignant as he recently lost his best friend, brewery owner Vic Irvine.
Speaking about his new single, he said: “I wrote it years ago with a young artist who’d lost his brother. It’s about how you stay connected with those you’ve lost- if I sing this loud, will you hear me? It came out the day after Vic’s funeral. Vic fell in love with the song before he died.
“The first time I sang it live was for Radio 2’s Piano Rooms with an orchestra, so it was emotional. It’s a new impetus for me to make this record work.”
Earlier this year, Chesney revealed that he is already thinking about his next album.
He told Classic Pop magazine: “I’ve already started thinking about the next album. This particular gap was a little bit different because of where I was in life with the kids and moving to LA and concentrating on writing and producing for other people, and stuff like that. But now I definitely have the bug again.”