Sting Has No Plans To Retire Anytime Soon

Sting has stated that he has no plans to retire anytime soon.

The former Police singer made these comments while promoting the 2026 tour of his original musical, The Last Ship, where he plays shipyward foreman Jackie White. The play has been inspired by the singer's personal childhood experiences and knowledge of the shipbuilding industry in Wallsend, England.

"I like to work," Sting said.. "Could I retire? I'm not sure I could do it. I haven't developed that skill to just sit and do nothing. Perhaps I'm afraid of it. I haven't prepared myself for it. But while I'm still fit enough to do my work, I will continue. At some point, I hope I have the objectivity to say, 'OK, you've done enough. Go and sit on the farm".

Sting who wrote the music and lyrics for The Last Ship, opened up about shifting from writing pop music to working on stage, Sting insisted he has no regrets.

"I'm very grateful for the pop career, and it was a certain time in my life when I was of a certain age and looked a certain way and made a certain kind of music. But it can't be my entire life. I don't want to be just defined from how I was at the age of 25. I'm 74 now", he said.

The singer also heaped the praise on Shaggy's performance in the play. The Mr Boombastic singer plays the part of Ferryman in the show.

"I immediately knew Shaggy was the perfect man for the job. He has a great sense of mischief, a great sense of joy, but he's also a natural actor," he praised, while Shaggy interjected: "He knows me better than me! I was like, 'I can't really,' and he was like, 'No, you can do that.' And then I'm doing it, and I was like, 'I hate admitting that he was right!". 

The Last Ship will open at New York's Metropolitan Opera on June 9.

Previously, Sting had spoken about the play, while shedding light on his "fairytale" life and tricky beginnings. 

Sharing about his experiences of working in a "hellscape", Sting added: "I was born next to a shipyard", he said. "It's a noisy hellscape, infernal row, very dangerous work. I wanted to escape that. I watched thousands of men every morning walk to work past my house and I'd think, 'Is this my destiny? Is this what I have to do?".