Sting & Shaggy’s Reggae Jam On “Englishman In New York” Is The Combo We Didn’t Know We Needed

English rock legend Sting and Jamaican reggae star Shaggy have a bit of a different vibe, to say the least. However, their musical collaboration made for quite the hit album with 44/876, and also led to some seriously funky live cuts. One example is Sting and Shaggy’s NPR Music Tiny Desk concert, when the dynamic duo performed Sting’s “Englishman in New York” and “Shape of My Heart” as well as their duet “Don’t Make Me Wait.”

Sting and Shaggy opened the set with “Englishman in New York,” which was driven by Englishman’s slithering bassline. Sting locked into a hella tight groove with his longtime guitarist Dominic Miller, while Shaggy and two backup singers created a fun and uplifting vibe on the hit. Sting was clearly having a ball on the number, and big cheesy grins on his and Miller’s faces said it all.

Sting and Shaggy played their collab “Don’t Make Me Wait” next, where the reggae star really got to shine on the lead vocal. The duo closed out their set with “Shape of My Heart,” which was really interesting to hear in this stripped-back two-piece musical arrangement. The backup vocalist Gene Noble stepped up for “Shape of My Heart” and sang a gorgeous R&B lead vocal in the verse. For the performance, Noble sang the lyrics from Juice Wrld’s “Lucid Dreams.”

Sting and Shaggy’s Tiny Desk concert attracted 71 million views on YouTube. This made the set go down in NPR history as the fourth most viewed upload in the popular Tiny Desk format. Sting is also a big favourite with our readers here on The Music Man, so enjoy this special performance of “Every Breath You Take” that the English singer gave on the verdant grounds of his estate, Tenuta Il Palagio, in Tuscany, Italy.

Sting mashing up his tune “Shape of My Heart” and Juice Wrld’s “Lucid Dreams” was quite a surprise element to the Tiny Desk show. Juice Wrld and his team sampled Dominic Miller’s iconic guitar part from the Sting hit when they put together “Lucid Dreams.”

When Juice Wrld dropped “Lucid Dreams” on May 4, 2018, the rap tune became a massive success. The song has since been certified Diamond in the US after shifting more than 10 million units, and it’s now considered the rapper’s signature song. Miller is credited as a songwriter on the song because of his sampled guitar part, and he no doubt got a substantial payday due to the success of Juice Wrld’s breakout hit.

If you would like to hear more from this talented artist, you can subscribe to their YouTube Channel for more incredible music. Follow Sting on Instagram for the latest updates and behind-the-scenes content.

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