00:00 Hi, this is Joe Sumner and you're watching Life Minute TV.
00:07 He's the son of music royalty Sting, but singer-songwriter Joe Sumner says it was Nirvana that made him
00:19 want to become a musician.
00:20 The L.A.-based dad of four has just released his first full-length album, Sunshine in the
00:26 Night, 12 beautifully evoked masterpieces that tell one story about love, life and family.
00:33 Currently getting high praises, opening for his dad all over the world, and we can see
00:37 why.
00:39 We were fortunate to get a listen when he performed live at the Life Minute Studios
00:42 earlier this month.
00:44 This is a Life Minute with the uber-talented, fantastically fun Joe Sumner.
00:49 Hello, nice to meet you.
00:51 So nice to meet you.
00:52 Thanks for coming to Life Minute.
00:53 Thank you for having me.
00:54 Yay, such a pleasure.
00:55 So tell us what you have going on.
00:57 A new album coming out in October, you're touring.
01:00 Absolutely.
01:01 So I've been on tour since April 2022.
01:03 It's now September 2023, so it's been a long time.
01:07 Sunshine in the Night, it's really all about me falling in love, getting married and having
01:12 children, and just incredible joy and wonder that comes from all of that.
01:18 So Sunshine in the Night, it's, you know, the darkness, the universe is dark and empty,
01:23 and then there are these little points of light.
01:25 It's beautiful, it really is.
01:26 You know what I love about your music?
01:28 You can hear every word you say.
01:32 I find that very important.
01:34 So when I, in real life, it's hard for me to communicate and express myself, so when
01:38 I commit something to a song, I really want it to be heard.
01:49 That's the main thing that I focus on, is get the sentiment across, get the words, and
01:55 make sure it's understood.
01:56 Who played all the other instruments on your album?
01:58 So I had Blair Sinter on the drums, he used to play with Alanis Morissette.
02:03 Paul Cartwright played the violins.
02:06 Sylvain Carton played the flutes, and then I played everything else, so the guitars and
02:09 bass and keyboards.
02:10 I didn't realize that.
02:11 And there was a percussionist as well, Danny Frankel.
02:16 He's a crazy guy.
02:19 How would you describe your sound?
02:21 Well, I always struggle with this, but I'm trying to be Jeff Buckley.
02:28 I want to be Kurt Cobain, sound-wise.
02:33 And when I started making this album, I decided it was going to be acoustic guitar and voice
02:37 and nothing else.
02:39 And then two days in the studio, I was like, synthesizers, strings, flutes, big drums,
02:46 everything's on it.
02:47 And the sound is just whatever comes to mind, basically.
02:51 I don't know.
02:52 A friend of mine described it as a magical crystal cave of sounds.
02:58 That's a good description.
02:59 Yeah, it is.
03:00 It's very collective.
03:01 There's a lot of stuff.
03:02 Yeah, it's cool.
03:03 Did you always know you wanted to be a musician?
03:06 No, definitely not.
03:07 When I was a kid, it was not on the radar.
03:12 When I heard Nirvana on the radio for the first time, three seconds later I was in a
03:16 band.
03:17 But until then, I was like, video game creator or tester or something like that.
03:24 And then suddenly I just got the bug.
03:25 And then I was in a band, we did a gig, and I'm like, this is it.
03:28 This is what I need to do.
03:31 And were you self-taught on the guitar?
03:33 I had lessons with a very kind Scottish guy who was very patient with me.
03:39 I didn't do my homework or practice ever, but I had lessons from age 9 to 11.
03:45 And because he didn't push me, I didn't quit.
03:48 I just kept it going.
03:50 And then when I actually got interested in music, I was like, oh, thank you, because
03:55 now I have these basic skills going on.
03:57 And he taught me classical guitar.
04:00 So I kind of play like electric or acoustic guitar with a bit of a classical edge.
04:05 I do all this stuff.
04:07 People are like, what are you doing?
04:08 That's wrong.
04:09 Was your dad supportive of that music career growing up?
04:13 Yeah, always supportive.
04:14 I don't know if he always thought it was the best idea, but he's always been great about
04:19 that.
04:20 What has he taught you?
04:22 What has he taught me?
04:24 So I think what I've learned from him is you have to be-- when you're doing something creative,
04:31 you have to stand on your own, and you have to ignore the haters, and you have to know
04:36 that however many people love you for what you do, X number of people will be like either
04:43 dismiss you completely or be annoyed by you.
04:46 And that's just fine.
04:47 Yeah.
04:48 So that's what I've learned.
04:49 There's a thick skin to it.
04:50 Yeah, thick skin and just perspective.
04:53 I can imagine myself going to a concert, watching the band, and saying, eh, I don't like it.
05:00 And it's my opinion, but the band, they don't care.
05:04 Everyone is loving it, or they're doing their thing.
05:07 That's fine.
05:08 So you've got to have that kind of distant perspective.
05:11 And you're touring with your dad.
05:13 Yep.
05:14 It's a very amazingly privileged situation.
05:16 COVID kind of really wrecked everybody's touring careers.
05:21 So the people who had the infrastructure to set up and still be able to go out and tour,
05:27 my dad's one of them.
05:29 I couldn't have done it on my own at that time.
05:32 So it's really nice to be able to get out on the road and just try these songs and reach
05:36 audiences.
05:37 And I've noticed, actually, the audiences are so much more excited now, because they
05:43 realize what it is to miss live music for two years.
05:46 They really appreciate it.
05:47 And it's a proper show.
05:48 It's amazing.
05:49 It's fantastic.
05:50 So I'm loving it.
05:51 Everybody loves it, too.
05:52 Everyone said, oh, my god, you put on such a great show.
05:56 Yeah, I do my set in the beginning, and then I'll come and do a little cameo with him towards
06:00 the end, just to get the whole show to feel connected.
06:06 What are fans going to get when they see you come play live?
06:09 Well, basically, I come out and play as just me.
06:13 I've got my guitar.
06:14 I've got some loops.
06:16 And I'll sing to any size audience, and you'll be able to hear the lyrics I'm saying.
06:22 That's for sure.
06:23 And hopefully, you'll-- I try and be super clear about that.
06:27 And wherever you're sitting in the room, hopefully, you'll hear those, and you'll feel what I'm
06:32 talking about.
06:33 And of course, you have a family.
06:35 How has that been, touring?
06:37 And how do you manage to juggle everything?
06:40 Well, that's the hardest part of the whole thing.
06:44 So I grew up-- my dad was always touring.
06:48 And I've always promised not to be that.
06:50 The last couple of years, it's ended up being that, just because I was making up for the
06:54 lost time in COVID.
06:56 And it's-- yeah, I think it's something you can't really explain until it's happening.
07:00 You're like, yeah, you just-- I'm just sort of swanning into an arena and playing a big
07:05 show.
07:06 And that's the best thing in the world.
07:07 And I'm like, yeah, but I would like to be home.
07:10 So that's my other goal, is to be very more strategic and just be able to get home and
07:17 be a proper dad.
07:18 I can imagine that's hard.
07:20 So now do you understand?
07:21 Now, maybe better?
07:22 Well, it's a wrench, for sure.
07:26 It's a big dilemma.
07:28 Most jobs don't let you go in halfway.
07:32 That's the problem.
07:33 Oh, well.
07:34 How do you do it, unless they come with you?
07:36 Well, that would be my goal.
07:38 Just be like a traveling-- be the Partridge family.
07:42 Yeah.
07:43 Why not?
07:44 Did you like the police growing up?
07:46 I didn't really know what was going on.
07:49 They were doing their thing, and I was like, they're a kid.
07:53 You look so much like your dad.
07:54 It's so freaky.
07:55 I'm sure everyone says that.
07:56 Are you freaking out?
07:57 Ew.
07:58 You don't actually sound like him, though.
08:03 You sound different.
08:04 A little bit, but I almost got like a Bono vibe.
08:09 Do people tell you that?
08:11 People tell me that when I sing sometimes.
08:13 You're going to play for us, right, today?
08:15 I'm going to play for you, yes.
08:16 What are you going to play?
08:17 I'm going to play my new single, "Live Life."
08:20 How perfect for Life Minute.
08:21 Perfect.
08:22 It's exactly-- yeah, Live Life Minute.
08:23 Yay.
08:24 Hey, it's Joe Sumner.
08:25 This is my song, "Live Life."
08:26 We were born without a clue in our heads.
08:48 We were ghosts fast asleep in our beds.
08:52 We were so afraid of what we'd become.
08:56 And I said, "Wake up.
08:57 Now it's time to be here.
08:58 Now you're falling in love.
08:59 Now you're tasting the fear.
09:00 With some luck, you will learn how to breathe.
09:01 If you can look, there's a whole world to see.
09:02 If you can hear me, well, it's three out of three.
09:03 And if you can't, there's still so much you can be.
09:04 We're going to live.
09:05 We're going to live."
09:06 We were born without a clue in our heads.
09:07 We were ghosts fast asleep in our beds.
09:08 We were ghosts fast asleep in our beds.
09:09 We were ghosts fast asleep in our beds.
09:10 We were ghosts fast asleep in our beds.
09:11 We were ghosts fast asleep in our beds.
09:12 We were ghosts fast asleep in our beds.
09:13 We were ghosts fast asleep in our beds.
09:14 We were ghosts fast asleep in our beds.
09:35 We were ghosts fast asleep in our beds.
10:01 We were ghosts fast asleep in our beds.
10:25 We were ghosts fast asleep in our beds.
10:50 We were ghosts fast asleep in our beds.
11:16 We were ghosts fast asleep in our beds.
11:43 We were ghosts fast asleep in our beds.
11:44 We were ghosts fast asleep in our beds.
11:45 We were ghosts fast asleep in our beds.
11:46 We were ghosts fast asleep in our beds.
11:47 We were ghosts fast asleep in our beds.
11:48 We were ghosts fast asleep in our beds.
11:49 We were ghosts fast asleep in our beds.
11:50 We were ghosts fast asleep in our beds.
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