In recent years, Shaggy has been working with Sting, but his new single features another musical collaborator: Robin Thicke. The two have joined forces for a new single called “Looking Lovely,” which interpolates the classic 1977 Bill Withers song “Lovely Day.” Shaggy said it was his idea to flip the song and put Robin on the record.
“It’s such an iconic track … I’ve been, you know, messing with for a while,” he told ABC Audio, adding, “Once Robin and I had connected and there was this friendship between him and I, I said, ‘Yo, you’d be perfect for this.’ I think his vibe that he’s on, he sings about ladies, and me, I’m ‘Mr. Lover Lover.'”
He laughed, “I just think the whole thing is sexy, man!”
Robin said he initially didn’t want to even consider singing over an iconic track like “Lovely Day,” but Shaggy’s take on it changed his mind.
“As soon as the music kicked in, I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t wanna touch this,'” he told ABC Audio. “But then I heard his voice, and I was, like, his voice makes it fresh. It brings into a new audience into a fresh, youthful feeling. And so it just made it sound brand-new to me. And I was like, ‘O.K., with his voice, it makes [sense].’ If it was just me, I wouldn’t do it.”
The two have now performed the song a few times on TV, including on Live with Kelly & Mark. Will they get together on tour and sing it live? “Well, it’s just the beginning, and we’re both tour junkies,” Robin said. “We both love being out on the road and doing our thing, so we’ll see where the rest of the year takes us, but we’re open to it.”
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