It’s a ‘Beautiful,’ busy world for Michael Bolton
You won’t find Michael Bolton bemoaning his recent loss on NBC’s “American Song Contest.” “I can’t worry about winning or not winning on the show,” Bolton, who represented his native Connecticut with the song “Beautiful World,” says by phone. He made it to the Grand Final of the Eurovision-inspired competition, finishing seventh of 10 while Oklahoma’s AleXa finished first. “It just doesn’t feel like a race for me to win,” explains Bolton, 69, who co-wrote “Beautiful World” with Justin Jesso, who he met as an adolescent some 15 years ago. “Of course there’s a lot more to gain for the unknown artists who are getting this opportunity. For me it feels like another opportunity to introduce the brand of what you are, who you are, musically, to people.”
Bolton, who co-wrote “Beautiful World,” needn’t worry about that brand being well-established. He’s sold 75 million records worldwide and won two Grammy Awards, along with eight No. 1 Adult Contemporary singles. His film and TV work includes the “American Dream: Detroit” documentary in 2018. There’s more to come, too. He hopes to have a new album, his first of original material since 2009, out later this year, and he’s juggling several other media projects in various stages of development. “I’m asking for all this, so I’m not complaining when I say there’s a lot going on,” Bolton says. “It’s great to collaborate with really creative people, and it’s great that I have this freedom to have this kind of permission to have fun. I’d rather be too busy than bored.”