Michael Bublé: Call Him Irrepressible

The Canadian superstar is taking a claim at the intersection of Hollywood and Vine

Family Matters

“When I got the news about my boy, that was the end” of fretting over albums, says Bublé, referring to his son’s cancer diagnosis.

“Are you comfortable? You don’t look like you’re as comfortable as you could be,” says Michael Bublé, who is standing bedside on one leg as he slips off a shiny black loafer. “You want to lay back? Lay back.” Before I know it, he’s untucking the bed covers and fluffing the pillows behind my head. “Get comfy,” he says, now lying a foot or so away. “I’m wearing TV makeup,” Bublé whispers, sounding seductive as ever.

Who can blame the Canadian superstar for wanting to take a load off for the final interview of his international press day inside a suite at the Sunset Marquis in West Hollywood? After all, he’s spent all morning and afternoon talking about his new heart emojititled album (pronounced “love”) — his first in two years and eighth overall for Reprise Records — to various media outlets from around the world. The new album blends smooth standards by Rodgers & Hart such as “When I Fall in Love” and “My Funny Valentine” with surprising tracks like Kris Kristofferson’s “Help Me Make It Through the Night” and Charlie Puth’s “Love You Anymore,” two duets (including “La Vie En Rose” with jazz chanteuse Cécile Mclorin Salvant) and one original tune, “Forever Now.” Bublé even managed to lure David Foster out of production semi-retirement to co-produce the record with him and longtime collaborator Jochem van der Saag. Foster, whom Bublé considers a mentor, discovered the singer 18 years ago while he was performing at a wedding.

Today, after winning four Grammy Awards and selling out arenas as well as (by Warner Music’s count) 60 million albums worldwide, Bublé is finally getting the star treatment on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Nov. 16, the same day his album drops. His name will be engraved on the street next to the W Hotel at the intersection of Hollywood and Vine, next to Mariah Carey’s star. “I love Mariah,” Bublé says, hesitating as he considers for the first time who his new neighbors might be. “I’m honored? It’s an honor? I don’t know what to say… It’s surreal.”

Bublé’s earliest memories of Hollywood are from his first family trip to Los Angeles. “Palm trees, sunny weather, the Hollywood sign,” he recalls — idyllic compared to the city he’d later experience as an unsigned 25-yearold trying to make ends meet while slowly giving up hope that his big break was coming.

“Most of my later years in L. A. were this mix of exhilaration and fear,” Bublé confesses.