Sting leapt to international superstardom in the late 70s and early 80s as the frontman of new wave rockers The Police. With their muscular, radio-ready, reggae-flecked songs, the trio lodged themselves firmly in the upper echelons of the charts with hits including ‘Can’t Stand Losing’, ‘Don’t Stand So Close To Me’, ‘Message In A Bottle’, ‘So Lonely’ and ‘Roxanne’.
The band went on indefinite hiatus in the mid-80s and Sting struck out on his own, landing an instant hit with his first solo album The Dream Of The Blue Turtles. Over the course of the 80s and 90s, he released a string of hugely successful and critically acclaimed records including Nothing Like The Sun and the massive Ten Summoners Tales, and hit singles such as ‘All For One’, ‘Fields Of Gold’, ‘Englishman In New York’ and ‘Desert Rose’. In 2018, he collaborated with reggae pop star Shaggy on the album 44/876 before revisiting some of his most famous songs on the collection My Songs in 2019.
Over his 40-plus years in music, Sting has sold over 100 million records and amassed an incredible 18 Grammys, seven Ivor Novello Awards, an Emmy, a Golden Globe, four Oscar nominations and one Tony nomination. He’s been renowned for his activism – setting up the Rainforest Fund and working on behalf of Amnesty and Live Aid – and has acted in films including Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, Dune and Quadrophenia.
In 2024 Sting launched his STING 3.0 World Tour, including a huge headline show at Lincoln Castle in summer 2025.