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There was no Plan B

Eschewing the regular route of pop stardom, Howard Jones became a UK household name in the early ‘80s as he approached his 30th birthday.

Born into a musical family, Howard was a gifted pianist who fully embraced the era’s huge leaps in technology in his craft. With his 1984 debut album Human’s Lib, the performer displayed both his songwriting chops and his talents on the synthesiser – enjoying hits like New Song and What is Love.

The record topped the British charts, while Howard also became recognised for his spiky blond hairdo and went through a period of being chased through shopping malls by girls and challenged to fights by men.

In total the musician tallied six British and two American top 10 singles, all of which came from either Human’s Lib or its 1985 follow-up Dream Into Action. He also famously performed his hit Hide and Seek on Freddie Mercury’s piano at the Live Aid charity concert in London’s Wembley Stadium.

After he dropped away from the madness of the mainstream, Howard has continued touring and recording, even opening a vegetarian restaurant in New York at one stage and ‘experimenting’ with more traditional sounds using piano and acoustic guitar.

City Times spoke with the 57-year-old as he prepares to peel back the years at the upcoming ‘80s Rewind’ concert in Dubai this weekend.

What do you enjoy about nostalgia concerts such as your upcoming Dubai show?

These shows are always enjoyable and have a celebratory feel to them. It’s great to share the songs that meant so much to people when they were growing up.

How finely honed is your ability to spot a hit single, either your own or someone else’s?

I don’t know about singles, but I think I can spot artists who are going to have an impact such as Laura Marling and Martin Grech.

Have you been doing much work on radio or podcasts recently, and what do you enjoy about those forms?

I usually do a lot of radio when I’m coming up to do one of my own tours. I’ve hosted shows on Absolute Radio in the UK, but my main communication with my fans is through Twitter and Facebook.

How different do you think your career would have been if the internet existed when you started out?

I’ve been using the internet in my career since the early ‘90s, so it feels like it has been there forever. The only way to get noticed and make records was by signing to a major label in the early ‘80s, so that was the route I took. Nowadays bands and artists can get their music out themselves and build a following through social media and live shows. Either way it’s still very difficult! I had the attitude that there was no Plan B.

Synth-pop is hugely popular in today’s charts. Do you think it resembles the genre from the ‘80s and do you listen to it much?

I think synth-based music has evolved a lot since the ‘80s. People have access to a huge array of exciting and aggressive synth sounds and everything is much more ‘pumped up’. I do miss the variety of styles that were a hallmark of ‘80s pop – like ska, reggae, indie, electro and rock – all co-existing side by side.

Howard in his 1980s heyday

Regarding the ‘80s, what are the benefits and pitfalls of being so closely associated to a specific era?

Having a unique identity of any kind is valuable in any field that we’re in. I started in the ‘80s which gives me that tag, but my fans know I am still creating new things here and now in the 21st century. The ‘80s gave me the platform to do this.

Which parts of your back catalogue do you feel are underrated, and is there anything that makes you cringe?

I have always been very particular about what I have released to the public and I stand by all the work.

What do you think the present era will be remembered for (musically and otherwise) in the decades to come?

I think the present era is about how people consume music. This is the era of live shows regaining their importance and recorded music becoming less significant.

adam@khaleejtimes.com