With a career spanning over six decades, Sir Cliff Richard remains a staple and beloved figure in pop music.
Known for hits like ‘Living Doll’ and ‘We Don’t Talk Anymore’, as well as on screen appearances like ‘Expresso Bongo’, ‘The Young Ones’, ‘Summer Holiday’ and ‘Wonderful Life’, his career is full of timeless classics and he’s sold over 250 million records worldwide.
Now, the British music icon is returning to perform in New Zealand for the first time in nearly 12 years.
The Breeze’s Mike Puru caught up with the legend, who said he’s been trying to come back to Aotearoa “for a long time”.
“The only danger that comes with touring is you don’t actually visit the whole of the country,” he explained.
“If you’re lucky, there might be a day or two off.”
“I remember when we went down South… we went up and saw a mountain that had ice everywhere except one little pocket [that] had blue water,” he continued.
“Instead of the champagne that we brought with us, we drank that water.”
“But really, the most important memory is the kind of reception you get when you open up on stage and you are made to feel at home.”
“It’s going to be nice to come back and see the folks there,” he finished.
Sir Cliff also made special mention of his New Zealand-based fan club, run by a “fabulous lady called Katrina”.
“I don’t know what she does to the fans, but she somehow makes them stay very, very much on my side,” he joked.
When asked what his proudest achievement in his career has been, Sir Cliff spoke fondly about receiving his knighthood.
“Knighthoods were given to people who were in business and things like that, and who’d brought in masses of money to the country,” he explained.
“Pop singers were not really in the list, so when I got that… oh my goodness, I could never have imagined being a knight.”
Sir Cliff Richard will begin his tour in Auckland on the 14th November before heading down to Wellington and Christchurch.
