Don’t tell Sting that being 70 means slowing down.

The prolific musician is preparing for the November 19 release of his 15th solo studio album, “The Bridge,” which he says he and his group designed “as a way to save my sanity” during the pandemic.

Last week Sting kicked off his new residence at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace and the successful production, “My Songs”, has already won praise for its elegant approach.

He also appeared in an unlikely place: in the Steve Martin / Martin Short Hulu hit. “Only the murders in the building.” The humor running through his turn as a suspect is on display as he discusses his appearance on the show with USA TODAY.

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“They didn’t tell me it was a comedy. I was playing heavy drama, ”Sting grips unmoved then laughs. “I have worked with Steve Martin and Martin Short many times over the years and they knew I could at least say lines. I had never worked with Selena (Gomez), and she was fabulous. It was fun – and it wasn’t me, as Shaggy said.

As he speaks from his New York apartment – the Empire State Building is in sight, he reports – Sting is both contemplative and engaging.

He celebrated his October birthday with a pair of performances under the Acropolis in Greece, and later joined his old friend Eric Burdon of animal fame for a celebratory dinner.

“It’s getting harder and harder to find places older than me, so the Acropolis fits this project since it’s around 3,000 years old,” Sting jokes.

The autumn festival marked the start of a new chapter of activity, starting with its twice postponed debut in Las Vegas.

Of the countless superstar residences that populated the Strip, Sting says the only one he attended was Elton John’s Red Piano, who played the Colosseum for five years.

“It’s better than that,” he laughs. “No, no, I love Elton.”

Sting, however, is very excited to have his own bedroom to create a multimedia experience.

“Each of the songs lives in its own visual world. The show starts with me in Paris, where I wrote “Roxanne” with an acoustic guitar, and then we instantly head to another world, ”he says. “It’s a fascinating visual experience. There’s no out of place furniture – it’s projections and screens, but it’s a pretty amazing variety of images, movies, and geometry.

The show, which runs until November 13 and returns in June for another edition, highlights the gems of a career that has grossed over 100 million albums sold between solo work and with The Police: “King of Pain”, “Beside You,” “Brand New Day”, “Englishman in New York” and the most played radio song (according to BMI), “Every Breath You Take”, all make appearances, as well as two new songs from “The Bridge”, including the dizzy whistler “If it’s love.”

The theme of the album came to Sting after he finished recording, which he said was a “mystery” event.

“I recognized something that connected all (the songs). These are characters in transition, characters between worlds, between life and death – that’s what connects them. I think the theme of water runs through the whole record. Water is an uncomfortable environment, it’s dangerous and you have to be very careful. But immersing yourself in it creates opportunities, ”says Sting.

On the opening track, “Rushing Water”, he sings “what we have here is so easy to solve / just takes a firm goal and some determination”, which begs to question the level of optimism by Sting.

He laughs and says, “I think optimism is a good strategy in life. It becomes more and more difficult to be optimistic. Let’s face it, the window of opportunity is closing. But it’s the best strategy we have for moving forward.

On the bonus edition of “The Bridge”, Sting includes a cover of “(Sittin ‘On) The Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding, a classic which he says is “always first on my list of favorite songs. “.

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He first recorded it for the Alzheimer Association – “Research tells them that people remember songs more easily than anything else when they have dementia,” says Sting – and included it on his new album so fans “can see what I’m doing. to have fun”.

But he also discovered something musical about the 60s soul masterpiece.

“It’s an intensely sad song, but there are no minor chords in it. These are all major chords and the only complex chords are in the chorus. You would think it would be a minor (key) song and it’s not and it’s fascinating, ”Sting says.

In addition to continuing to study music, Sting also maintains a rigorous concert schedule, with a rescheduled European tour kicking off in March.

While the peers as Elton John and Genesis have declared their farewell intentions, Sting is not ready for any proclamation or slow down.

“You ask a fish what it will look like without water,” he says. “I can’t imagine life without working on stage. I love it.”