Howard Jones' New Wave Hits Continue to Thrive

During a career spanning 40 years, electronic pop artist Howard Jones has experienced multiple head-spinning milestones — among them, performing with Stevie Wonder and Herbie Hancock at the Grammy Awards, appearing at Live Aid, and playing keyboards with Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band. Chartwise, he was also a staple of the top 40 in both the U.S. and the UK during the 1980s, courtesy of a string of hits: the moody synth-pop gem "What Is Love?," horn-peppered "Things Can Only Get Better," meditative "No One Is to Blame," and uplifting "Life In One Day."

Today, Jones is still being given incredible opportunities. He recently hopped onstage in Los Angeles to guest with Starr and his band — at Ringo's request — and is having his music mixed in Dolby Atmos sound by legendary producer Bob Clearmountain. And, as it turns out, Jones remains equally thrilled by the more modest moments when his music makes an impact. During a recent visit to Whole Foods, his 1983 debut single "New Song" started playing on the overhead as he shopped.

"Inside, I'm going, 'That's me! That's me!'" Jones says with a laugh, calling on a recent afternoon from Los Angeles. "And then there was a lady doing her shopping next to me, and she's going [sings the song's 'whoo-ooh-ooh' part]. It was a surreal experience. And the next time I was in there, they were playing 'No One is to Blame.' It was like, 'Wow — I can't get away from myself.'"

Jones once again laughs heartily, but not out of embarrassment. On the contrary, he's thrilled to be the kind of artist with songs that continue to reach so many people. Born in Southampton, Hampshire, England, Jones grew up with a mother who always had the radio on in the kitchen as she cooked. He also lived in Canada for several years as a kid — he still vividly remembers his first show, a triple bill featuring bubblegum pop act the 1910 Fruitgum Company, garage rockers the Troggs, and superstars the Who at an Ottawa hockey stadium — and soaked up sounds from the American airwaves.

"From a very young age, there was always the radio," Jones says. "I consciously wanted to write songs that could be played on the radio — in that way, you end up being part of culture, and you get played in Whole Foods 40 years later. I may not have sold as many records as other people, but the songs are still on the radio. They've got this life."

Jones has always been committed to writing optimistic songs. "I always wanted to write songs that could lift not only my spirits but other people's spirits," he says. "Music can do that. Everyone needs a boost sometimes. Things go wrong for everyone. You have difficult times, and music can help you get through it."
Jones knows what he speaks, as "New Song" is an autobiographical song rooted in him getting a long-awaited record deal at age 28, an ancient age where pop stardom is concerned.

"It'd been my story of rejection from record companies and publishers," he says, quoting some of the song's lyrics. "'Don't crack up/Bend your brain/See both sides' and throw off the things that are holding you back from really doing what you want to do. That had been my story. And if it's my story, it can be other people's story as well."

Jones has continued to spread positive vibes with extensive touring as part of the '80s festival, package tours, and headline shows, including with one-time Ultravox leader Midge Ure. This summer, he's part of the Letting It Go Show Tour alongside rockers Berlin, opening for Boy George and Culture Club. (Jones also toured with the latter group in the late '90s on a bill with the Human League.) He's not resting on any retro laurels, however: In 2022, he released a stellar new album, Dialogue, driven by contemporary electronic sounds and textures.

"It's always hard doing new music because you're competing with music that everyone knows that you've done," he says. "But I still think as an artist, you've got to keep working and keep moving forward. Otherwise, you become a museum piece." Accordingly, the French DJ Lifelike has issued an upbeat house remix of the Dialogue track "Celebrate It Together" that puts a fresh, summery spin on the tune.

Jones plans on playing this remix during his upcoming opening sets, although attendees can expect what he terms "wall-to-wall hits" the rest of the time owing to time constraints. He also has several projects on deck, including having his collaborator and one-time tourmate, the electronic artist BT, "code my voice using AI" for potential expansive artistic works, like "using my voice to sing female voices and creating choirs," among other things. "That's the good side of AI," Jones says. "Obviously, we need to watch that we don't give up the whole industry to robots, but there's a lot of creative things that we can do with it as well."

He's nearly done with an album of solo piano music that will come packaged with sheet music and a new full-length album called Global Citizen that's the final installment of a planned four-album sequence. "I want [Global Citizen] to be very relevant to the time that we live in," Jones says. "It may not be that electronic. [It] may be more thoughtful and a bit more like the People album [from 1998], which is one of my favorite albums I've done."

In the meantime, Jones — who's always been known for dazzling stagewear like luxurious suits — is focused on amassing showstopping outfits for the Culture Club tour. This time, fans can expect bespoke T-shirts designed by his son Jasper, an artist and a photographer, and a denim jacket customized by his wife, Jan. "We've just been having fun," Jones says. "People love that you made the effort. I'm never gonna be a jeans and T-shirt guy on stage. Never. I mean, to me — what a wasted opportunity!"

Boy George & Culture Club. With Howard Jones and Berlin. 7 p.m. Thursday, July 13, at iThink Financial Amphitheatre, 601-7 Sansburys Way, West Palm Beach; 561-795-8883. Tickets cost $24.95 to $499.95 via livenation.com.