Richard Marx is finally coming to New Zealand. Photo / Supplied
Richard Marx is finally coming to New Zealand. Photo / Supplied
Richard Marx has been right here waiting to come to New Zealand.
Now 40 years into his career, the 80s crooner is finally making it to the shores of Aotearoa next January, set to play shows in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
"Tour after tour after tour in Australia, starting back in 1988, I started asking my people at that time, 'Why not New Zealand?'" he tells the Herald over Zoom.
"There was always some excuse. So I was starting to think maybe New Zealand just doesn't like me," he jokes.
"I don't know why it never happened. So after all these years, I'm finally coming and I couldn't be more excited about it."
Marx, 59, is the voice - and the hair - behind hits from the 80s and 90s like Don't Mean Nothing, Endless Summer Nights, Should've Known Better, and Right Here Waiting. He's sold over 30 million albums worldwide and has scored 14 number 1 singles.
These days he's not sporting a mullet anymore, but his hair is as lush as ever. And he's back with a new album, Songwriter, released on September 30.
Spanning four different genres - pop, rock, country and ballads - it's a nod to his versatility as a musician. Marx has written with artists working in all different genres, from Kenny Rogers to NSYNC to Josh Groban, Keith Urban and Madonna.
"As a singer there's this unwritten rule which is, you kinda have to stay in your lane," he notes.
"But something I'm most proud of in my career is the diversity of my songwriting. So I just thought it was sort of an interesting and ambitious idea. The next thing I knew, there were twenty songs, five in each genre.
"It was great fun. It was sort of like scratching all these itches, 'cause I love all these different kinds of music."
Now married to Daisy Fuentes, Marx has three adult sons with ex-wife Cynthia Rhodes: Brandon, Lucas, and Jesse, who have all become musicians in their own right.
Lucas and Jesse both worked with him on this album - his oldest son Brandon would have been part of it too, if not for scheduling conflicts.
While they've clearly followed in their father's footsteps, Marx says he's learned a lot from working with his kids.
"There's no doubt that they all three learned a lot from me growing up, but now they're returning the favour," he says.
"We're very much peers at this point."
It's the very first time he's worked with his youngest son Jesse, a rock musician, producing two tracks for the rock part of the album.
"It was just fun. We're really close, we have a kindred relationship, all of us. There's just something so magical about creating with my kids and I have great respect for their ideas and it's pretty effortless."
One of the collaborations with Jesse stands out for another, more bittersweet reason - the late Taylor Hawkins features on the drums on the track Shame on You. It's thought to be one of his final recordings.
Marx collaborated with his sons Lucas and Jesse on new album Songwriter. Photo / Supplied
The Foo Fighters drummer died in March this year at just 50 years old. Marx recalls the moment he first met Hawkins through Dave Grohl.
"I met Dave at a party about eight years ago and we sort of hit it off. Then he invited me down to the studio where they record and rehearse and Taylor was there.
"And everybody will tell you this - anybody who knew Taylor, briefly or for a long time - he made everybody feel good. He was just a sweet, fun, energetic, kind guy and I was a huge fan of his playing."
Then "schedules happened, Covid happened", but the pair stayed in touch. When Marx and Jesse first wrote Shame on You, he decided to ask Hawkins to play the drums for it.
"I called him and said, 'I got this track. I don't want you to do me a favour, I don't want you to do it if you don't love the song. It won't hurt my feelings, it's fine, we'll still be pals, you know'."
He needn't have worried - Hawkins loved the song. So a week later, Marx and Jesse went over to his house to record.
"It took him all of two minutes to play the drum track. We just spent the afternoon talking and hanging out," Marx says.
"And it was like a month later that he passed. So it's very bittersweet."
While he's still excited for people to hear the drummer's "phenomenal" performance on the song, Marx wishes Hawkins was still here to hear it.
"It would have been a whole lot different if he'd been around to celebrate this whole thing with me."
Marx has seen musical trends come and go, but his work has a timeless feel. Asked why, he wonders if it's because he's not afraid to "embrace new music and new artists".
"When I'm hanging out with artists of my age, I tend to hear a lot of people say things like, 'There's no good music anymore, there's no good songwriting anymore'. And I'm always like, you're not listening - there's nothing but great stuff all the time.
"I'll hear a track by Tove Lo or I'll hear a track by Charlie Puth or whoever, that inspires me to want to do a version of what they're doing.
"I think it's just staying open and curious and always seeking out new stuff to inspire me."
Richard Marx NZ 2023 tour dates
• Sunday February 19, Isaac Theatre Royal, Christchurch • Tuesday February 21, Opera House, Wellington • Wednesday February 22, Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, Auckland
