![\"M-34-boy-george\"](\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/M-34-boy-george.jpg\")
<\/h1>\n<\/h1>\n\u201cWhen you\u2019ve lived a dramatic life, you\u2019ve got a lot to draw from,\u201d Boy George says with a laugh. As the lead singer of Grammy-winning band Culture Club, he\u2019s sold more than 20 million albums powered by megahits like \u201cKarma Chameleon\u201d and \u201cDo You Really Want to Hurt Me.\u201d But after dominating radio in the mid-\u201980s, the band\u2019s red-hot streak cooled as the decade ended. Once the darling of new wave, Boy George found himself replaced by what he called \u201cformulaic and unoriginal\u201d material. \u201cI\u2019d be invited to cut the cake at the Radio 1 birthday party, but they wouldn\u2019t play me on the radio,\u201d he muses. \u201cIt was time to get off the roller coaster.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though he abandoned his pursuit of pop stardom, Boy George continued to experience ups and downs associated with life in the spotlight. While traveling the world as a DJ, he endured well-publicized battles with heroin and cocaine addiction and served time in prison in 2009 for assault and false imprisonment.<\/p>\n
Now on the comeback trail, Boy George, 52, has just released his first full-length album in 18 years, This Is What I Do<\/i>. The long gap between releases gave him fresh perspective on his time in the limelight. \u201cI\u2019m comfortable now and have a very different relationship with myself,\u201d he says. \u201cBack then there was a lot of emphasis on how I looked. I would forget about what I was.\u201d<\/p>\n
Consisting of a dozen original songs, This Is What I Do<\/i> spans the musical map from glam rock to reggae. \u201cHybrids are more interesting,\u201d he says. \u201cMy music has always been eclectic. I tend to go back to older things I love. It\u2019s like my attitude toward clothes\u2014I like the well-made and traditional.\u201d While recording, he recalled his boyhood years listening to the radio. \u201cThere were lots of different styles and fewer rules,\u201d he says. \u201cYou\u2019d go from listening to the Carpenters to the Sex Pistols. It was the soundtrack to my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the studio, Boy George enlisted the help of three longtime friends, musicians John Themis and Kevan Frost, and producer Richie Stevens. The laid-back atmosphere lent itself to collaboration and creativity. \u201cIt all began with the groove, and that set the mood,\u201d he says. \u201cThe recording was more traditional and organic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Boy George speaks frankly about topics such as sexuality and religion through his music. \u201cI\u2019ve never had a fixed opinion. I always had a lot of questions,\u201d he says. \u201cAs a gay man, my songs naturally have a different slant to them. I try to embrace those people and tell them to take ownership of who you are.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2013Blake Boldt<\/p>\n