TORONTO — Michael Bublé isn’t feeling particularly sexy sitting in his Vancouver home.
“I couldn’t look like more of a dork right now,” the singer said Wednesday. “My nine-month-old has smeared pasta all over my face. I’m wearing a black housecoat and I couldn’t find the belt for it so I’m using my wife’s belt from her white housecoat.
“If all those beautiful women got to see me right now they probably wouldn’t think I was so special. My wife just looked at me and gave me the thumbs down.”
Bublé, 38, is spending some time at home before kicking off the Canadian leg of his world tour on Thursday night at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena. He then heads east for shows in Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, London, Ottawa and Montreal.
Bublé insisted playing for his native country means the most to him.
“That’s not to disparage other countries but this is my home,” he said, in a conference call. “No matter where I go or how many shows I do for how many countries, or how big this thing gets, Canada’s always going to be the most important to me.”
The confident showman said his Canadian fans will love the show.
“I know how good this show is. I know when I leave the stage … people are going to understand why their Canadian boy did so well all over the world, because this show isn’t a good show — this show is one of the best shows in the world without a doubt.”
Bublé added: “I think I’m one of the best in the world at what I do. I hope I’m a humble guy but I don’t say that with humility. I really believe I love doing what I do and it shows.”
He admitted he’s not always thrilled about singing all the songs fans want to hear.
“I’ve never hated singing a song but, of course, you sing it so many times you get tired of it,” Bublé told Global News. “On the last tour, if I didn’t have to sing ‘Home’ again I probably would have been happy.
“I was doing it out at the B-stage with just me and a guitar and I think it kind of fell flat for me a little bit. Now, of course, I do it in a different way. I try to soup it up and kind of bring it back to its roots so it’s definitely gotten sweeter for me again. I’ve started to learn to love singing it again.”
Bublé said he has enough of a repertoire these days to be able to mix things up.
“I try to make things fresh for me and fresh for my musicians — keep the boys on their toes — so if something does get boring for me or I feel like it’s getting stale, I pull it out and I’ll put something else in,” he explained.
Connecting with the audience is key, Bublé said.
“I feel like the audience is truly an extension of my family and I have a lot of love for them. Every single night I stand behind the curtain and I can hear the buzz of 12,000 people or 15,000 people and I get goosebumps,” he said.
“I thank God for the chance to connect with these people. It’s something I promise myself every single night not to take for granted. I always remind myself of how lucky I am. For me, it’s impossible not to connect. There’s nothing fake about my joy. I really am so comfortable and happy and it’s just a natural thing. I want to hug everybody, I want to sing with them and dance with them. I get to be the host of this beautiful party.”
Part of what makes Bublé so bubbly these days is Noah, his son with wife Luisana Lopilato.
The singer’s first Father’s Day involved breakfast in bed, a painting made with Noah’s tiny footprints and a rain-soaked ride on the miniature train at Vancouver’s Confederation Park.
Bublé said becoming a father has made him a better artist.
“I’m better at what I do. I’m way better at what I do. There’s a fulfillment and a joy that I have in my life that I didn’t have before,” he said. “I was always a happy guy and had a good life but I didn’t know how good it can be.
“This kid has brought something to my life that I never knew was there. I didn’t know that kind of love existed. It’s allowed me to be way better at what I do.”
Both Lopilato and their son will accompany Bublé on tour, as well as various members of his family — including his beloved grandfather Demetrio Santagà.
“It’s keeping me sane and happy and disciplined,” explained Bublé. “It’s almost like a tent in the rain. It’s really comfortable and it feels cozy.”
Fatherhood, though, hasn’t turned Bublé into a get off my lawn kind of man. He said he’s got no issue with provocative singers like Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga.
“Miley’s no more shocking than Madonna was in the ‘80s but at the same time she can sing ‘Jolene.’ She sings the s*** out of it,” said Bublé.
“I’m not that guy. I come from a very liberal family and I believe in that kind of self-expression. I believe it’s your responsibility as a parent to show your kid the way and it’s not my job to come down on other people and make them responsible for how my kid turns out or what’s happening socially in the world.”
Did he mention how great his show is?
“When you come and see this show you’ll understand what I’m talking about. When you leave the show you’ll understand how ambitious I am and how incredible this tour is,” he said.
“It’s a really beautiful thing to walk off stage every single night and know that you’ve won. And know that you’ve given people their money’s worth and that you’ve taken them away for a couple of hours. I have so much belief in myself and what we’re doing that it’s complete bliss for me.”
Bublé, in his mismatched housecoat, added: “There’s never a night that I coast or I save myself for the next thing. I walk off that stage knowing that I gave it everything I had for those people — and I think it’s something they can see.”
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