EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was corrected after Michael Bublé denied the initial reports of his retirement
Canadian singer Michael Bublé has denied that he is retiring from music, as was reported by the Daily Mail’s Weekend Magazine in an interview with the crooner.
Bublé recalled his emotional struggle after his son, Noah, was diagnosed with liver cancer and said he is retiring from music, the Daily Mail reported on Sunday.
However, his management said soon after that reports of his retirement were “completely false.”
Now, the singer himself has spoken out, telling SiriusXM’s Fantasy Sports Radio on Tuesday that reports of his retirement were untrue, while appearing to take a jab at the Daily Mail in the process.
“Just consider the source — that’s all I say to people,” he said. “My buddies wrote me. I said, ‘Look at who said it.’ C’mon, are you kidding me? I need the money. I’m not going anywhere.”
Bublé didn’t say whether he had been misquoted, his remarks were taken out of context or if he had simply reversed his decision.
According to the Daily Mail feature, Buble said the interview was his last, and he will retire from music after the release of his new album, titled Love, to be released November 16.
“I’ve made the perfect record and now I can leave at the very top,” Bublé told the Daily Mail. “I don’t have the stomach for it anymore. The celebrity narcissism.
“This is my last interview. I’m retiring.”
In the interview, Bublé explained the emotional effect of Noah’s liver cancer diagnosis when he was three years old, in November 2016.
“You just want to die. I don’t even know how I was breathing,” Bublé said.
WATCH: Exclusive: Michael Bublé Opens Up About Son Noah’s Cancer Battle
“My wife was the same, and even though I was the stronger of the two of us, I wasn’t strong. My wife was… I’m sorry, I can’t make it to the end of the sentence… let’s just say we find out who we are with these things.”
Noah’s cancer is now in remission, but Bublé said the experience has made him question his purpose in life.
Before Noah’s illness, Bublé said he would worry about ticket sales, tours and how the public saw him but the singer has now become “embarrassed by my ego.”
“I decided I’ll never read my name again in print, never read a review and I never have. I decided I’ll never use social media again and I never have,” he said.
“Going through this with Noah, I didn’t question who I was, I just questioned everything else. Why are we here?” Bublé said.
“Is this all there is? Because if this is all there is, there has to be something bigger.”
WATCH: Michael Buble’s son diagnosed with cancer
Bublé explained the simple techniques he used to get through the experience, such as gaining inspiration from Roberto Benigni’s character in the 1997 film Life is Beautiful. In the movie, which is set in a concentration camp, Benigni made a joke of everything to lighten the experience while with his son.
In similar fashion, Bublé would make light of the situation, such as by calling the hospital a “fun hotel.”
“Every day, I got extra bed sheets and I’d build a tent for Noah. I just made the best of it. Survival,” Bublé said.
Soon after the article was published, Bublé’s management issued a statement denying that he is retiring. Michelle R. Larson, a digital media manager at Bruce Allen Talent, the company that manages Bublé, wrote on his Facebook fan page, “The rumours and reports that Michael is quitting is completely false. We ask everyone to not share any of these tabloid stories and delete any posts already shared to the Buble Insider and personal pages. Thank you members!”
Bublé has won four Grammys and sold 75 million records with his crooner-style music, inspired by his hero, Frank Sinatra.
— With files from Rahul Kalvapalle