Some things were meant to be

Jessica Hume

• Last Updated: November 15. 2009 4:52PM UAE / November 15. 2009 12:52PM GMT

Ali Campbell will perform at the Irish Village in Dubai on Thursday. Dominic Favre / Keystone

It’s a new world, says Ali Campbell, the 50-year-old former UB40 frontman, but he figures the best way to adapt is not at all.

“I’m doing the exact same thing I’ve always done. I’ve never done stuff that isn’t reggae,” he says. “And why would I change? Reggae music’s never let me down.”

Fair enough. If it ain’t broke...

More than 28 years after Campbell first became known, he continues to attract significant crowds, even after the dissolution of the British reggae group that made him famous. So when he plays on Thursday at the Irish Village in Dubai, expect to hear some of UB40’s hits as well as other songs he has produced since their acrimonious split two years ago.

“All my adult life I’ve been with those guys. I’ve known them since I was 11. After 28 years, I’m quite happy to be away from them,” Campbell says, adding that in the divorce he got Micky Virtue, the band’s keyboard player. “So I’ve got the UB40 rhythm section, that’s the same. And I’m really happy with the new band.”

The Dubai show won’t be Campbell’s first time in the city; he brings his family here frequently. Though with eight children aged 28 to eight, he usually brings only four at a time. He enjoys the sun and the privacy, but admits that at his current base in Christchurch, in the south of England, he has no problem going to the shops without being harassed by fans.

And yet, as private as he has kept his life, the length of time the band remained popular meant Campbell has aged in the public eye.

“I try to stay away from the tabloids as much as possible; they’re the laughing stock of the world, aren’t they?” he says, going on to explain that he has been “papped” doing mundane activities such as walking his children to school – of course, he was topless.

“After that I was a little more self-conscious. I’d taken my shirt off; I certainly won’t do that again.”

That said, the reggae genre is less stylised than others, and is almost universally appealing, which Campbell says alleviates some of the pressure of having to keep up appearances.

In fact, he’s got reggae’s mass appeal down to a science.

“Most reggae has about 60 beats per minute, like a heartbeat. People feel comfortable with it,” he says. “It’s uplifting music. Actually, it’s the only music that makes me feel elated.”

He orders all the latest compilations and has a firm grasp of what’s new in the world of reggae. Campbell says he is likely to embark on a North American tour in the near future with Sean Paul, Sean Kingston and Shaggy, with whom he has worked recently. He is working on a new album, Rhythm Method, which will likely be out next year.

His most recent work, Flying High, released this year, is his best production yet, says Campbell.

“I’m closer now than I’ve ever been. The levels – I’m getting the bass and the drums just right.”

In addition to his continued interest in producing music, his fans still want to hear it.

“You can’t make money with CDs anymore. It’s all about the live act, and that’s what I’m about,” he says. “I enjoy performing now more than ever. The emphasis is all on me. Before it was on other band members; they would do the talking, but now it’s me.”

He is, by all accounts, happy, admitting the only thing he really needs to change is his smoking habit. “I have quit before, but I started smoking when I was eight. Actually, I started smoking again last time I was in Dubai.”

No one said quitting smoking was easy. Neither is popularising a genre of music. Campbell credits himself, at least in part, with taking dub mainstream. “My aim has been to popularise reggae and dub, and I think I have. And it’s a new world. Video killed the radio star and reality TV killed the video star, but what I’m doing is the same as always, isn’t it?”

jhume@thenational.ae