Gary Barlow is one of the United Kingdom’s most accomplished musicians. As a member of the British boy band Take That and a successful solo artist, he has composed 13 number-one singles in addition to more than a dozen other hits. As a performer, he has taken the stage in many of Europe’s biggest arenas and stadiums and has recorded music in various locations from England to Los Angeles. He spoke to us from The Fairmont The Palm last month – just before his near-sell-out solo show at The Dubai Media City Amphitheatre – about life on the road and his penchant for luxury hotels.
Where are you right now?
I am in Dubai at The Palm and I am just loving it to be honest. I have been here nearly 20 times and the atmosphere of the city is always amazing and I always enjoy coming here. I have young children, so it is never a problem because it is a short flight from the UK and there is no jet lag. The weather is always beautiful and there is such a vast array of great hotels to stay at and restaurants to eat in. So for me, it is always an obvious choice to come to Dubai on holiday.
Since you regularly holiday in Dubai, where do you often stay?
I often stay down at Jumeirah Beach and the One&Only [Royal Mirage] resort. This is the first time I am staying at The Palm. What’s interesting to me is that when I first came to Dubai, The Palm wasn’t built. So to come back and see this place constantly change is interesting.
How often do you go on holidays?
About twice a year. I work differently to most others in that I normally work for four to five months in one big block and that includes weekends. My projects run in big chunks and once I do them, I would normally take the summer off.
Where do you call home?
I call London home. I have a house there and I live there full time.
Where do you plan to go to next?
I haven’t booked anything yet and that’s pretty unusual for me. By now, I would have booked a Christmas holiday. This probably means I will be staying at home. I am a legend for planning things for up to 12 months in advance. People would always tell me I am the most organised when it comes to holidays. So it’s unusual for me to sit here with nothing planned. That said, I just started a new chapter with Take That, so we are just planning what we are going to do in terms of touring and we are releasing an album soon.
Does constant touring rob you of the magic of travel?
If you asked me that question in the 1990s, I would have said yes, because I would sometimes not go home for five months. Nowadays, even if I am playing in Berlin in the evening, I would try to get back home to London that night. I go home much more than I used to and that’s just because I have a family. The family thing changed everything for me.
What do you hate about travelling?
I hate any kind of delays, from planes to transport. I always think that journey from JFK [airport] to New York City a complete pain because you are always stuck in these huge queues of traffic.
Do you prefer simplicity or luxury?
I like luxury and I will tell you why: quite often I would land and would go to work straight away. For example, I would go to Los Angeles to record and, as soon as I land, I am working straight away, and that’s despite me needing a week to get over jet lag. Generally, when I travel I work hard, so when I come back to a bed I want it to be luxury. I like the feeling of being looked after.
What has been your favourite trip?
I spent a few months recently in Boston working on a musical and it has been an absolute revelation. If you are looking for somewhere beautiful to go to in either spring or the fall, then just go to Boston.
What is your favourite city for a weekend?
For a weekend I would go to New York. It’s such an exciting city and I have been there many times. I hit the ground running whenever I am there. I know where I want to eat, stay, what I want to do and who I want to meet. I have a lot of friends in New York and the people really make the place for me.
What do you never travel without?
My laptop. I have my life in that thing. I have all my music in there as well as my diary and emails. That scares the life out of me and I could never travel without it.
What is your idea for a perfect weekend?
It is a mixture of all sorts of things; a little bit of sightseeing and I do like to add in a little bit of work in there, such as a couple of meetings. As you can see, that’s why I like New York. I am also a big fan of eating out and having somewhere nice to stay. My advice is that when you travel, if you are going to spend money on anything then it should be the hotel. That’s because you should feel special on a holiday and you can get that staying in a nice hotel.
What is your ideal romantic destination?
I love Paris and recently I went to Venice – both are great places. They are romantic because they have such beautiful buildings and they are all incredibly well-lit at night. When it goes dark the place looks like a circus or something. It is just beautiful.
As a touring artist, what is your favourite music city?
It’s Los Angeles. There are so many songwriters in that city and so many songs produced there. It is definitely the place that I love to record. I remember recording in Malibu and I would sing while looking at the ocean – it is just beautiful.
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