Sting and KURT Talk Their Spanish Language Collaboration “Por Su Amor,” Share Music Video: Exclusive

When he was younger, Latin Grammy Award nominee KURT used to sing Sting’s songs at bars where he’d perform in his native Mexico. Now, he’s singing one of them with Sting.

The two have joined forces for “Por Su Amor,” a new Spanish version of “For Her Love” from Sting’s 2021 studio album, The Bridge. The recording will be released this Friday, April 8th, via all streaming services, along with a video (premiering exclusively below) that was filmed in early March in Los Angeles. It follows Sting’s solo version of the Spanish language track, released back in February.

The Spanish rendition of “For Her Love” came about when Sting and his manager-producer Martin Kierszenbaum, were in Cabo San Lucas during a break between shows. “Neither of us are beach people, really,” Sting tells Consequence during a joint Zoom call with KURT and Kierszenbaum, “so we said, ‘Let’s do some work.’ [Kierszenbaum] is a Spanish speaker, so he translated ‘For Her Love’ into Spanish. He promised me it was a good translation.”

Kierszenbaum adds that, “Literal translations of songs are impossible given the difference in syllables, syllable stresses, grammar, syntax, and structure of different languages. However, adaptations are possible that respect the spirit and meaning of the original. I always work hard to respect the original melody.”

Sting learned the song phonetically — “thinking of the music of the language itself rather than the meaning of the words” — and performed a solo version for Univision’s Premio Lo Nuestro Awards on Feb. 24 in Miami. “Then, I believe, KURT heard it and said it wasn’t bad, but it needed him on it to give authenticity. So I agreed,” Sting quips with a laugh.

“No, no, no,” KURT quickly responds with a laugh of his own. “When I heard the song I was with my management, and I loved it. I wanted to record my part the same day that they played me the song. I love the music [Sting] makes. The next day, I was in my studio trying to do my best to have a great version that Sting likes. It’s an honor to be on this song with him.”

Impressed with the power of the language, Sting notes that “the Spanish lends itself to a more emotional interpretation than English does, I think. That’s what I was thinking about when I was singing it myself; when I hear the great Mexican singers, there is an emotional quotient to what they do that’s very powerful. Anglo-Saxons don’t do that so readily. I think the song has benefited from this interpretation, particularly with KURT’s involvement. It gives it an authenticity that it wouldn’t have had otherwise.”

In addition to KURT, “Por Su Amor” also features backing vocals by Hannah Brier, who has been featured on Samantha Fish’s Faster album as well as on The Last Bandoleros’ recent track “California Moon.”

Sting, of course, is no stranger to playing nice with others; he even celebrated his career collaborations with last year’s Duets album, featuring 21 tracks with the likes of Herbie Hancock, Annie Lennox, Charles Aznavour, Zucchero, Shaggy, and others. He also recently recorded new vocals of the Police’s “Roxanne” that were used by Swedish House Mafia in their track “Redlight.”

“I think there’s always something to learn from another artist,” Sting explains. “sharing time with another artist, sharing a microphone, sharing a song — you learn something. It’s hard to articulate what that is, but I’m a student of music. I’m a student of life. So working with other people gets me out of my safe little bubble. I’m there to learn something.”

KURT, meanwhile, says, “I’m a solo artist, and that is so lonely sometimes. When you share something with another artist, there’s an opportunity to enjoy just making it.”

KURT recently wrapped up a tour in Mexico to support his second album, La Vida. Sting, meanwhile, is currently in Europe with his “My Songs Tour,” which returns to North America on May 2 in Halifax. After that, his next Las Vegas residency is set for June 3rd through 18th at Caesars Palace. (Get tickets to all Sting’s upcoming shows here.) He recently released a new guitar/cello version of his 1985 song “Russians” to raise money for Ukraine relief.

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