Michael Bublé responds to the annual 'defrosting' Christmas joke: "It's not funny"

25 November 2021, 14:43 | Updated: 8 December 2021, 11:47

Michael Bublé's Christmas connection: 10 years of an iconic album

Michael Bublé has become the modern King of Christmas over the past decade thanks to his huge festive album.

10 years on from Christmas being first released in 2011, Michael Bublé is back from a super deluxe edition, complete with brand new songs and other rare tracks.

Appearing on Smooth Radio Presents... A Christmas Celebration, Michael admitted to Kate Garraway that while he's excited to be going back to his iconic Christmas album, he hasn't always been fond of being the focus of certain annual jokes.

Listen on Global Player here

"I was OK with coming back out, and celebrating it," Michael told Kate. "I love Christmas, and I’m really proud of this record. But I was never OK with flogging it. It made me feel cringey, always.

"Every time they’d ask, I would say, 'I don’t mind coming on a TV show. I love to go on Graham Norton. I love to come out and do whatever, and sing a song. But every time they said, 'Let’s talk about it again' – I would say, 'No, thank you.'

"I think there’s a double-edged sword. A girlfriend of mine said to me the other day, 'As much as it might bug you for people to make the jokes… You’d be devastated if you weren't part of it'.

"And she was right. I would be. I would be devastated. I would never believe that a dude from Burnaby, whose grandfather, a plumber, would have snuck him into nightclubs for 10 years to work, would somehow be associated with such a beautiful time of year. As a Christian, it’s even more special for me.

A Christmas Celebration with Michael Bublé and Kate Garraway

"So you know what? And I know. Listen, I’m really lucky that I’m allowed to put out records, and I can still go and play stadiums and arenas and stuff like that. So I know there’s other things in my life.

"But of course, there are times when it rubs you the wrong way. I mean, how many times on the street – someone comes up, and says, you know, 'Well, you’ve defrosted.'

"You look at them and think… you know, you smile at them, and you say, 'Ha ha ha'. But I definitely don’t want to see them in comedy clubs, because if their jokes are that fresh, they’re not going to have a great set!

Speaking about first making the album, Michael explained: "I was very sure of the focus I had and vision. I actually remember sitting in the studio, finishing off the record.

"One of the arrangers, Chris Walden, said to me, 'Wow, this is great. So you’re making a Christmas record?'. I remember saying to him, 'No, I’m not making a Christmas record, I’m making the Christmas record.'

"I remember, he looked at me in this funny way, and I’m sure he thought, 'Shut up, punk. What are you talking about?' But I feel like I had genuinely loved the music so much, and I really did love the holiday so much that I’d known that I was never going to make another.

"I knew even at that time that you should never say never. But I’ll never make another. I don’t think I will. It was fine for me to do a couple of songs, but I think, for me, it sort of just happened. It happened to be the 10th anniversary, and I was OK with that. I was OK with us celebrating the tenth anniversary.

• Remembering when Michael Bublé 'duetted' with Bing Crosby on 'White Christmas'
• Michael Bublé's 10 greatest songs ever, ranked
• When Michael Bublé was shocked by carpet fitter's incredible singing voice at concert

"I think after what I’ve been through with my boy, and what our family had been through, going through COVID – I think it gave me an even deeper appreciation and sentimentality for how privileged I was to be part of a holiday that brings hope and brings light."

In a Global Player-exclusive show, Smooth's Kate Garraway chats to Michael to speak about his music, Christmas, family life and his marriage, his son’s battle with cancer, moving house and lots more.

In a revealing and at times emotional interview, Michael and Kate both open up about how the past couple of years have been a challenge for them and their family, and how Christmas provides a much-needed positive boost that we all need.

During the chat, Michael also picks out some of his favourite songs by the likes of Take That and Phil Collins, and we hear some of his greatest Christmas tunes.

We also hear his brand new songs - 'Christmas Sweater' and 'Let It Snow' - which feature on the new edition of the album, released on Friday (November 19).