Entertainment Music R&B Music Sting on Why He Won't Wear a Hearing Aid Again: 'I Heard More Than I Wanted to Hear!' Sting admits he's been dealing with hearing loss, but he's not ready to get fitted for a hearing aid just yet. By Erin Hill Erin Hill Erin Hill is the Senior Editor, Royals at PEOPLE. She has reported on Royals for the brand since 2015. Erin previously worked at PARADE Magazine and The Knot. People Editorial Guidelines Published on November 9, 2016 10:30AM EST Photo: Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM The man who sang “don’t stand so close to me” might benefit from a little closeness these days! Music legend Sting admits he’s been dealing with hearing loss, but he’s not ready to get fitted for a hearing aid just yet. “I’m fairly deaf. ‘What?’ is my favorite word,” Sting, 65, said during SiriusXM’s “Artist Confidential” series on Tuesday. “I tried wearing a hearing aid, but I heard more than I wanted to hear!” he admitted. “People talk a lot of s—!” The legendary performer stopped by the SiriusXM studios in N.Y.C. in anticipation of the Friday release of his first rock album in decades — 57th & 9th. Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM Sting performed a handful of new songs, while sharing the inspiration behind the project. “My entire musical DNA is on this record,” he said. As for the title of his new album — named for the intersection he passes on the way to and from his studio — Sting says he found meaning in his daily walk. “Walking has always been important to me,” he said. “The binary rhythm of walking invokes narrative. 57th and 9th became this taking-stock point. “You could write a play just by listening to people’s phone conversations on the street in New York. The energy of New York gave [the album] an urgency.” And Sting has nothing but praise for his adopted home in the Big Apple. “New Yorkers treat me in an even way, like, ‘Hey, Sting! I like you, I like your music.’ Or, ‘You suck!’ “They’re respectful of my privacy, but if they want to say something, they will!” Sting is set to perform at the re-opening of the Bataclan — the historic Parisian music venue where 90 people were killed during a concert by the Eagles of Death Metal on Nov. 12. “We have two important tasks to reconcile. First, to remember and honor those who lost their lives in the attack a year ago, and second to celebrate the life and the music that this historic theatre represents,” he said in a statement. “In doing so, we hope to respect the memory as well as the life affirming spirit of those who fell. We shall not forget them.” The SiriusXM Artist Confidential with Sting will premiere on SiriusXM’s The Spectrum (channel 28) on Wednesday, November 16 at 6:00 p.m. ET. Close