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The star, who will perform here next month, tells GEOFFREY EU what keeps him goingHE was a coal miner's son from Pontypridd who became a Welsh prince of Bel Air but even now, after a 50-year career spanning multiple musical genres and a permanent place in pop music history, Tom Jones - international singing star and owner of that unmistakable voice - barely misses a beat.新蒲崗迷你倉Despite dozens of hits and well over 100 million records sold, Jones - a California resident for the past 40 years - still has a touch of the small-town boy from Wales about him. Speaking over the phone from Los Angeles recently, Jones' Welsh roots were clearly discernible, as was an undisguised enthusiasm for his job.At 73, he still loves singing, thanks to a voice that hasn't diminished with age and a repertoire that moves with the musical times while speaking to different generations. And that's good news for Singapore fans because Jones will be in town next month to perform as part of the festivities surrounding this year's Formula 1 race.He was due to perform here in 2010 but had to cancel when his vocal chords were damaged after an attack of acid reflux.Jones rose to fame in an era when some of the biggest names in the business were at their peak. Perhaps not surprisingly, he rates 1965 - his first full year as a solo artiste - as one that holds some of his most cherished memories."That first year I met everybody in showbiz; it was incredible," says Jones with fan-like delight. "It's Not Unusual (his first big hit) came out in January 1965 and I was invited to all the British TV shows - I met The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, then I went to the US and did The Ed Sullivan Show, and later I met Elvis and Sinatra."That same year he recorded the memorable theme song for the James Bond movie Thunderball.In 1966, he won the Grammy award for Best New Artist and backed that up with more successes like What's New, Pussycat? Green, Green Grass of Home and Delilah. He also had his own television show (This is Tom Jones) which featured duets alongside guests such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Ray Charles and Janis Joplin.Apart fmini storageom his powerful baritone, Jones has a natural stage presence that served him well in Las Vegas, where he performed regularly for four decades until 2008."Anybody that was anybody would do Vegas, but it's changed a lot since my early days there - now it's Cirque du Soleil, although Celine, Elton and Rod still do shows there," he says."They call Wales the Land of Song," says Jones of his working- class upbringing. "In Wales, most people are used to singing. When I was growing up, that was the way of making music - we didn't have to buy musical instruments. We all sang at weddings, birthday parties and so on; I grew up like that."He adds: "They are creative people, the Welsh; they like to entertain, they want to tell stories - that's how we get the emotion out."Jones stays relevant and in tune with his audience by continuing to cut albums - his most recent was released in 2012."When you've recorded all kinds of things like I've done, you wonder what's the next move, what's the angle?" he says. "For my last album (Spirit in the Room) we said why not record songs by my favourite artists - Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon - songs that were not overdone by other people. It's American roots music."He adds: "Now, I'm working on more songs for another album. I can do anything I want but it doesn't mean the record company will release it."Even at this stage in his career, Jones hasn't been able to shake off his image as, well, a sex bomb. He sizzles on stage and cruises around Los Angeles in a Rolls Royce convertible but in reality, he's grateful for the awards and the success and humbled by being compared to some pop music greats. "I'm not a fast driver, either," he says.He speaks with undisguised joy at being knighted by the Queen in 2006. "That was the icing on the cake," he says. "Part of the reason I'm still in the business - it's the desire. Some people slow down and retire - me, I just want to keep on singing."Tom Jones will perform a 60-minute set on Sept 22 at 6.45 pm at the Village Stage, Marina Bay Street Circuit (Zone 1 ticket required and performance time is subject to change).self storage