At 84, Sir Tom Jones is embracing both the changes in his voice and the stage spotlight with no intention of stepping away. The legendary Welsh singer, whose career spans back to the swinging ’60s, says growing older has actually enhanced his vocal performance rather than diminished it.
In a recent interview with Yours Magazine, Jones reflected on how age has reshaped his sound: “My voice has definitely dropped. As we get older, the pitch changes and there’s more texture. Sure, you lose a bit of control, but you gain richness, more character. That’s what I hear now.”
He added, “You’ve just got to work with it—push harder. And I still can. I can sing, and I’ll prove it every time I step on stage.”
And proving it he is. This year alone, Tom has brought his Ages & Stages World Tour to audiences across Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and the UAE. Now back in the UK, he’s set to perform in Surrey, Plymouth, and Southampton before heading to Spain later this month. Far from slowing down, Jones continues to thrive on the road.
Despite many of his peers retiring, the “It’s Not Unusual” star isn’t ready to hang up the microphone. “You reach a certain age and start looking at life differently,” he said. “But I don’t feel worn out—I feel motivated. I’ve still got something to prove.”
Known as much for his powerhouse vocals as for his heartthrob status in his heyday, Jones also touched on his once-wild fan encounters. “It started as a bit of shtick and snowballed,” he recalled with a laugh. “Next thing I knew, I was drowning in panties.”
One incident in Las Vegas stuck with him: “Someone threw a room key on stage. I asked, ‘Whose is this?’ and a woman replied, ‘Use it and you’ll find out.’”
While the intensity of that fan frenzy has faded with time, Jones doesn’t miss it. His focus now is on performance and health. After a hip replacement in 2017 and a second surgery five years later, he feels strong and ready to take the stage.
“If my voice gave out, I wouldn’t keep going,” he admitted in an interview with The Metro. “I wouldn’t want to cheat an audience. But as long as I can sing like this, I’ll keep doing what I love.”
Though he no longer moves around the stage like he once did, Tom Jones has never sounded more resolute—and he’s not going anywhere just yet.
