Take That star Gary Barlow will give Dubai his all

The beloved entertainer talks about his personal new album, his rivalry with bandmate Robbie Williams and his forthcoming UAE show.

Gary Barlow performing in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in March, on the opening night of the British leg of his tour. Carrie Davenport / Getty Images

Ahead of his first solo UAE performance on Friday, Gary Barlow talks about how much he loves the UAE and the possibility of Take That coming back with him some time.

When the tour was announced, a lot of us were surprised that this was your debut UAE performance. What took you so long?

I know! I always wanted to play in the UAE because I have a few friends who came and performed here and they always said how much fun they had. I also came to Dubai nearly 20 times with my family for holidays, so to come back and perform this time is great. Also, my band are so excited to come over that they can’t do enough for me because they are so pleased to finally go somewhere nice and sunny.

You are finishing your tour in Dubai. What are your thoughts on the whole jaunt?

I have been on tour, on and off, for nearly two years now and the shows have been great. My repertoire now has become so big that it becomes a great problem to have to fit all these songs into one evening.

What about that other old problem of singing songs such as Back for Good for the 1,000th time?

I don't have that problem. I must have sung Back for Good about 10,000 times and I still love to sing that song. Maybe I love it because I got a second chance in my career after Take That. Whenever I go on tour, it just becomes the icing on the cake for me because I just love performing these songs.

How is the experience of touring solo and without the onstage backup of the rest of the Take That boys?

It is more challenging because all eyes are on you for two hours. It does feel like a workout. It also takes me back to when I was 17 years old and performing in the clubs. I had to ask myself what was I doing back then and where was my mind when I was on stage. When I am performing with Take That, it is a very symmetrical look and if you are choreographed to walk forward on the second chorus that’s just what you do. You are a spoke in a big wheel.

You are touring with your latest album Since I Saw You Last, your first solo release in 14 years. Is it fair to say that, considering your last solo release didn’t do so well, a lot was riding on the success of this album?

Relief is the word. It took me 14 years to have the courage to put out an album with my name on it. I have been hidden in Take That for a long time so I really needed to do this record. I am gobsmacked by the reception. The songs are well received and loved and I still hear [the hit single] Let Me Go on the radio all time. I was honestly pleased and that's the reason why I have been out playing so many live shows – I wanted to look people in the eye and say thank you.

The album is interesting in that, behind some of the pretty melodies, you are discussing some really dark, personal stuff. Were you aware of that?

I wanted it to be this way. When I am writing for Take That, I am doing a song for four or five people. When you put your face on an album, your audience wants to know what is going on in your life. Like everyone, I had some bumps in my life. I realised that, when that happens and then it’s the time to write about it, dig deep and open your heart. People love that because they can translate it into their own lives.

Back to Take That – was the media right to say that there was a big rivalry between yourself and former band member Robbie Williams?

Oh, yes, there is a lot of rivalry between me and Rob. It always has been and it would even go to what shoes we were wearing. It is a fun rivalry. When I play Rob my new single, I know he would say “that’s great and wow, I wish I wrote that”. And it’s the same when he releases a song. I listen to it very closely and it makes me go back to the studio and get better. That’s what it is all about, to look at your peers and say: “Right, I need to get better.”

Finally, any chance of you coming back to the UAE with Take That?

Do you know what? Honestly, I am going to take plenty of photos and document everything and bring it back to the boys to have the whole group back here next year.

• Gary Barlow performs at Dubai Media City Amphitheatre on Friday, October 17. Tickets start at Dh295 and are on sale now at Virgin megastores, Time Out Tickets Dubai and Platinum List. Visit www.garybarlowdubai.com for more information.