Corey Hart on stepping away from the spotlight and why he's now making his return

Originally published on January 16, 2019

When Corey Hart's hit song Sunglasses at Night came out in 1984, MTV was the new big thing and music videos were exploding onto the scene. That's how a lot of people got to know the 22-year-old James Dean look-a-like. But that's just one part of a huge career. 

Hart's career is about to be recognized with an induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, where he will join the likes of Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell. This morning, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) announced that Hart will be honoured at this year's Juno Awards on Sunday, March 17.

It's shaping up to be a big year for the singer-songwriter. After a 20-year hiatus, Hart will also be returning with a brand new record which comes out this spring. Speaking with q's Tom Power, Hart explains that it was a big decision to step away from the spotlight and an equally big decision to return. 

"I grew up not knowing my dad and I felt that I could not reconcile the world that I had known as a singer-songwriter, as a recording artist, as someone completely dedicated to his career being able to be present every day with my children," says Hart.

Something had to give and I definitely did not want to be a tourist dad.- Corey Hart

"It's not a 9-to-5 job. It's a very egocentric, focused, selfish profession — and that's not a pejorative term about being a musician, but for me you have to be very, very focused. So something had to give and I definitely did not want to be a tourist dad. I wanted to be there every day for my kids. That doesn't make me a super dad, it just means that my kids know that I was there."

Watch the full career-spanning interview with Hart above, where he also talks about the songs that rocketed him to stardom, living with fame in the '80s and how it feels to be making music again.

Interview with Corey Hart produced by Cora Nijhawan.