Engelbert Humperdinck back in NZ for four-show tour

Singer Engelbert Humperdinck is back in the country to perform four shows around the North Island.

This will be the second time the iconic pop star has been to New Zealand and when he's here, there's one song he makes sure he never forgets to do. 

'Ten Guitars' was written in the basement of Humperdinck's London flat in 1965, and cemented the pop star's place in the hearts of Kiwis. The smash hit is now considered a New Zealand anthem.

And now he's back in the country to play Auckland, Wellington, Napier and New Plymouth.

"I'm hoping this will be a very rewarding time for me because concerts are concerts, but you hope each time it will get better and better and better," Humperdinck says.

Each year he tries to change his shows up - that is, of course, for the one obvious exception.

"When I'm in New Zealand I always put 'Ten Guitars' in, because this is the song that was really on the best side. It was my number one hit, the big one for me that was number one around the world."

Humperdinck's last time in New Zealand was 2013, when he played just the one show in Auckland. But it's a show which still stands out for the 80-year-old as one of his most memorable.

"It was in an open park and I saw the little kids in the front and they were dancing to 'Ten Guitars'," he says.

"It was just amazing and that's one of the most memorable times seen because it was one of the biggest crowds I've ever seen in my life."

Humperdinck has never been shy of a smash hit, and his popularity continues to soar.

For the man who's played everywhere from Russia to Sri Lanka to India and Austria, small-town New Zealand will be quite the change. But he's adamant no matter how big or small the stage is, his passion for the music, and the spectacle for his fans, never changes.

Newshub.

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