ON THIS DAY IN 1999 - A DOCUMENTARY SUBJECT INSPIRED STING'S PORTRAIT OF A TRANSGENDER SEX WORKER

ON THIS DAY IN 1999 — A DOCUMENTARY SUBJECT INSPIRED STING’S PORTRAIT OF A TRANSGENDER SEX WORKER 🎵

When Sting released Brand New Day, one of its most unexpected characters came not from an entirely abstract scenario, but from a world documented by his wife, Trudie Styler.

“Tomorrow We’ll See” is voiced from the perspective of a Brazilian transgender sex worker. Rather than writing confessionally, Sting placed himself in someone else’s shoes, imagining the world through the character’s eyes. 🎭

The connection began with Styler’s work as a producer. Her first television documentary, Boys from Brazil, followed transgender sex workers living in São Paulo. Years later, she described its subjects and the physical transformations some had undertaken through hormones and silicone injections. 🎬🌆

Discussing the song in 1999, Sting explained that he actually knew a person from that community through his wife’s documentary. He was struck by the pride the subjects took in their appearance and presentation, and by what he saw as an element of performance within their work.

That personal connection gave “Tomorrow We’ll See” its foundation. The song did not claim to tell Sting’s own story; it belonged to a character far removed from his experience. That approach reflected his wider intentions for Brand New Day: the album was not designed as autobiography, but as a collection of perspectives, stories and imagined lives. 💿

Placed midway through the record, the song became a striking example of how observation can grow into character writing — and how a songwriter can look beyond his own life for a voice worth hearing. ✨

Sometimes the most revealing portrait begins when the artist steps out of the frame.

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