10 Quick Questions for Donny Osmond

At 64, you’ve had plenty of success. Why keep at it?

I have no desire to retire. It sounds boring to me. There will be a day when the curtain will come down, but it will be on my watch. Even when it comes down, I’ll still be involved in producing, directing, writing and things like that. I just don’t think you should ever allow yourself to stop. You can slow down, but you never want to stop.

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What artists do you most want to work with, but haven’t yet?

Donny Osmond has no desire to retire.

Brandon Osmond

I think it would be fun to do a collaboration with Justin Bieber — the parallel of both our lives. I was very close with Michael [Jackson], so to do something with Janet, she could be the other Marie for a split second. There’s an idea in the back of my mind I think I’m going to approach Imagine Dragons with — or The Killers.

Who is on your current playlist?

First one up is Charlie Puth, I love Charlie Puth; Harry Styles; Dua Lipa; definitely Stevie Wonder; Paul McCartney; I love Justin Timberlake; Bruno Mars; a lot of Chaka Khan in there; definitely a lot of Earth, Wind & Fire; Rihanna; Tower of Power; James Taylor; Al Green.

Best life lesson learned?

Show business, when you get right down to it, is smoke and mirrors. But we all like it, because when we go to a theater, we want to be entertained. We want to look at this star on stage who’s larger than life. I learned this from Elvis Presley when I met him when I was 14 years old in Las Vegas. I watched his closing night because my brothers and I were opening up the next day. “The King” on stage was untouchable. He had the crowd in the palm of his hands. I kept thinking, I'm going to be on that stage tomorrow night opening with my brothers. So the next night, we’re in Elvis’s dressing room getting ready — it’s about 10 minutes before the show starts — and the door opens up and Elvis walks in and he says, “Hi everybody, I’m Elvis.” Just him saying that impressed this little 14-year-old mind so much that I said to myself, Hold on. That was the superstar that I saw last night, and he’s just a real person. He doesn’t need to introduce himself, he’s Elvis. It really began the process in my mind to realize that show business is very temporary. It’s important. People love it. But when I walk off that stage, I go home. I’m a husband, I’m a father, I’m a grandpa, and that’s what’s real.