RAG ‘N’ Bone man choked back tears as he opened up on the hugely poignant meaning behind his new album.
The Human hitmaker, 39, performed fresh track, Pocket, live on the BBC‘s Graham Norton Show on Friday.
Yet it was when the Uckfield-born star arrived on the programme’s star-studded sofa, alongside the likes of comedienne Miranda Hart, 51, and musician Selena Gomez, 32, when emotion hit.
Opening up on the heart-wrenching track, from fresh release What Do You, host Graham told how the lyrics came from “a beautiful sad place.”
Rag ‘n’ Bone Man, real name Rory Graham, agreed and said: “I was trying to figure out how to talk to children about loss and how you sugar coat things and say someone has gone to a better place.
“Even if you don’t necessarily believe that, it was OK to say.
“And I guess what do you believe in means – ohh sorry,” before a sharp intake of breath.
As he continued to stay silent, host Graham said: “Are you OK? You don’t look …” before the audience filled the silence with a round of applause.
Rag ‘n’ Bone man said: “No I am good.”
Graham, offering further support, added: “If its hard to talk about then don’t, honestly you’re fine.”
Yet the hitmaker battled on and said: “Basically I was trying to tell my kids about the loss of my mum.
“And basically what I concluded was it doesn’t really matter what we believe in, it’s about our collective love for each other, and how we get through that together as a family.”
After the emotional confession, Graham replied: “I didn’t mean to upset you but thank you for sharing that.”
Addressing the panel on the sofa, the tattooed singer said: “I didn’t want to bring things down.”
Trying to add a splash of humour Graham quipped: “And also it is one of those things – you’ve called the album that so you are going to have to tell that story again, so I’m so sorry.”
Jane was a key figure in the Uckfield music scene prior to her passing in January 2023.
Fans were quick to take to X to comment on the emotional scenes.
One remarked: “An emotional but lovely #GrahamNorton tonight! Both Miranda and Rag N Bone Man sharing today, and love how supportive the other celebs were!”
Another posted: “I’m not a follower of any of the guests on the #GrahamNorton show, BUT it just gets better, glued to the screen. Proper emotional stories and connections.”
A third put: “That was like a therapy session tonight …”
Another mused: “Ooo love #Ragnboneman on #GrahamNorton tonight.”
The singer recently raised eyebrows among fans as he revealed his very normal job before finding fame.
