With an international presence and following, globe-trotting singer Michael Bolton — heading to Hawai'i for a concert Thursday — isn't the easiest guy to tag for an interview. But he agreed to use a two-hour stop in Seoul, Korea, for an e-mail exchange on subjects ranging from his lengthy reign as a popular performer to his rekindled relationship with "Desperate Housewives" star Nicollette Sheridan.

Q. Is there a secret to your longevity?

A. "I'm just grateful to have a loyal audience ... and really, I'm still amazed that the fan base is what it is around the world.

"There are also a lot of younger, 20-plus people at the shows who were going through a lot of important life experiences (their 'becoming' years) when my music was being played a lot in their homes and around them, so they have a certain association with the songs and their teen years. It's a very cool, wide audience, looking out from the stage!"

Q. How do you cope with long jet rides and stopovers? Are you a good traveler?

A. "I'm used to living out of bags and packing in a heartbeat for different climates and locations around the world because that's my life. I hadn't been home for 4 1/2 months till a few weeks ago; I was in Buenos Aires, Argentina, then Atlantic City, then L.A. and now am communicating to you from an airport in Korea, and all of this has been in the last six days. So yes, I travel well, but the vocal chords are a human instrument and I have to take care of them, which is tough with long, long, long flights. Unfortunately, I cannot sleep on planes. Not from nervousness but I'm a light sleeper, so movement wakes me and my mind is on most of the time I'm awake, so I work while flying. Writing, composing, studying for the next project, next CD song selection, touring, staging, etc. etc. I also read scripts as I've done some film production and I'd like to do some more. I think blogging is next for me."

Q. So, you're engaged to be married. How do you balance love and relationship with careers and time zones?

A. "Nicollette and I are also used to having pretty hectic, demanding lives and we've traveled the world together as well. We were together about 14 years ago for almost six years, and we're in a place where we try and make the most out of the windows of time we have. And yes, sometimes that means in front of the TV on Sunday night (watching "Desperate Housewives"). We're handling it all better this time around."

Q. You spent the holidays together in Hawai'i. Is this a possible site for a honeymoon?

A. "We both have a lot of work on our plates at the moment, but Hawai'i is easily one of the most beautiful destinations on Earth. Not talking about the 'possibilities' (of an Island honeymoon) or where quite yet."

Q. Tell me about that soulful voice. How far back does your memory go, about wanting to become a singer?

A. "I've loved singing since I was maybe 8 or 9 years old. It's my first passion; music has been and always will be. I had my first record deal when I was 16, with Epic Records, and I knew that was what I was supposed to be doing from then on.

"It took me some time to get focused. Eighteen years after the Epic deal, I had my first hit. I was 34. And the record 'That's What Love Is All About' came out. By then, my songwriting career had kicked in as well, but it seems like a long journey through the desert before success and a sense of security happened."

Q. What's more important to you, melody or lyrics? And why?

A. "No rules on this one. The more lyrics you have,the more you know what's trying to be communicated. Though it helps to have a lyric, sometimes the music and melody come first, so you jot it down or record it and save it, until the lyrics pop and feel like they belong together."

Q. You've written songs that have been recorded by others; is it easy to turn over a composition and entrust it someone else?

A. "You learn through the years that it's not always the biggest name but more important that the right artist records your music because it's what they feel and how the song resonates within them that brings it to life during the recording process."

Q. Your Michael Bolton Charities has done incredible work for those in need. What was the catalyst to help others?

A. "It was really almost accidental. I was just trying to raise money for families who had very little to look forward to and found out ... that most of the mothers and their children in shelters in the states are there because of some kind of violence directed toward them.

The social workers and volunteers and service providers ... need the financial support that they can't get completely from state and federal agencies, so we try and bridge the gaps for them."

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.