Michael Buble recently received a cassette tape of his first performance ever, but it didn't bring back pleasant memories.

"I was absolutely terrible. I didn't know how to get in and out of the song," the 34-year-old said embarrassingly of a performance when he was 16. "At that point I didn't understand the form of a song. So wrong, so terrible.'

But even though he went through an awkward stage as a performer, he was convinced that singing was in his future.

His faith paid off. His first three CDs have gone gold, platinum and triple-platinum, and his newest one, "Crazy Love," recently debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top 200 albums chart.

In a recent interview, Bubfo talked about his approach to music and his new album, which finds the Canadian-born singer covering songs by Van Morrison, Ron Sexsmith and the Eagles.

You're covering old school songs in this digital era of the music industry. How did

technology play a role in the recording process?

Bubfo: I tried to make it very organic, to record off the floor, to mic it in a way you could really capture the essence of what I do live, the energy of what I do live. ...Of course we used machines and Pro Tools, and there were parts of it where I tuned my voice up and all that stuff. I mean, I'm going to take advantage as much as I can, of course, of technology as much as we could. (But) we tried to make this record feel good as opposed to sounding good, and for me, that's a huge step forward personally.

Do you find covering songs easier or harder to do compared to creating your own music?

Bubl& It's far more difficult for me to cover a song because you can compare that song with another 400, iconic artistes who have recorded it. So it's my job to take it to a different place. And as an interpreter, I take it really seriously. When I'm remaking a song. I'm aware that I'm not here to sing the

song better than Frank (Sinatra) or if I cover Van Morrison or I cover the Eagles, my job isn't to sing it better, my job is to make it my own.

What's the message you're trying to send with the new CD?

Bubll: I think the message is that all of us can relate to this feeling, this emotion called love and it's a complicated feeling. It

doesn't just come with butterflies in the stomach and happiness and sunshine and lollipops, it comes with heartache and jealousy and sometimes rage and sometimes insecurity and sadness and regret. It's a beautiful, complicated, and really special feeling that keeps us all connected.

Bubld plans to give his fans another dose of "Crazy Love"

in 2010. The singer told Billboard.com that he will reissue the album with some tracks left over from the recording sessions. Among them will be "Hollywood Dead," which will be the third single from "Crazy Love" after "Have I Met You" and "Hold On."

Compiled by Cultural Correspondent