Michael Bolton Appears to Fall Asleep During a Live Interview — But Crooner Says He Can Explain

Celebrating 50 years in the entertainment industry appeared to be quite exhausting for Michael Bolton!

On Tuesday, the Grammy-winning singer and songwriter was set to chat with the hosts of Australia’s The Morning Show ahead of the release of his newest 50th-anniversary album, A Symphony of Hits.

Things didn’t go quite as planned for Bolton, however, when he experienced some difficulties with sound — and what appeared to be staying awake — during the live interview.

Following his grand introduction on The Morning Show, Bolton, 65, did not respond or even acknowledge the hosts and seemed to shut his eyes for an on-camera snooze. Even as they checked in again, the singer did not flinch and remained in the same position.

“Maybe he’s just updating Instagram,” joked host Larry Emdur, as the awkward silence continued.

“What time is it in Florida?” co-host Kylie Gillies asked.

“Cocktail time,” Emdur joked.

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At one point, Bolton sat up straight and appeared to open his eyes to announce, “It’s gone silent,” before returning to his slumped position. The hosts were ultimately unable to catch the crooner’s attention and explained that they would “check the technical side of things.”

When they were finally able to get the connection working, the hosts acknowledged the “technical difficulties,” before welcoming Bolton to the program and conducting the interview as originally planned.

“I can hear you perfectly,” the singer told the hosts, which prompted Emdur to pump his fist in victory.

The second interview was eventually shared to the morning program’s Twitter account. Other than reassuring the sound worked properly, Bolton made no mention of the awkward encounter during their conversation.

But later, he acknowledged the mishap on his social media accounts and clarified that he was not sleeping, but rather tweeting.

“I got my first record deal when I was 15 and I haven’t slept since!!” Bolton joked, alongside a GIF of him wearing pirate attire from his “Jack Sparrow” music video with The Lonely Island.

“In all seriousness there were technical issues with the live feed and they caught me tweeting!” he added. “We had a great interview once they fixed the glitch. #FakeNews #50thAnniversary #SymphonyOfHits”

RELATED: Michael Bolton Shares His Deep Love for Detroit In New Documentary About the Striving City

Aside from the milestone album, Bolton most recently lent his smooth voice and focus to the embattled city of Detroit in a documentary called Michael Bolton Presents American Dream: Detroit, which was released in May.

“I didn’t set out to make a documentary about Detroit,” Bolton told PEOPLE of teaming with Fathom Events for the project. “I was first pulled into the city by its rich musical history and then a much deeper story started to reveal itself. I didn’t know where it was leading but I felt so personally compelled to follow.”

Bolton said that beyond his love of Motown and Hitsville USA, he was moved by all the ways the people of Detroit are working to bounce back following the Great Recession, which nearly crippled the once powerful city.

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Said Bolton, “For about five years, we started following people and places and witnessing the determination of the city as a whole — made up of diverse, amazing individuals from all walks of life — to create opportunity out of challenge, to make art from its scars.”

As for why the New Haven, Connecticut, native says the citizens of Detroit means so much to him, “These people have become my heroes,” said Bolton. “I was so immediately and irresistibly inspired by this relentless will, because it renews the spirit for me of the American Dream that I grew up with and that fueled me to chase my own dream.”

For Bolton’s celebratory 50th anniversary album, the singer rerecorded and remastered many of his biggest hits, complete with a full symphony orchestra.

A Symphony of Hits will be available on Feb. 8.