I was famous overnight. I went from nowhere to being really big.

Yes — that quote is correctly attributed to Sting (born Gordon Sumner), the English musician, singer-songwriter, and former frontman of The Police.

“I was famous overnight. I went from nowhere to being really big.”
— Sting

Context and Background

Sting made this remark while reflecting on his sudden rise to fame with The Police in the late 1970s. The band’s breakout came rapidly with the success of hits like “Roxanne” and “Message in a Bottle”, which propelled them from relative obscurity to international stardom within a short time.

In interviews, Sting has often described this period as intense and disorienting — a whirlwind shift from teaching and playing small gigs to performing for massive audiences worldwide.

Interpretation

The quote captures the shock of sudden success, and the way fame can transform one’s life almost instantly. It also reflects Sting’s candid self-awareness: fame wasn’t a gradual climb for him but a leap that came “overnight,” bringing both opportunity and pressure.

It’s a concise, honest reflection on the unpredictable nature of success in the music industry — how quickly everything can change when talent, timing, and luck converge.