Jamie Cullum on his gig at the White House, The Song Society project and future plans

The Brit crossover star talks Barack Obama, covering Justin Bieber, tackling jazz preconceptions, and the domestic inspirations behind his next album.

British pianist and singer Jamie Cullum will be performing at President Obama’s International Jazz Day concert. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

Jamie Cullum is unashamedly a geek. Sit down with the British ­pianist, singer and songwriter and you find a serious fanboy, brimming with enthusiasm and insight for music – in all its forms. He gushes wildly about hip-hop, drum n’ bass, pop and jazz alike.

Forget his syrupy radio ballads – not to everyone’s taste – Cullum’s passions and talents overflow into so many other outlets.

He does radio, hosting many personal heroes on his long-running BBC Radio 2 show. He does publishing, putting out his own eclectic magazine, The Eighty-Eight. And of late, he does kooky click-bait YouTube covers, having launched The Song Society, a concept in which Cullum, 36, learns and performs tracks by the likes of Justin Bieber, Mark Ronson and The Weeknd in just one hour.

And, as he proved a few hours after our chat when he played a private gig at the St Regis Dubai, he is a something of a human jukebox, spontaneously riffing on everything from Cole Porter to Radiohead, a one-man-band playing, singing, strolling, tapping, beatboxing – this guy is seriously talented– and interesting, too.

You have a gig at The White House coming up, playing at President Obama’s International Jazz Day concert on April 29.

That is true – I can finally say that out loud. It’s a huge deal. If I think about it, I probably won’t sleep between now and then, so thanks for reminding me.

What’s the greatest misconception people have about jazz?

That it’s five people just playing their own thing in the corner of a room, all just showing off – which I can understand because the very worst jazz is exactly that. But the very worst of heavy metal, pop or classical music is the same. Obviously, the essence of jazz is the total opposite of that – it is in supportive conversation. It is one of the reasons why I got into jazz, but also feel hard being tethered to.

Yet you went back to jazz on your last record, Interlude. What are you cooking up next?

The new record is all my songs – I’m intending it as a songwriter’s record. I did 10 shows supporting Billy Joel in New York, and I was very inspired by it – not to write songs like him, but writing very personal songs. I’m working with some good people and making something I feel is great.

So you're taking inspiration from your personal life – and your significant other (Cullum is married to model and author Sophie Dahl)?

I guess so – it’s not like a diary album, but hopefully as you get a bit older, you have a bit more understanding, or maybe your understanding is understanding that there’s no point trying to understand everything – that’s what I’m writing about that moment.

How did The Song Society start?

Covering modern songs is ­something I love to do, breaking down the chords and working out what makes them tick – trying to distil it down to a few elements. And giving us the time limit means we don’t overwork it – we’re not saying it’s record-­worthy or definitive.

The most recent one was Justin Bieber’s What Do You Mean.

I didn’t immediately love the melody so much but I love the tropical house vibe, the lope of the groove, and I wanted to see if I could recreate it with my hands, playing all the parts on the piano. On the next one, I’m going to play every instrument – drums, bass, piano and guitar. And then my video guy is going to pan around the room, and everyone on an ­instrument is me.