At 62, you could forgive singer-songwriter Richard Marx for wanting to slow down a bit.

After all, he’s rounding out his fourth decade in the music industry. The man must surely be tired?

But with a new album, a global touring schedule, and another stint as coach on The Voice Australia on the cards, taking time out just isn’t an option — and that’s exactly how Marx likes it.

“I am having so much fun in my career right now, taking these little detours into unfamiliar territory like television, and doing The Voice — it’s like one big playground for me these days,” he tells The West Australian.

This is the second year he’ll appear on Seven’s reality singing competition. He’s returning for another season alongside fellow coaches Melanie C, Kate Miller-Heidke and Ronan Keating, all now friends.

“When the cameras stop rolling, we really do like each other,” he admits.

“I find it so nice that we will be in our respective dressing rooms, but we end up standing around talking and hanging out together — and we socialise.

“They are really lovely people.”

Their presence was a big reason he agreed to take time out of his busy schedule to return to the show. That, and the lure of spending more time in Australia, a place he’s fallen in love with.

“My decision (to return) is also tied with just simply being here — I love being in the country,” Marx says.

“I love the area where my wife and I rent a house — we get to spend months here, and live here, and it’s just been such a beautiful surprise for us.”

Marx and wife Daisy Fuentes, a TV host and former MTV VJ, live in a house on the beach in Sydney’s ritzy eastern suburbs. It didn’t take long for them to fall in love with the laid-back lifestyle that went with their sea change.

“A year ago we really thought at the end of 2½ months that we would be ready to go home, but we just love it here,” he says.

“We are on one of the beaches, so we get to do the coastal walk every day — from Bondi to Coogee is our hood — and it’s great … and I love my life on the road, because my wife is with me most of the time.”

It’s unusual for a singer of Marx’s vintage to still be actively writing, performing and touring, but he’s clearly not one to conform to the norm — he’s still out on the road, recently accompanying rock icon Rod Stewart on his North American tour.

Forty-plus years, and he’s not yet tired of the lifestyle.

“I love touring, and I love being with my band,” Marx says.

“My wife is there, and sometimes my sons will come out and hang out with me — my touring life is really fun for me, and it never gets boring or old.

“That’s one of the things Rod and I talk about all the time — we hang out, and we go out for dinner all the time, and we always talk about how grateful we are for what we do.

“He is 81 and he is having so much fun — he is doing more shows this year than I am, and he did 80 shows last year. Unbelievable!

“He just loves being on the road.”

Marx says he’s excited to be back on The Voice for another year, unearthing a new crop of talent, who — God willing — may find themselves enjoying the kind of longevity Stewart and Marx still enjoy decades on.

“One of the things I like about being on the show is that I get to give people an opportunity to get their voices in front of a big group of people in Australia — to get fans,” he says.

“It’s harder and harder to break through the noise and really connect with an audience that is going to stick around with you, and follow you, and be patient with you.”

That’s precisely what Marx’s fans have done — and he doesn’t take their support for granted.

“One of the reasons I felt confident in having a long career is that I started out behind the scenes as a writer and then became successful at that before I had an artist career,” he explains.

“And I never stopped doing that. I never stopped writing songs for other people, and it became clear to me a long time ago that whether I have hits as an artist, it doesn’t matter — there is so much work for me to do to stay relevant and busy. “

The Voice airs on Sundays at 7pm and on Mondays and Tuesdays at 7.30pm on Seven and 7Plus.