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James Blunt (born James Blount in Tidworth,
Wiltshire, England on February 22, 1977) is an English musician whose
debut album, Back To Bedlam, and single releases - especially number one
hit "You're Beautiful" - brought him to fame in 2005. His style has been
described as a mix of jazz, rock and soul, and comparisons have been
made between him and early Elton John. Along with the vocals of the
album, Blunt plays a variety of instruments including the piano, guitar
and organ.
Blount (the name was changed for his music
career) was born at a British Army hospital, the son and grandson of
senior army officers. He was sent to board at Elstree School aged seven,
and at thirteen was accepted into Harrow School. While there, and aged
only sixteen, he became one of the youngest holders of a UK Private
Pilot Licence. He read aeronautical engineering at Bristol University on
an army bursary which required him to enlist on graduation. He joined
the Life Guards the senior regiment in the British Army. During his four
years service he was promoted to Captain with the British Army and
served as a NATO peacekeeper in Kosovo, one of the first to enter those
areas where war crimes had been committed. It was this experience that
led to his writing of the song "No Bravery". After his tour of duty in
Kosovo he was sent to Switzerland where he became the captain of the
Household Cavalry downhill ski team. One of his final duties in the army
before retirement was the funeral of the Queen Mother on April 9, 2002,
where he carried her coffin. He has said that he had been shot at more
times than 50 Cent. (Nyhetsmorgon interview on TV4)
****
Early Success
James Blunt's debut single in the UK,
"High," peaked below the Top 100 of the UK Singles Chart. However, the
song was chosen to appear in a Vodafone commercial in Italy, and as a
result ended up becoming a Top 10 hit in that country. His second single
"Wisemen" improved upon that position with a #44 peak in the UK.
However, it was the third single "You're
Beautiful" that became Blunt's breakthrough hit. The song debuted at #12
in the UK, and demonstrated a rare trend of upward mobility on the UK
charts, rising all the way to the #1 position, six weeks after its
debut. The song also received massive airplay in the UK which was able
to propel Back To Bedlam to #1 on the albums chart, with the special
feat of unseating the record-breaking album X & Y by Coldplay from the
pole position.
After the success of "You're Beautiful" in
the UK, the song crossed over to mainland Europe, becoming one the
biggest hits of summer 2005 across the continent. In the USA, "You're
Beautiful" was only later released to radio, after receiving airplay on
WPLJ, a prominent radio station in New York City. Since then, the single
has reached #22 on the Adult Top 40 chart and #19 on the Adult
Contemporary chart.
The videos for all three of James Blunt's
singles to date feature symbolism and dark imagery. In the video for
"High", James is buried in a desert. In the video for "Wisemen," James
is kidnapped and held hostage. In the video for "You're Beautiful,"
James alludes to suicide.
Blunt has recorded a new, less
'controversial' video for the re-release of the single 'High', which was
released on 3rd Oct 2005. The new video contains several lingering close
ups with light trickery and scenes of him running at full speed through
a forest.
His next single is expected to be "Goodbye
My Lover," due for release in December. The video features English-born
stateside actress Mischa Barton (The O.C, Notting Hill, The Sixth
Sense), who also assisted James in giving his acceptance speech at the
2005 MTV EMAs. (Source: Keira)
****
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URL of Original Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Blunt
Date Article Copied:
November 16, 2005
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