You’re Beautiful

Background:

"It's always nice to be able to capture your life's experiences in a song and hold the emotion in that way." James Blunt

A former soldier, British folk-rock-pop singer/songwriter James Blunt garnered international recognition for his smash hit singles “You’re Beautiful” and “Goodbye My Lover” from his 2x platinum debut album “Back to Bedlam” in 2005. He followed it up with the second studio album "All the Lost Souls' (2007), which spawned the singles "1973," "Same Mistake," "Carry You Home," "I Really Want You," and "Love, Love, Love."

"I think sensitive is the wrong description of me. I'm British, actually, so quite bad at expressing myself in conversation, as any ex-girlfriend will tell you. I'm probably emotionally stunted." James Blunt

This 5' 8'' Grammy nominated musician has been romantically linked to Dixie Chassay, the casting director for the “Harry Potter” films, and Camilla Boler, a singer and daughter of the late Stephen Boler. He also briefly dated Czech Republic-born supermodel Petra Nemcova (born on June 24, 1979) in 2006.

“I've always thought it was my responsibility to do that. I have been told by people that I should not be seen clubbing with good looking women, but I can't see why not. Why be a pop star otherwise? I have fun with it and I am honest and open about the way I lead my life and don't mislead anyone. I've had the time of my life and thank God for that. It would be such a waste otherwise.” James Blunt (on fraternizing with his groupies)

Blunty

Childhood and Family:

On February 22, 1974, James Hillier Blount, nicknamed “Blunty,” was born in Tidworth, Wiltshire, England. The first child born to Jane and Charles Blount, young Blunt spent his formative years living in England, Cyprus, and Germany, where his father, a Colonel in the British Army Air Corps and military helicopter pilot, was posted. Blunt, who has two younger siblings, has a private pilot license from the U.K. that he earned at age 16.

“Being sent away to boarding school at seven is as great an inspiration as any songwriter could have - to be taken away from one's family and locked away for 10 years. It does create an incredible intensity of emotion.” James Blunt

He attended Elstree School in Woolhampton, Berkshire, and Harrow School, a large, well-known public school for boys in Harrow, London. He gained an army-sponsored place at the University of Bristol, where he majored in Aerospace Manufacturing Engineering. He graduated in 1996.

Blunt, whose family has a long history of military service dating to the 10th century, was in the army for four and a half years. He spent six months in Kosovo as part of the peace keeping force in 1999. He left the British Army in 2002 to pursue his musical career and would later raise funds for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, through benefit concerts. He is also a patron of Help for Heroes, a charity that raises money to provide better facilities to wounded British servicemen.

Blunt's primary residence is now on the Spanish island of Ibiza. He has a dog called Tara.

Goodbye My Lover

Career:

“I don't think about Norfolk as I write songs.” James Blunt

Taking piano and violin lessons as a child, James Blunt started playing guitar and writing songs at age 14 when he was at Harrow School. Although his music was never appreciated in school as it was too emotional for the teenage boys in his class, he continued to practice everyday.

“I didn't always think, 'Oh, I'm going to be in the army.' I always thought, 'I'm going to be a musician.' The army was just a delaying thing.” James Blunt

After joining the army for four and a half years, Blunt left in 2002 and moved to Los Angeles in 2003 to pursue a musical career. His promotional tape and live performance at the South by Southwest Music Festival impressed Linda Perry, who was just launching her own Custard Records label in early 2003. He eventually signed a recording contract with her and began working with producer Tom Rothrock in Los Angeles to record his debut album, "Back to Bedlam."

Released on October 11, 2004, the acoustic-tinged rock and folk pop album spawned four singles: "High," a Top 20 hit worldwide, "Wisemen," which peaked at #44 on the U.K. Singles Chart, "You're Beautiful," which rose to #1 and #2 in the U.K. and Australia respectively, and "Goodbye My Lover," which rose to the top ten in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Australia and France, and number #66 on the Billboard Hot 100 on the Billboard singles chart. At the 2007 Grammy Awards, "You're Beautiful" received three nominations, including Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. The music video won the MTV Award for Best Male Video and Best Cinematography.

He said of his breakout hit, "It's kind of miserable. It was about seeing my ex-girlfriend on the Underground in London with her new man, who I didn't know existed. She and I caught eyes and lived a lifetime in that moment, but didn't do anything about it and haven't seen each other since."

"It's probably one of the least meaningful songs on the album and by no means people's favorite. The album is like a book covering various aspects of life in a specific order," he added

As for the album, "Back to Bedlam," it broke the top ten of the American Billboard 200 with its highest position at #2. The hugely successful album sold about 12 million copies worldwide and has been certified double platinum in the United States. It also entered the Guinness Book of World Records for most albums sold in a year in the U.K. when it sold 2,368,000 copies in 2005.

On February 21, 2006, Blunt released a live album and DVD, "Chasing Time: The Bedlam Sessions." On September 17, 2007, he released his second studio album, "All the Lost Souls." It yielded the singles "1973," which peaked at #4 on the U.K. Singles Chart and debuted at #73 on the Billboard Hot 100, "Same Mistake," "Carry You Home," which peaked at #20 on the U.K. Singles Chart, "I Really Want You," and "Love, Love, Love," which was released in November 2008. The album was certified Platinum in Australia and Germany and Gold in Belgium, Estonia, Greece, the Netherlands, and Sweden. It also peaked at #1 on the album charts in Argentina, Australia, Canada, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy and the U.K. Throughout 2008, Blunt has been touring the world to promote the album.

“Things take a long time, but when it's right, things move fast.” James Blunt

Awards:

• MTV Video Music Awards: Best Male Video, “You're Beautiful,” 2006

• NRJ Music Awards (France): Best International Newcomer, 2006

• Brit Awards: Best Male, 2006

• Brit Awards: Best Pop Act, 2006

• ECHO Awards (Germany): Best International Newcomer, 2006

• NME: Worst Album, “Back to Bedlam,” 2006

• MTV Australia Video Music Awards: Song of the Year, “You're Beautiful,” 2006

• Ivor Novello: Most Performed Work and International Hit of the Year, 2006

• MTV Europe Music Awards: Best New Act, 2005

• Q Awards: Best New Act, 2005

• Digital Music Awards: Best Pop Act, 2005