James Blunt (born James Hillier Blount, 22 February 1974) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He is known for his songs "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover".
As a British Army captain in the aftermath of the Kosovo War, Blunt was involved in the British refusal to engage Russian troops at Pristina Airport. After leaving the army, he rose to fame in 2004 with the release of his debut album Back to Bedlam, achieving worldwide fame with the singles "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover". His first album had sold over 12 million copies worldwide by December 2009, topping the UK Albums Chart and peaking at number two in the US. "You're Beautiful" reached number one in thirteen countries, including the UK and the US. Back to Bedlam was the best-selling album of the 2000s in the UK, and is as of 2018 one of the best-selling albums in UK chart history.
Blunt's second album, All the Lost Souls, released in 2007, reached number one in twelve countries. He went on to release a further five albums, at intervals of approximately three years: Some Kind of Trouble (2010), Moon Landing (2013), The Afterlove (2017), Once Upon a Mind (2019) and Who We Used to Be (2023).
As of 2021, Blunt had sold over 23 million albums worldwide. He has received several awards, including two Brit Awards—winning Best British Male in 2006—two MTV Video Music Awards and two Ivor Novello Awards, as well as receiving five Grammy Award nominations and an Honorary Doctorate of Music in 2016 from the University of Bristol.
Blunt was born James Hillier Blount on 22 February 1974 at Tidworth Camp military hospital in Hampshire, England. His mother, Jane Ann Farran (née Amos), owned a ski chalet company in the French Alpine resort of Méribel, while his father, Charles Blount, was a cavalry officer in the 13th/18th Royal Hussars and later a helicopter pilot, becoming a colonel in the Army Air Corps. Blunt is the first of three children, with two sisters. The family has a long history of military service that dates back to the arrival of their Danish ancestors in England during the 10th century.
Blunt was raised primarily in St Mary Bourne, Hampshire, but regularly moved in accordance with his father's military postings. He moved between England (Middle Wallop, Netheravon, York), Cyprus (Nicosia) and Germany (Soest). He also spent time in Cley-next-the-Sea, where his father owned the Cley Windmill. Blunt was educated at Elstree School, Harrow School, where he attained A-levels in physics, chemistry and economics, and the University of Bristol, where he graduated with a BSc (Hons) in sociology in 1996 after initially studying civil engineering.
Like his father, Blunt is a pilot. He gained his fixed-winged private pilot licence at the age of 16. He also developed a keen interest in motorbikes during his teenage years.
In fulfilment of his sponsorship through university by a British Army bursary, Blunt was required to serve a minimum of four years in the British armed forces. He trained at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst in intake 963 and was commissioned into the Life Guards. He rose to the rank of captain. The Life Guards, part of the Household Cavalry Regiment, were primarily based in Combermere Barracks. Blunt trained in British Army Training Unit Suffield in Alberta, Canada, where his regiment was posted for six months in 1998 to act as the opposing army in combat training exercises.
In 1999, Blunt volunteered to join a squadron of the Blues and Royals who deployed with NATO to Kosovo. Initially assigned to carry out reconnaissance of the Macedonia–FR Yugoslavia border, Blunt's troop worked ahead of the front lines, locating and targeting Serbian forces for the NATO bombing campaign. On 12 June 1999, the troop led the 30,000-strong NATO peacekeeping force from the Macedonia border towards Pristina International Airport. However, a Russian military contingent had moved in and taken control of the airport before his unit's arrival. American NATO commander Wesley Clark ordered that the unit forcibly take the airport from the Russians. Blunt allegedly questioned the order and General Mike Jackson, the British commander, refused the order, telling Clark that they were "not going to start World War Three for you". Blunt has said that he would have refused to obey such an order if Jackson had not blocked it.
During Blunt's Kosovo assignment, he had taken along his guitar strapped to the outside of his tank and would sometimes perform for locals and troops. While on duty there he wrote the song "No Bravery". Blunt extended his military service in November 2000 and was posted to the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment in London, as a member of the Queen's Guard. During this posting, he was featured on the television programme Girls on Top, a series highlighting unusual career choices. He stood guard at the coffin of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother during her lying in state and was part of the associated funeral procession on 9 April 2002.
A keen skier, Blunt captained the Household Cavalry alpine ski team in Verbier, Switzerland, becoming the Royal Armoured Corps giant slalom champion in 2000. He left the army on 1 October 2002 having served six years.
Blunt had piano and violin lessons as a child and was introduced to the electric guitar aged 14 at Harrow by a fellow student. His dissertation at the University of Bristol was entitled The Commodification of Image – Production of a Pop Idol. One of his sources was Simon Frith, a sociologist and rock critic, and chair of the Mercury Music Prize panel of judges since 1992, who later undertook a lecture tour entitled "The unpopular and unpleasant thoughts inspired by the work of James Blunt".
While in the army, Blunt wrote songs during his free time. A backing vocalist and songwriting collaborator suggested that he contact Elton John's manager, Todd Interland, with whom she used to share a house. Interland told HitQuarters that he listened to Blunt's demo while driving home and, after hearing the track "Goodbye My Lover", pulled over and called the mobile number written on the CD to set up a meeting.
Blunt left the army in 2002 so that he could pursue his music career. He started using the stage name "James Blunt", in part to make his last name easier for others to spell; "Blount" is pronounced the same way, and remains his legal last name. Shortly after leaving the army he was signed to EMI music publishers and to Twenty-First Artists management. A record contract remained elusive, with label executives pointing to his posh speaking voice as a barrier in class-divided Britain. In early 2003 Linda Perry, who was launching her label Custard Records, heard Blunt's promotional tape when visiting London, and soon after heard him perform live at the South by Southwest Music Festival. She made an offer to him the same night, and within a few days he signed a recording contract with her. A month later, he travelled to Los Angeles to meet producer Tom Rothrock.
Blunt recorded Back to Bedlam in 2003 with Rothrock as producer in Conway Recording Studios at Rothrock's home studio in Los Angeles, playing many instruments himself. During recording, he lodged with actress Carrie Fisher. Fisher contributed in naming the album, and he recorded the song "Goodbye My Lover" in her bathroom. Back to Bedlam was released in the UK in October 2004.
Blunt's debut single in the UK was "High" (co-written with Ricky Ross of Deacon Blue). This song initially peaked below the Top 100 of the UK Singles Chart; after the subsequent success of "You're Beautiful" it made the Top 75 before being re-released. The song was chosen to appear in a Vodafone commercial in Italy, and was a Top 10 hit in that country.
The debut album from the unknown Blunt initially attracted little critical attention; there were no published reviews from major UK music journals. His live performances, mainly in support of better-known musicians, received generally favourable reviews. His lack of performing experience and inconsistent approach with audiences was commented upon, while his music was likened to that of Damien Rice and David Gray.