James Blunt facts for kids

Quick facts for kids James Blunt
Blunt in 2017
Born	James Hillier Blount (1974-02-22) 22 February 1974 (age 51) Tidworth, Hampshire, England
Education	University of Bristol (BSc (Hons))
Occupation	Singer songwriter musician
Years active	2003–present
Spouse(s)	Sofia Wellesley ​ (m. 2014)​
Children	2
Musical career
Genres	Pop rock folk rock folk pop soft rock
Instruments	Vocals guitar keyboards piano organ ukulele marimba
Labels	Custard Atlantic Warner
Military career
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1996–2002
Rank	Captain
Service number	547098
Unit	Life Guards
Battles/wars	Kosovo War

James Blunt (born James Hillier Blount, 22 February 1974) is a famous English singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known for his hit songs like "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover".

Before becoming a music star, James Blunt was a captain in the British Army. He served in places like Kosovo. After leaving the army, he became very famous in 2004 with his first album, Back to Bedlam. This album sold over 12 million copies around the world. His song "You're Beautiful" became number one in many countries, including the UK and the US.

Back to Bedlam was the best-selling album of the 2000s in the UK. It is still one of the top-selling albums in UK chart history. James Blunt has released several other successful albums, including All the Lost Souls (2007) and Moon Landing (2013). As of 2013, he had sold more than 20 million records worldwide. He has also won many awards, like two Brit Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards.

Early Life and Education

James Hillier Blount was born on 22 February 1974, in a military hospital in Tidworth, England. His mother, Jane, started a ski company in France. His father, Charles, was a military officer and helicopter pilot. James is the oldest of three children. His family has a long history of serving in the military.

James grew up moving often because of his father's army postings. He lived in different parts of England, as well as in Cyprus and Germany. He went to Elstree School and then Harrow School. Later, he studied at the University of Bristol and graduated in 1996.

Like his father, James is also a pilot. He earned his private pilot license when he was 16. He also became very interested in motorbikes around that time.

Military Service

James Blunt received a scholarship from the army for his university studies. Because of this, he had to serve at least four years in the armed forces. He trained at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst and joined the Life Guards. He eventually became a captain.

In 1999, James volunteered to go to Kosovo with NATO peacekeeping forces. His group helped find Serbian forces during the NATO bombing campaign. On 12 June 1999, his troop led the NATO peacekeeping force towards Pristina International Airport. However, Russian troops had already taken control of the airport.

There was a moment when a difficult decision had to be made to prevent a bigger conflict. James has said he would have refused an order that could have started a major war.

During his time in Kosovo, James often carried his guitar. He would play for local people and other soldiers. While he was there, he wrote the song "No Bravery". James continued his military service and was part of the Queen's Guard in London. He stood guard at the coffin of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother when she passed away in 2002.

James was also a keen skier and captained the Household Cavalry ski team. He left the army on 1 October 2002, after serving for six years.

Music Career

Starting Out

James Blunt had piano and violin lessons when he was a child. He learned to play the electric guitar at age 14. While he was still in the army, he would write songs in his free time. A friend suggested he contact Elton John's manager, Todd Interland.

James left the British Army in 2002 to focus on his music. He started using the stage name "James Blunt" because his real last name, "Blount," is pronounced the same way. Soon after, he signed with music publishers and a management company. In 2003, Linda Perry heard his music and offered him a record deal. He then went to Los Angeles to work with producer Tom Rothrock.

Back to Bedlam (2003–2006)

Blunt performing in the United States, 2008

James Blunt recorded his first album, Back to Bedlam, in 2003. He played many of the instruments himself. The album was released in the UK in October 2004.

His first single in the UK was "High". It became a Top 10 hit in Italy after being used in a commercial. At first, the album didn't get much attention from critics. However, his live performances were generally well-received.

James's third single, "You're Beautiful", became a huge hit. It reached number one in the UK and helped Back to Bedlam become the number one album. The song was played a lot on the radio, and James won an award for it.

After its success in the UK, "You're Beautiful" became popular across Europe and then in the US. James Blunt was the first British artist in almost ten years to have a number one song on the American charts.

"Goodbye My Lover" was released as the fourth single. In 2006, James won two Brit Awards for Best British Male and Best Pop Act. He also won two MTV Video Music Awards for "You're Beautiful".

The album Back to Bedlam sold 11.2 million copies worldwide. It was certified 10 times platinum in Britain. James toured a lot in 2005 and 2006, performing over 140 shows in 2006 alone.

The music videos for his songs from Back to Bedlam often had deep meanings. For example, in the video for "You're Beautiful", he jumps off a cliff. In "Goodbye My Lover", he feels like an outsider in a love story.

In 2007, James Blunt appeared on Sesame Street, singing about triangles to the tune of "You're Beautiful". In 2009, BBC Radio 1 announced that Back to Bedlam was the biggest-selling album of the 2000s in the UK.

All the Lost Souls (2007–2008)

Blunt at a concert in San Francisco, 2007

James Blunt's second album, All the Lost Souls, was released in September 2007. It sold very well, reaching gold status in the UK in just four days. By early 2008, it had sold 4.5 million copies internationally. James wrote the songs for this album at his home in Ibiza.

Critics had mixed but mostly positive reviews for All the Lost Souls. The first single, "1973", was inspired by his nights out at a club in Ibiza. This song also became a big hit, reaching number one on the European Hot 100 Singles chart.

James also worked with other artists during this time. He collaborated with French rapper Sinik on the song "Je Réalise". He also sang a duet with Italian singer Laura Pausini called "Primavera in anticipo".

James went on his second world tour in 2007 and 2008. He performed at famous venues like London's O2 Arena.

Some Kind of Trouble (2010–2013)

James Blunt's third album, Some Kind of Trouble, came out on 8 November 2010. It debuted at number four in the UK. The first single, "Stay the Night", did very well in Europe.

By February 2011, the album had sold over one million copies worldwide. By 2013, James Blunt had sold more than 20 million records in total.

Moon Landing (2013–2017)

Blunt performing in Nuremberg, Germany, October 2017

James Blunt's fourth album, Moon Landing, was released on 18 October 2013. He worked again with Tom Rothrock, who produced his first album. The main single, "Bonfire Heart", reached number four in the UK. It also became number one in Australia, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.

In 2014, a new version of the album called Moon Landing – Apollo Edition was released. It included five new songs. James also released a new single from this edition called "When I Find Love Again".

In 2015, James Blunt became a judge on the Australian TV show The X Factor Australia.

The Afterlove and Walk Away (2017–2019)

In early 2016, James Blunt announced he was working on his fifth album. It was called The Afterlove and was released in March 2017. In 2019, he worked with German DJ Alle Farben on a dance music song called "Walk Away".

Once Upon a Mind and Who We Used to Be (2019–Present)

James Blunt's sixth album, Once Upon a Mind, was released on 25 October 2019. The first song from it was "Cold".

His first "greatest hits" album, The Stars Beneath My Feet (2004–2021), came out on 19 November 2021. It included four new songs. He then went on a Greatest Hits tour in 2022.

On 2 August 2023, James Blunt announced his seventh album, Who We Used to Be, which was released on 27 October 2023. He also released the song "Beside You" from the album on the same day. He released other singles like "All The Love That I Ever Needed" and "The Girl That Never Was". The album came out at the same time as his book, Loosely Based on a Made-Up Story: A Non-Memoir. A documentary about his life and career, called One Brit Wonder, was shown in UK cinemas in December 2023. James toured for this album in 2024.

On 25 April 2025, James Blunt released a new song called "Tears Dry Tonight". It was a collaboration with Australian DJ Cyril. The song appeared on the UK Singles Downloads Chart and the New Zealand Hot Singles Chart.

Personal Life

Blunt and his wife Sofia at the NRJ Music Awards in December 2013

James Blunt mostly lives on the Spanish island of Ibiza. He also owns a ski chalet in Verbier, Switzerland. There's even a ski lift named after him there! In 2012, he helped open a restaurant at the top of that ski lift called La Vache.

On 6 September 2014, James Blunt married Sofia Wellesley. She is the granddaughter of the Duke of Wellington. James and Sofia have two sons. The godfather of their older son is singer Ed Sheeran.

In 2016, James Blunt received an honorary degree from the University of Bristol. This means he was recognized for his achievements, even though he didn't study for that specific degree.

James is very active on Twitter and has over two million followers. He is known for his funny and self-deprecating (making fun of himself) posts. In 2020, a book called How to Be a Complete and Utter Blunt: Diary of a Reluctant Social Media Sensation was published, which was a collection of his tweets.

Charity Work

James Blunt is a supporter of Help for Heroes. This charity raises money to help wounded British soldiers. He has also held concerts to raise money for them.

He has also raised funds for the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). He first learned about this group when he was serving in Kosovo. Since then, he has actively supported them by holding special auctions at his concerts. He also filmed a documentary called Return to Kosovo, where he visited the people and places he knew from his time there.

James Blunt also cares about the environment. He showed the trailer for the film An Inconvenient Truth at his concerts. For every concert ticket bought through his website, a tree was planted. On 7 July 2007, he performed at the Live Earth concert in London, which aimed to raise awareness about climate change.

He also helped with the charity song "Everybody Hurts" to raise money for the 2010 Haiti earthquake appeal.

Discography

• Back to Bedlam (2004)
• All the Lost Souls (2007)
• Some Kind of Trouble (2010)
• Moon Landing (2013)
• The Afterlove (2017)
• Once Upon a Mind (2019)
• Who We Used to Be (2023)

Tours

Headlining Tours

• Back to Bedlam World Tour (2005–2006)
• All the Lost Souls Tour (2008–2009)
• Some Kind of Trouble Tour (2011–2012)
• Moon Landing World Tour (2014–2015)
• The Afterlove Tour (2017–2018)
• Once Upon a Mind Tour (2020)
• The Stars Beneath My Feet Tour (2022)
• Who We Used to Be Tour (2024)
• Back to Bedlam 20th Anniversary Tour (2025)

Opening Act for Other Artists

• 2004 Tour (for Elton John) (2004)
• The Secret Migration Promo Tour (for Mercury Rev) (2004)
• Peachtree Road Tour (for Elton John) (2004)
• Fall Tour 2005 (for Jason Mraz) (2005)
• 2008 Summer Tour (for Sheryl Crow) (2008)
• ÷ Tour (for Ed Sheeran) (2017)

Awards and Nominations

Brit Awards

BT Digital Music Awards

Grammy Awards

MTV Australia Awards

MTV Europe Music Awards

MTV Video Music Awards

Q Awards

Teen Choice Awards

Other Awards

• 2006: NRJ Music Award (France) – Best International Newcomer
• 2006: Echo Music Prize (Germany) – Best International Newcomer
• 2006: Ivor Novello Awards – Most Performed Work and International Hit of the Year
• 2006: World Music Awards – Best New Artist in the World and Biggest Selling British Artist in the World
• 2007: IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales Music Awards – Top 10 Best Selling Foreign Albums All the Lost Souls
• 2008: Echo Music Prize (Germany) – Best International Male Artist
• 2010: Virgin Media Music Awards – The Hottest
• 2011: Elele Magazine Teen Idol of Turkey 2011
• 2014: Hungarian Music Awards – Pop/Rock Album of the Year for Moon Landing
• 2016: Honorary doctorate from the University of Bristol

Images for kids

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  Blunt in 2017

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  Blunt performing in the United States, 2008

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  Blunt at a concert in San Francisco, 2007

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  Blunt performing in Nuremberg, Germany, October 2017

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  Blunt and his wife Sofia at the NRJ Music Awards in December 2013

See also

In Spanish: James Blunt para niños