No.1 for Interviews - James Blunt
James Blunt

The singer/songwriter’s debut album went to number one and the single You’re Beautiful was a massive hit around the globe but there is more to this man than his music and guitar

Since topping the charts in 2004 with his debut album Back to Bedlam and single You’re Beautiful, James Blunt has become one of the most successful singer/songwriters of all time. He has also gone on to gain a reputation for depressing lyrics and warbling from behind a piano or guitar.

But there is more to this man than meets the eye. Following a public school education, the 34-year-old singer went on to serve in the British army for four and a half years. He spent six months on a tour of duty in Kosovo; something that has clearly influenced his work and in particular the song No Bravery – the closing track on his debut album.
He returned to Kosovo in 2006 to make the documentary James Blunt: Return to Kosovo where he visited the area he went to with the army and played his songs to the troops still out there.

His latest album, All the Lost Souls is out now, as is his single Love Love Love. Here he discusses his influences and why Scotland is one of his favourite places to play.

A lot of your songs are quite sad. Do you ever want to do more up-tempo songs?
I guess I’m pigeonholed aren’t I? People expect me to be just one man and a guitar, or behind a piano but my songs are up-tempo as well as down-tempo. I’ve performed around the world in large venues and in big shows so it’s diverse music in that sense. In some songs I’m static and some I’m showing off and running about.

Would you like to tell us about your single Love Love Love?
It’s a song about pressing self-destruct. The song is autobiographical about my life experiences. I spent the last while trying to watch real life experiences – trying in the hope that people will relate to them in my songs. I think that as humans we share the same human emotions, hopes and fears and hopefully someone will relate to this song.

You’ve got a lot of female fans. Have you had any strange experiences?
No they’re pretty sensible on the whole I would say, but pretty diverse: Age, sex, race or religion really vary. I am playing to thousands at the moment – I’ve done 180 concerts this year. But I think the weirdest experience was when I got rugby tackled by a security guard at my own concert. I jumped off the stage and I take it he didn’t recognise me.

Do you enjoy coming to Scotland?
I’ve had amazing support here and years of chemistry up here and with the Scots.

Why do you think you have such a strong relationship with Scotland?
I think it started very early when I started coming here, playing King Tuts in Glasgow and in small venues and people just seemed to pick up on what I was doing just so much faster than down south. It sort of just carried on from there.

Are you saying that Scots are ahead of the game?
Absolutely. As far as my support in Britain, it all really started in Scotland and more than anything, the audience in Scotland is always on. You know that I’m not just saying that because every other musician says the exact same thing.

What can you tell us about your album, All the Lost Souls?
All the Lost Souls was recorded as a studio album and released in September. But as a musician songs grow and change as you play them, so we re-recorded some songs as we played them on the All the Lost Souls world tour from Sydney Opera House to Kosovo where I was a soldier. We did the documentary [James Blunt: Return to Kosovo] in Kosovo, which was an amazing experience. We played to some Kurds and Albanians whose families had previously been murdering each other. For an hour and a half both people stood side by side and sang songs with me about their common hopes and common fears and that’s a mind-blowing experience.

Do you ever miss the army?
I appreciate the reality of the army and life and death are very real subjects. People ask me now, you know, what I spend my money on, what clothes am I wearing and what it means to be successful, as well as questions on fame and fortune. I appreciate that the soldiers we send out to Afghanistan and Iraq and Sierra Leone are doing a very real job and I really appreciate that element of what they do – it puts what I do now in perspective.

Back to Interview Home Page

 

Copyright © 2010 PSP Publishing Ltd Registered Office: PSP House, 50 High Craighall Road Glasgow G4 9UD Registered in Scotland No. 158316
Tel: 0141 353 2222 Fax: 0141 332 3839 Email: sales@psp.uk.net Call may be monitored or recorded for training purposes