The son of a senior army officer, singer-songwriter James Blunt read aeronautical engineering at Bristol University before joining the Life Guards regiment in the British Army. He served as a reconnaissance officer in Kosovo in the late 90s as part of the NATO peacekeeping force, taking his guitar with him strapped to the side of a tank! When Blunt left the army in 2002 he was determined to strike out as a full-time musician.
His debut album,
Back to Bedlam (2004), and single releases, especially the barbed romantic ballad
You're Beautiful, brought him success and acclaim in 2005. Blunt won two BRIT Awards and two Ivor Novello Awards, and was nominated for five Grammy Awards in 2006. Blunt subsequently released his second album,
All the Lost Souls in 2007 led by the single
1973 and the album was certified gold within its first week of release.
His style is a mix of bittersweet pop and reflective folk-rock which suits the sensitive lyrics he writes. These slow, soft acoustic and radio-friendly ballads have ensured a massive following both sides of the Atlantic.
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