James Blunt is an English performer and composer. His composition became the soundtrack to the film “P. S. I love you . The musician managed to achieve success in the military field.
The concepts of creative and military careers are very far from each other. However, some talented individuals manage to succeed on both roads. These people include Briton James Hillier Blount (Blunt).
Choosing a path
The future musician was born in a military hospital located on the territory of the English city of Tidworth in Wiltshire on February 22, 1974. The father of the future celebrity was a hereditary military man, an officer in the army aviation corps.
The family often had to change their place of residence together with the new appointments of the head. In a short time, James managed to visit Germany and Cyprus, on the territory of military bases.
The boy's love for music woke up from early childhood. His mother managed to persuade her husband to hire a piano teacher for the child so that the boy was distracted from the depression caused by continuous travel.
Later, however, the father changed his decision. He sent his son to a private boarding school Harrow so that his studies would distract James from music. However, it turned out exactly the opposite.
It was in Harrow that Blunt Jr. began to learn to play the guitar and wrote the first songs under the influence of idols Kurt Cobain and Freddie Mercury.
In 1990, James became a student at one of the most prestigious universities in the country, the University of Bristol. In the "red brick" institution, he studied sociology and aerospace engineering.
Military career
Blunt rarely attended classes. Usually, during lectures, he slept in the last row. The guy was tolerated only because of his father, since the army entered the faculty as a sponsor.
However, the student passed the exams excellently and defended his bachelor's degree well, presenting a dissertation in sociology. After receiving his education, the future famous musician had to serve for several years.
The data is diverging. For some, the service lasted four years, while others insist on six. Immediately, the young man was sent to the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst.
In 1999, Blunt, the commander of a tank unit, had to participate in an armed conflict. The troops of the British Empire were thrown into the territory of Yugoslavia.
All the time, James did not part with the guitar, tying it to the outside of the tank. Then he wrote the song "Without courage". Blunt became the Royal Armored Corps alpine skiing champion. The future musician said goodbye to the army service forever in 2002.
Conquering musical heights
His father was not at all happy about this choice. At the same time, the young man collected all the demos made by him on one disc and sent it to the music manager and producer of Elton John, Tom Rothrock. He appreciated the parcel at its true worth.
He liked James' musical ability and vocals. The aspiring musician ended up at Linda Perry's Custard Records, working with Gwen Stefani and Christina Aguilera. With the recognized most successful label in the country, cooperation does not stop to this day.
In 2003 Rothrock and Blunt went to America. James performed in local clubs while recording songs for his debut album. Back to Bedlam was released the following year in early October. His compositions immediately became the recognized leaders of all the charts.
The musician has found fans. True, they had a lot of problems. So, once, because of the fans, their idol was kicked out of the apartment he rented by her owner. In 2007, the second album, All the Lost Souls, was released. Four days after graduation, he went gold.
Blunt's song became the soundtrack in the film adaptation of Cecilia Ahern's “P. S. I love you". The film was directed by Richard Langrevenese, famous for his work "The Bridges of Madison County" and "Erin Brockovich."
The main characters of the film were played by Gerard Butler, known for The Phantom of the Opera, Three Hundred Spartans, Law Abiding Citizen, and Hilary Swank, actress of Insomnia, Logan's Good Luck and Million Dollar Baby.
The film stars Katie Bates, who played in American Horror Story, Lisa Kudrow from Friends, Neighbors. On the Warpath, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, popular after Supernatural.
Before the release of the third disc, "Some kind of trouble", an acoustic performance was held. On July 29, 2013, it passed aboard a flying Boeing 767. On October 18, 2013 the musician's next album "Moon Landing" was released.
Personal life and music
Elton John liked the clips and music. The song “Goodbye, my lover” impressed the renowned performer and composer. He named James as his ideological and creative follower.
With the growing popularity of Blunt, the myth appeared that he wrote the song "You`re beautiful" in his student years. At that time, his beloved girl died.
However, everything was different. Love really was, but the girl is alive, got married and became a happy mother. The work was written after a chance meeting with her James in the subway. Out of respect for her, the musician never mentioned the name of the addressee.
At one of the parties in 2012, James met Alexandria Sophia Wellesley. After a two-year romance, the lovers became husband and wife. The wedding ceremony took place in London. In 2016, a son was born to the family. James recorded the fifth album.
It was supposed to see the light of day in 2017, at the end of March. However, the release was postponed until autumn to preserve the established tradition. The new disc is called "The Afterlove". Blunt works with other artists.
He recorded a video for the song "Ok" performed by him with Robin Schultz. In his free time, the musician visits ski resorts, chases a ball with friends. He is a dedicated Chelsea fan.
The musician has not forgotten his military past. He is a member of the Help the Heroes charitable foundation and holds charity concerts for Doctors Without Borders.
