Best known for You're Beautiful, James Blunt promises he won't be "a guy with a guitar singing sad songs" during his upcoming India gig
James Blunt performs at a ceremony in Orlando, Florida in 2016. Pic/AFP
His 2004 track, You're Beautiful, became an anthem for distraught, heartbroken lovers all over the world. But British singer James Blunt says he won't be "a guy with a guitar singing sad songs" when he plays in Bengaluru in April, as part of the Asia leg of The Afterlove Tour, promoting his fifth studio album. When we tell him his pal and fellow Brit artiste Ed Sheeran already did that, he laughs over the phone from London before stating, "[In my set] there is going to be a full band. There will be lots of energy and upbeat songs - one needs to be ready for an emotional ride."
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Blunt, who is being brought down to India by Hedone Entertainment, had recently said in an interview that he is known for one song, and one song only. But he is now quick to dismiss that suggestion. "That album, Back To Bedlam, sold around 12 million copies. So, people liked all the songs - including Goodbye My Lover and High. I love these numbers - they are the songs that started my career. So, the concert will also be a 'greatest hits' type of concert, where I will play numbers from that album, as well as from the other ones, including All The Lost Souls, and Afterlove, which I released in 2017," says singer, 43.
As trends have changed, the manner of consumption of music has also undergone an overhaul. Audiences no longer purchase an entire album and listen to each song, choosing instead to binge on assorted tracks. Ask him how has he adapted to the world of single releases, and he has a pragmatic reply, "It just means that every song has to be beautiful as it is. Earlier, albums were listened to in entirety, and there was an order to the songs. Now, thanks to [music streaming sites like] Spotify, any song from an album can be played on any playlist. So, in the world of streaming, if you hear a James Blunt song, any James Blunt song, I hope it's a beautiful one."
The former Army officer has, in recent times, also been popular on Twitter, where he speaks his mind, and hits back at trolls. Sample this - "Am making a solo sex tape. Will leak it online shortly (sic)" or "If you thought 2016 was bad - I'm releasing an album in 2017". Is that the real him? "Completely. I was asked to [be active on social media] to promote my music and albums, so that I could build a better connection with fans. But I can't be that without being who I am, without a filter. So, that's me!"
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