British singer-songwriter James Blunt opened up in an interview recently, talking about how being a “one-hit-wonder” was “very good for his ego”. The artist rose to fame back in 2005 with single ‘You’re Beautiful’, a song taken from his album ‘Back to Bedlam’. The song topped the charts at number one after its release, staying in that position for five weeks and was known worldwide.
In a recent interview with US People magazine, Blunt stated: “In the States, I am a one-hit wonder. You have to understand, I am so happy with that because, as I put on my social media profiles, one hit is all you need. I’ve been called a one-hit wonder by people who are none-hit wonders. And so I’m thrilled with that. The moment I think I might be a big shot in any way, you, as an American, can tell me, ‘No. You’re just a little one-hit wonder, James. Get back in your box.’ And that’s healthy.”
The singer went on to have other really famous songs such as ‘Goodbye My Lover’ and ‘1973’ but his rise to popularity wasn’t without difficulties. Blunt recalled how he was often rejected by labels due to his posh accent and classism in his home country of England. Upon being signed to Linda Perry Custard’s Record, he recalled: “I hadn’t really understood how this was the very last chance I was probably ever going to have. I’d been rejected by every UK label based on my speaking voice and the kind of class issues that we have here, and the basis that they would think that just no one would relate to me. They might’ve been right to a degree. It’s taken a long time after ‘You’re Beautiful’ and the backlash for the public to know that, ‘Okay. I might speak with a stupid voice, but I am a normal, grounded human being.’ So maybe the UK labels were right. [But] for some reason Linda was there. She came in with a hard sell, and we went out that night and got drunk.”
The song changed the singer’s life for the better with him even joking about how the single bought him the house he resides in to this day. Known for his charm and fun nature, James Blunt still receives a fair share of criticism to this day. “I think I’ve always been silly. I think I probably did set out in interviews when we were talking about music because it was the one thing I was serious about. I probably then spoke quite earnestly in my interviews about the music, and now I’ve learned that that’s probably not the best thing to do. So now, I still take my music seriously. I don’t speak earnestly about it.”
The singer is currently on tour with tickets available on his website.
