James Blunt on how Ed Sheeran and Twitter takedowns took him from laughing stock to pop credibility
With The Afterlove, an album made with a team of A-list celebs, the posh ex-soldier has made a record to really surprise his critics
JAMES BLUNT has been enjoying a major boost in the credibility stakes.
The reversal in public opinion is not only down to his hilarious Twitter takedowns of trolls or his witty TV appearances.
It is because of The Afterlove, his fifth album, in which he mixes his acoustic guitar with a stylish electronic pop sound he calls “modern and adventurous”.
The posh ex-soldier has made a record to surprise his critics.
His self-deprecating humour on Twitter has won him thousands of new fans in recent years.
In December, he tweeted: “If you thought 2016 was bad, I’m releasing an album in 2017.”
And in a telly advert for the record, he pokes fun at himself by holding hands and reassuring people in group therapy — at a support group for his fans.
Taking time out from tour rehearsals in West London, he says: “You need to be a brave person to admit to being a James Blunt fan.
“But now fans are giving me grief for not taking myself seriously. They love my music and I’ve made my best album yet.
“I’m so proud of it and happy to say that.”
The Afterlove sees Blunt, 43, working with a team of the highest calibre.
The line-up includes the all-conquering Ed Sheeran, Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic, Snow Patrol’s Johnny McDaid, MoZella — who wrote Wrecking Ball for Miley Cyrus — and Stephan Moccio, who writes for The Weeknd. MoZella has also written for Madonna, Ellie Goulding and One Direction.
James says: “Let’s be clear here. This is a strong album and this is my dream team.
“I took two years to make this instead of one.
“I wrote over 100 songs and rather than be inspired by music from my past, I wanted to write music I am influenced by right now.
“The Weeknd is my favourite artist of the last few years and Stephan is an amazing pianist and writer.
“I met him at a show with MoZella.
“There’s a lot of production on this record from having fun and being adventurous.
“It’s diverse. Just listen to the track California. It’s dark and has a feel to it like the movie Drive.”
The idea to make something completely different came from a remark made by his friend and former producer Tom Rothrock — who told Blunt he could quite easily retire.
James says: “We were at (the US music festival) Burning Man.
“It was 5am and looking out to the desert, Tom said, ‘You’ve made four good albums now and could easily leave it at that’.
“I thought how I’d had a great time with my music and huge success — my last album Moon Landing spent something like 36 weeks in the charts.
“But I knew I wanted to do something different. Something bigger, better and more confident.
“And I have. I love how bold this record is.”
Making The Afterlove was a real labour of love for James.
He says working with his old friend Sheeran on two tracks — Time Of Our Lives and Make Me Better — was a particular high point. James says: “We can’t talk about
Ed too much. I taught him everything he knows!
“I often joke that I took Ed on a skiing holiday, taught him to ski and by night he’d taught me how to write songs.
“But no laughing this time, as I am serious. It was a real education working with him. He gave me good advice.”
Referring to 2004’s ten-times platinum Back To Bedlam, which included his mega-hit You’re Beautiful, James says: “Ed said I’d not written without fear since my first album.
“I’ve never liked revealing myself but Ed said it was my job to as a songwriter.
“So I did. And the song that came out of him making me feel uncomfortable was Make Me Better.” That song was influenced by James’s wife Sofia Wellesley, who he married in 2014.
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In June last year they became parents to a son.
Proudly showing me photos of his baby boy, James says: “Once, I only had to look after myself.
“Then suddenly your life changes and you become far less important. Those people in your life become the world to you.
“Life is busy but I’m lucky that I’m with someone who works at the same speed as me.
“We are at the same tempo, which is awesome.”
James says he is immensely proud of the success Sheeran has achieved, adding: “He deserves every little bit of his success. He works incredibly hard and is a phenomenal talent with his feet firmly on the ground.
“That’s why we get on — besides our mutual love of alcohol! Working with him is just like hanging out.”
On The Afterlove, James once again teams up with Ryan Tedder, who has written songs for Beyonce and Taylor Swift.
James says: “This time I had to travel across Europe to find time with him.
“I’d play a song to Ryan and he’d say, ‘Get on a plane now’.
So I’d fly from Venice to Amsterdam to Rotterdam or to wherever he was about to go on stage. Then I’d have three hours with him. It’s always a pleasure to work with him. He knows if you don’t change, you die.
“I don’t mean commercially but that you die in your heart if you’re not having fun or if you just repeat yourself.
“Ryan pushed me to be bold and direct lyrically on (first single) Love Me Better.
“It says, ‘People say the meanest things/Yeah I’ve been called a d**k, I’ve been called so many things/I know I’ve done some s**t that I admit deserves it, but/That don’t mean it doesn’t sting’.”
Smiling, James adds: “I told him I’ve been called things much worse than d**k that rhyme with Blunt — but that’s not going to get me played on the radio, is it?”
James says he is ready to get back on the road with a US tour supporting Sheeran in June, followed by a UK arena tour kicking off in October.
He plans to take his family to as many shows as possible, adding: “I already have a few kids to look after on my bus with my band!
“It’s going to be a long 18 months on the road but I’m excited about playing the new songs. I’ve got bags under my eyes because I am working super-late every night, though.
“I’ve bought a pub in Chelsea which was going to be turned into a house. I’ve pulled a pint but that’s as far as I will go. I’m the silent person in the background who makes sure it stays as a pub.”
In December, James lost his close friend Carrie Fisher.
The Star Wars actress, who was 60, was godmother to his son. They met up just days before she flew back to LA and suffered a massive heart attack on the flight. She died four days later.
James says: “It was a huge shock, as she was a really good friend. We spoke all the time. She was my American mother in many ways. She was a real genius and a character.
“When I moved to LA, she was my landlady. Her house was an extension of her mind and a place where lots of musicians passed through, like Sean Lennon, Rufus Wainwright and myself.
“She was a remarkably creative person and had a huge impact on my life. She was a strong woman and dealt with many things including the massive exposure of
Star Wars and being bipolar, which she dealt with so openly.
“She helped a lot of people along the way. She was taken too early but it was great that she was back in Star Wars as General Leia. That was amazing. I feel so proud of her for being back in there.”
Two years ago, James was a judge on Australia’s X Factor and lived in Sydney for six months. Does he fancy doing more TV?
He says: “I mess around on TV and take the p**s out of myself but I’m not someone who seeks fame. Music is what I love. I have a lot of people who buy my records and tickets to see concerts all over.
“The Italians go mad for what I do and the French are so excited by Love Me Better. In Switzerland and Germany, fans have been very good to me. The UK has always been different. It’s a tricky place but I’m used to that after 12 years in the business.
“There’ll always be those who are vocal against me but 20million albums down the road, maybe I’ve been a little disrespectful to fans and I need to say thank you a bit more, as I am proud of what I have achieved.
“I’ve got phenomenal support and I just made the best album I could. I’m very happy.”
- The Afterlove is out today.