Singer not worried about critics, expectations
Ibiza, which has an international reputation as the ultimate party destination, doesn't seem like the place to go when you're trying to focus on work.
But for James Blunt, the Spanish island was the perfect getaway to create the follow-up to his multiplatinum debut, "Back to Bedlam." The disc made Blunt a worldwide star, thanks to "You're Beautiful." But it also put him under the glare of the spotlight. Soon, people were dissecting every aspect of his personal life, including a high-profile romance with model Petra Nemcova.
So for his second album, "All the Lost Souls," Blunt retreated to Ibiza. And he thinks fans will hear the artistic growth with every track.
Blunt, 30, sat down with a reporter to talk about his new album, how he's adjusted to fame, and why he's not trying to please his critics.
Q. Are you worried about the sophomore jinx?
A. No. It doesn't exist. Lots of people try to talk about the pressure of a second album and it is something we create. Music is not about competing with other people's albums and it is not about competing with a first album or the album before. It is about enjoying music and it is about the expression that you get, the passion you have for music and the need to express oneself.
Q. Do you write about the perils of fame on this album?
A. I wrote about all of the things I experienced over the last three years and some of those have been watching what is going on in a public sphere. Although it is not something that people will directly relate to themselves of being in the media eye, we can all relate to being in a group. If you are in a school playground it is very much the same as being in the media eye of people talking about what so-and-so is doing and the media do that and we do that in the school playground as well. I write about the experience of that and the effect of that.
Q. Do you read the blogs and tabloids?
A. I would get sent a few things. I think if you get a good story, a positive story, you should match it with the negative story as well so you realize that they are at the end of the day just stories that anonymous people are writing. They are not relative to everyday life. I will read them to see what I have to talk about in the next interview.
Q. Do these tabloid reports hurt your feelings?
A. It certainly doesn't hurt me. The only time journalists need to think hard about what they do is when it effects other people, the consequences of what they do. If someone goes and knocks on my grandmother's door -- who is an 80-year-old widow -- and starts asking about who I am sleeping with, I think that person needs to go and have a long hard look in the mirror.
Q. Do you want to win over critics with this album?
A. I didn't write and record my album for a critic. I did it because I love music and because I need the express myself through music. I made "All the Lost Souls" and the first copy is the copy I am over the moon with. The success is in the recording of it. If one person likes it or another person doesn't, it will be a bonus to be able to go out on tour and share it with people who enjoy it, but it is not the reason I make music in the first place.