What’s the point of a pop star releasing a music compilation today when streaming services already do it?
It’s a question James Blunt had to figure out while working on The Stars Beneath My Feet (2004-2021) over the course of the pandemic. Aware of the number of official and user-generated playlists dedicated to his work, the former English soldier-turned-successful singer-songwriter changed tack from releasing the traditional compilation of singles to include live recordings and up to four new tracks.
Such an approach not only represents a more compelling picture of a 15-year career, he says, but an opportunity to right some wrongs.
One of which is No Bravery, a stirring single from his 2007 debut album Back to Bedlam that has been a source of discomfort ever since its release.
Blunt replaced the official recording with a live version for the BBC.
“I never quite nailed it at the studio,” he says before his show in Dubai at Coca-Cola Arena on Saturday. “It is an important song of mine because it’s about my experience in Kosovo in the war in 1999.
“The recording on my album is not quite there. But I eventually did a performance for the BBC in London which was mind-blowing. You can really see I'm living that war at that moment.”
Another sore point is the tender ballad Monsters from the 2019 album Once Upon a Mind.
"I was really sad the record label never made it as a single and put it out on radio," Blunt says. "The song is about a guy who has children and realises his father is unwell and who hasn’t got much time left on earth.
“It's about seeing the full circle of life and it's one of my proudest songs to have written and recorded. I even got my father in the video."
As well as these welcome additions, The Stars Beneath My Feet (2004-2021) also feature a string of bona fide hits that made Blunt a household name in the UK.
Heart on his sleeve
As well as being the best-selling album in the UK over the 2000s, according to the Official Charts Company, Back to Bedlam also had five hits – all of which are in the new compilation – including the chart-topping You’re Beautiful.
While the ubiquitous track went on to receive the inevitable backlash, Blunt recalls it took mettle to express himself so openly in song.
"I suppose people often give me a little bit of a ribbing along the way and say you're a bit soft, over-emotional and a bit sensitive, but for me, this is what music is supposed to be," he says.
"It's about unadulterated emotion without fear of exposing yourself and that takes a certain amount of courage."
The king of Twitter
Blunt has no problem expressing himself on Twitter.
His cutting and acerbic replies to derogatory remarks made him an online sensation with programmes such as The Graham Norton Show dedicating segments to the best Tweets. Such was the attention that Blunt published How To Be A Complete and Utter Blunt: Diary of a Reluctant Social Media Sensation in 2020, a memoir tracking a year spent on the platform.
But the singer is wary about his online notoriety.
"I am grateful that Twitter was invented because before I was frustrated when I put music out and I had no way of replying [to the reactions]," he says. "Twitter was my voice direct to the people but I was only dealing with negativity. I would say to most people in the world: 'Don't go to social media to find positivity. The real world is a much nicer place'."
It’s no wonder Blunt is looking forward to travelling to Dubai for the opening show of his new world tour. With the UAE part of the tour’s European leg lasting until July, he is under no illusion about what crowds want to hear.
“They don’t want you flogging your new music. They want the stuff they know," he says, with a chuckle. “At the end of the day, I've put out six albums and I will play the best collection of songs from these. I am really confident about these songs and it's going to make for a really fantastic show."
James Blunt performs at Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai on Saturday, January 29. Doors open at 6pm. Tickets start at Dh150 from coca-cola-arena.com
City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Intruder
Director: Deon Taylor
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Michael Ealy, Meagan Good
One star
UAE gold medallists:
Omar Al Suweidi (46kg), Khaled Al Shehhi (50kg), Khalifa Humaid Al Kaabi (60kg), Omar Al Fadhli (62kg), Mohammed Ali Al Suweidi (66kg), Omar Ahmed Al Hosani (73), all in the U18’s, and Khalid Eskandar Al Blooshi (56kg) in the U21s.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company Profile
Name: JustClean
Based: Kuwait with offices in other GCC countries
Launch year: 2016
Number of employees: 130
Sector: online laundry service
Funding: $12.9m from Kuwait-based Faith Capital Holding
88 Video's most popular rentals
Avengers 3: Infinity War: an American superhero film released in 2018 and based on the Marvel Comics story.
Sholay: a 1975 Indian action-adventure film. It follows the adventures of two criminals hired by police to catch a vagabond. The film was panned on release but is now considered a classic.
Lucifer: is a 2019 Malayalam-language action film. It dives into the gritty world of Kerala’s politics and has become one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
HOW TO WATCH
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2019 BMW X4
Price, base / as tested: Dh276,675 / Dh346,800
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged in-line six-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 354hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,550rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.0L / 100km
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
WORLD CUP SEMI-FINALS
England v New Zealand
(Saturday, 12pm UAE)
Wales v South Africa
(Sunday, 12pm, UAE)
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
Manchester United's summer dealings
In
Victor Lindelof (Benfica) £30.7 million
Romelu Lukaku (Everton) £75 million
Nemanja Matic (Chelsea) £40 million
Out
Zlatan Ibrahimovic Released
Wayne Rooney (Everton) Free transfer
Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad) £9.8 million
More on animal trafficking
HER%20FIRST%20PALESTINIAN
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Saeed%20Teebi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20256%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPublisher%3A%C2%A0House%20of%20Anansi%20Press%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company%20profile
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Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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HAJJAN
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Abu%20Bakr%20Shawky%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cbr%3EStarring%3A%20Omar%20Alatawi%2C%20Tulin%20Essam%2C%20Ibrahim%20Al-Hasawi%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
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The years Ramadan fell in May
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
