who is Michael Bublé
The singer/songwriter has been named Billboard magazine’s Artist of the Year. He joins Adele, Drake, Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift as the only artists to win the honor twice.
The 52-year-old Canadian native won his second award for Male Artist of the Year and Album of the Year for Christmas. His album Love reached number one on the Billboard 200 chart.
He’s also received three Grammy nominations, including Best Pop Vocal Performance and Song of the Year for Call Me Maybe.
Early life
Michael Steven Bublé was born on September 9, 1975 in Burnaby, British Colombia, Canada, the son of Lewis John Bublé, a fisherman, and Rosemary Bublé (née O’Brien), a nurse. He grew up in the city of North Vancouver, British Columbia, where he attended Burnaby Central Secondary School. His father died on May 23, 1992, when he was 19 years old.
He began playing guitar at age 14, inspired by the music of David Bowie and Queen. At 15, he played in a band called The Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, which performed cover versions of songs like Blondie’s “Call Me”, The Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun”, and The Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil”. In 1993, Bublé moved to Toronto, Ontario, to attend Ryerson University, majoring in communications and minoring in music. While there, he formed a rock group named The Love Boat, whose members included future Canadian Idol winner Adam Gregory.
In 1995, Bublé returned to British Columbia and enrolled at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbiaduring his final semester. There, he met fellow student Andrea Bevan, whom he married in 1997. They had three children together, including twins Olivia Jade and Noah Robert.
During his college career, Bublé sang lead vocals in a number of bands, including The Hylozoists and The Bopcats. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1997, he joined a touring band called The Tuxedos, which consisted of former members of The Smithereens and The New York Dolls.
After joining the band, Bublé wrote lyrics for some of its songs, such as “The Boys Are Back in Town”, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”, and “Gimme Shelter”. Although he did not play guitar in the band, he toured with it throughout 1998 and 1999, performing in venues ranging from small clubs to large arenas. During this period, he also recorded demos of his own material, which he sent to record labels.
Music career
– In 1998, Bublé began working with producer Jeff Barry, who had worked with Elton John and Billy Joel.
– Bublé recorded his debut single “You Should Be Dancing”, produced by Barry, at the age of 25.
– The song became a hit in Canada, reaching number one on the Canadian Singles Chart.
– It peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States.
– He followed up with another hit, “Crazy Love”, which reached number eight in the US charts.
– His third single, “I Don’t Want To Talk About It”, went to number five in Canada.
– His fourth single, “One More Time”, reached number seven in Canada.
2003–2004: Michael Bublé
– Bublé performed his single “Everything” on American Idol on April 25, 2004. He was eliminated in the semi-finals.
– In November 2005, he won the Canadian Pop Music Award for Best Male Artist.
– On December 2, 2005, Bublé received a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame.
– On May 24, 2006, Bublé was named one of People magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People.
– On July 13, 2006, Bublé became a spokesperson for the anti-smoking campaign Quit Smoking Now!.
– On August 9, 2007, Bublé sang the national anthem at the Rogers Centre during Game 5 of the ALDS between the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox.
– On September 19, 2008, Bublé signed a deal with Warner Bros. Records to release his second studio album, entitled Crazy Love. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart selling over 400,000 copies in the first week.
2005–2006: It’s Time
In 2003, Canadian singer-songwriter Michael Bublé had his breakthrough hit single, “Crazy Love.” It peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and earned him his first Grammy nomination. In 2004, he signed a recording contract with Sony Music Entertainment. His debut album, Crazy Love, was released in November 2004 and debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 albums chart. It stayed atop the charts for five consecutive weeks, becoming the best-selling jazz album ever recorded in the United States. To date, it has sold over seven million copies worldwide, making it the most successful jazz album of all time.
The following year, Bublé released his sophomore effort, Christmas, which became his third consecutive holiday album to reach the top ten of the Billboard 200. He followed up with another holiday release, 2007’s Nobody But Me, which went gold in the US and platinum in Canada.
His fourth studio album, 2008’s To Be Loved, was released in May 2009 and debuted at number three on the Billboard 200. It was certified Platinum in Canada and Gold in the US. Bublé’s fifth album, 2011’s Call Me Irresponsible, was released in October 2011 and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200.
Bublé’s sixth studio album, 2012’s Love was released in June 2013 and debuted at number four on the Billboard 200. Bublé’s seventh studio album, 2014’s Nobody but Me was released in March 2015 and debuted at number one in both Canada and the United States.
2007–2008: Call Me Irresponsible
Bublé’s third studio album, Call me Irresponsible, was released in May 2007 by 143/Reprise. The album includes some of his most popular singles including “You’re Not Alone”, “Haven’t Met You Yet”, “Call Me Irresponsible”, and “All I Want Is You”. The album peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling over 150,000 copies in its first week. The following week it moved up to number one, where it remained for three consecutive weeks. On July 13, 2008, Bublé performed a concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City, which was broadcast live on NBC. He sang 11 tracks from the album during the show, including “You’re Not Alone”, “Haven’t met you yet”, “Can’t Stop Lovin’ You”, “Irresistible”, “Love Yourself”, and “All I want is you”.
2009–2012: Crazy Love
– In December 2008, Bublé announced plans to release his next studio album in early 2009. He said it would feature collaborations with artists such as Michael Buble, Josh Groban, Sara Bareilles, Norah Jones, Colbie Caillat, and others.
– A few months later, he confirmed that he had signed a record deal with Reprise Records, and that his next album would be released sometime during 2009.
– On February 3, 2009, Bublé performed “Haven’t Met Y’all Yet” live on NBC’s Today show.
– The album cover art was revealed on May 20, 2009.
– Bublé began recording Crazy Love in late June 2009. He worked with producers Mike Elizondo and Greg Kurstin.
– The album was released on September 14, 2009, and debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart. It sold over 533,000 copies in its opening week, becoming Bublé’s best selling debut since 2001’s To Be Loved.
– The album received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 74 based on 22 reviews.