James Blunt has made a bold offer to his fans: if his debut album Back To Bedlam hits the number one spot on the charts again, 20 years after its release, he will officially change his name to “whatever the public wants.”
Blunt made the surprising declaration while appearing on The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X. He said, “We are re-releasing it here, 20 years on, the new album, and in fact, the label are going to launch a campaign get it back to number one after 20 years. How do you do that? How do you get it back to number one at 20 years’ old? So, what they’ve made me sign up to do is if it reaches number one, I have signed up to changing my name to whatever the public want – they can change my name.”
He reassured listeners that this isn’t some desperate stunt but a genuine promise: “I swear on my life and the life of my one fan – Brian from Glasgow – I will change my name should it hit number one.”
Back To Bedlam, released on October 11, 2004, became a global sensation, largely due to the success of its single "You’re Beautiful." It was the best-selling album of 2005 and earned 10× Platinum certification in the UK by 2009, making it the best-selling album of the 2000s in the UK.
The 20th-anniversary reissue, dropping on October 11, will feature never-before-heard tracks from the Bedlam sessions, including Standing All Alone, Close Your Eyes, and Butterfly, alongside demo versions of the original album's songs.
Fans now have the opportunity to not only celebrate two decades of Back to Bedlam but also potentially rename one of pop’s most recognizable stars.
Photo: Andrew Benge/Redferns
