James Blunt’s Voice Goes “F*” After a COVID Crunch
The hit‑maker behind “You’re Beautiful” has been an ugly‑looking hero, battling the coronavirus in the weeks before his Manchester gig at the Royal Albert Hall.
He’s Still Trying to Sing
“I’ve basically spent all my free time waiting to hit the Royal Albert Hall for a year and a half,” James confessed. “Two weeks before it, I caught Covid.”
He added that he’d “done okay” but it struck him hard enough that his vocal cords felt banged. “You can’t even hear my speaking voice, it’s…f*ing bad.”
His Bandmates Came Through
James throws a quick nod to the crew: “Two of my bandmates and the crew shared it with us, but they’re double‑jabbed and bounced back like champs.”
“I was only single‑jabbed and thought I’d survive. Turns out I didn’t. The virus went straight into my lungs.”
Drug Side Effects (and, Funny Date…ing)
After the doctors suggested steroids, James shared something unexpected: “The doctor asked me about steroids, and I said ‘No thanks, I’m already short on everything else!’”
He’s been joking about the steroids shrinking stuff that’s already tiny, saying “It made my already tiny… well, smaller.”
Tour Plans Not Completely Nixed
Despite a voice that’s less than perfect, the 47‑year‑old singer is not giving up on the tour.
He keeps getting back up, “I can still sing.” Even though the voice might be “f*ing” in the best ways, the song is still there.
A Quick Wink at China
James had a quick-smack moment at the end of the set and said: “The Chinese are clever buggers, aren’t they? COVID came from a place and it somehow got all the way to all of us. They didn’t do that right.”
And with a grin he reminds the crowd that he’s still going to finish the set, because “they’re not winning the competition on my show.”
