British singer James Blunt has said David Guetta may have inadvertently influenced his new album.
The 'You're Beautiful' singer has been in the industry for around 20 years, receiving over five Grammy nominations for his work.
James told The Hard Shoulder he didn't expect the new album to be what it was.
"Misery sells, and I've got a bucket-load of it in there really," he said.
"I've got a couple of dance tracks in there, kind of more dancey ones.
"I was recording in Ibiza in a studio, and the next door studio was David Guetta.
"I think maybe it was just rubbing off, he was rubbing off on me."
'A guy who's only had one hit'
James said he was perplexed to release his greatest hits.
"Last year I put out my greatest hits, which is bizarre for a guy who's only had one hit," he said.
"With that my record deal came to an end, and I thought maybe it was the end of my career.
"Then Atlantic Records, who I've always been signed to, called up and said that they're signing me to another record deal - which was amazing for me, painful for everyone else.
"It was a kind of release; and so I know that none of the songs on this album are going to go my greatest hits - that exists, that's been flogged already."
'I haven't been invited to tour in Ireland, because the Irish have good taste in music'. @JamesBlunt was as self-deprecating as ever, as he joined @kierancuddihy on @TheHardShoulder to discuss his new album. pic.twitter.com/quWYIIhvnz
— NewstalkFM (@NewstalkFM) October 27, 2023
James said his new album takes it back to where it all started.
"These are all just bonus tracks in my life, and with that it means I don't have to really think about the record label or the audience or anything else," he said.
"I can just write songs like I used to, at the very beginning of my career, from the heart.
"That's why it's called 'Who We Used To Be', really, a kind of nostalgic feel of where it started for me.
"These songs are celebrations of where I am in my family life, the lows along the journey of life itself, and diverse and very honest."
James said there's more than one side to him.
"It was weird when I put out 'You're Beautiful' and people go, 'Oh, you're such a romantic, delicate soul'.
"Why have I got just that label?
"'You're Beautiful', at the end of the day, that's a guy who's high as a kite stalking someone else's girlfriend on the Underground and probably should have been locked up.
"So, am I a deep romantic or just an arrestable weirdo?" he added.
Listen back here:
His new album, 'Who We Used To Be', is out now on Atlantic Records
