Michael Bublé
MICHAEL BUBLÉ
Date of Birth: September 9, 1975
Canadian crooner Michael Bublé first found success with his Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling album This Time in 2007, and has since taken the entertainment world by storm, winning five Grammy awards, an American Music Award, a Canadian Screen Award, as well as a whopping 12 Juno Awards.
Michael was born in Burnaby, British Columbia. His father Lewis, a salmon fisherman, was often at sea, so this left his mother, Amber (née Santaga), and his Italian grandfather, Demetrio Santaga, as his and his two sisters' primary caregivers.
Demetrio's impressive collection of records offered up five-year-old Michael's first exposure to classic jazz and soul. Bing Crosby's White Christmas and the works of Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder, Tony Bennett, and Frank Sinatra were what inspired Michael's initial dream of becoming a singer.
Despite his keen interest in singing and jazz music, Michael's other dream was to play professional hockey, which was eventually derailed by his belief that he wasn't a strong enough player. But all was not lost. When Michael was 17, his grandfather encouraged him to enter a local talent contest, which he won. Unfortunately, he was disqualified when the organizers discovered that he was one year younger than the required age. However, one organizer, Beverly Delich, was so impressed by Michael that she suggested he enter the British Columbia Youth Talent Search, which he also won.
Delich also ended up helping Michael record his first independent CD, and thanks to his grandfather's unwavering support, Michael became a regular performer at many local music venues. In 1996, he landed a role as Elvis in a Vancouver production of Red Rock Diner, followed by a Toronto production called Forever Swing (1998).
Michael finally got his big break while performing at a party for Michael McSweeney, a former advisor to then-Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney. Blown away by his talent, McSweeney began passing around Michael's independent album, which eventually fell into the hands of Prime Minister Mulroney. In 2000, Michael was asked to perform at Mulroney's daughter's wedding, where he met Grammy-winning producer and Warner Bros. music executive David Foster.
Foster signed Michael to his 143 Records label and the two immediately began work on the singer's first major-label release. In an interview with Elsewhere.co in 2003, Michael revealed he didn't want the album to be confined to just one musical era. He said, "I was locked into the standards I loved but David Foster and Paul Anka said, whether it was written in 1930 or 2003, if it had beautiful lyrics and a great melody you've got yourself a timeless song. And if you are true to who you are stylistically it will work. I'm glad they said that because it means we've moved the music forward instead of just having it be stagnant and people saying, 'Oh yeah, when does Moonlight Serenade come up?'"
In February 2003, Michael released his debut self-titled album, which featured covers of the Bee Gee's "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" and Dean Martin's "Sway," and earned him a Canadian Juno Award for Best New Artist. While the album failed to top the charts in North America, it did peak at No. 1 in both Australia and New Zealand, eventually selling over 1.8 million units worldwide.
While his debut album was a minor success, it was his 2005 sophomore album This Time that would be a game changer for Michael's career. Containing his breakthrough hit single, "Home," the record reached No. 1 all over the world and spent 78 weeks at the top of Billboard's Jazz charts. For his work, Michael took home four Juno Awards and received two Grammy nominations.
Following a massively lucrative tour, Michael released his third studio album, Call Me Irresponsible, in 2007. The album, which featured the No. 1 hit "Everything," debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Top 200 Charts, taking the top spot the following week, and reached No. 1 in seven countries. It also earned the singer/songwriter his first Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, and has since sold over five million copies worldwide.
His fourth studio outing, Crazy Love, repeated Call Me Irresponsible's success by debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 Charts and rising to No. 1 in its second week. Becoming his fastest-selling album up until that point, it would soon be eclipsed by his 2011 holiday studio album Christmas. Topping the charts in over 20 countries, the CD sold over seven million albums and secured him a Juno Award for Album of the Year. A consummate worker, Michael then began work on To Be Loved, his sixth major label studio album. Released on February 25, 2013, the album eventually sold over 4.5 million copies worldwide.
Michael's latest, Nobody but Me (2016), featured a duet with Meghan Trainor called "Somebody." Of the album, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, Michael told ET Canada that working on it was the most fun he's ever had. He said, "It was especially thrilling to collaborate with my band who understand that I want to sound better than I’ve ever sounded. I’m also very proud of the new songs. Having the opportunity to co-produce was a joy for me personally."
Along with his formidable music career, Michael has also tried his hand at acting. In 1996, he made his on-camera debut with a couple uncredited cameo appearances on the Vancouver-filmed TV series The X-Files. He also earned a singing role in 2000's Duets starring Gwyneth Paltrow, which was filmed in Burnaby, British Columbia, followed by a starring role as Van Martin in the 2001 straight-to-DVD comedy Totally Blonde, and a supporting role as Hap in the critically acclaimed Canadian drama The Snow Walker (2003).
Michael is also a talented performer and host, earning himself a Canadian Screen Award for Best Host in a Variety Series for his work at the 42nd Annual Juno Awards in 2013. In October 2016, it was announced that the singer would host the 2017 BRIT Awards, although that may not come to pass, despite Michael telling The Evening Standard "It's a huge honour for me to host such a big night in music. Even though I didn’t grow up here, I always watched the Brits and was aware of their impact globally. Above all, as a music fan this is the perfect gig to get." Since then, Michael has cancelled all upcoming projects due to his son Noah’s illness.
Michael was previously engaged to actress and dancer Debbie Timuss, however they split in November 2005. He then began dating actress Emily Blunt, whom he met at the Logie Awards in Australia. Their relationship ended in 2008, after which he soon began dating Argentine actress Luisana Lopilato. The couple were married in March 2011, and Luisana gave birth to a son, Noah, in August 2013. Their second son, Elias, was born on January 22, 2016.
In early November 2016, it was revealed that Michael's son Noah, 3, was suffering from liver cancer. In a statement posted to the singer's Facebook page, he and his wife Luisana wrote, "We are devastated about the recent cancer diagnosis of our oldest son Noah who is currently undergoing treatment in the US. We have always been very vocal about the importance of family and the love we have for our children."
The statement continued, "Luisana and I have put our careers on hold in order to devote all our time and attention to helping Noah get well. At this difficult time, we ask only for your prayers and respect for our privacy. We have a long journey in front of us and hope that with the support of family, friends and fans around the world, we will win this battle, God willing.”
Filmography:
The Snow Walker (2003)Totally Blonde (2001)
Duets (2000)