The last British artist to do so had been Elton John in 1997 with the song 'Candle in the Wind'. He is signed to Linda Perry’s American label Custard, and became the first British artist to top the American singles chart in nearly a decade when his song 'You’re Beautiful' reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2006. Along with vocals, James Blunt plays a wide variety of instruments including the piano, guitar, organ, marimba, and mellotron. His style is a mix of pop rock and acoustic rock.

James Blunt (born James Hillier Blount, February 22, 1974) is an English singer-songwriter whose debut album, Back to Bedlam, and single releases - especially the number one hit 'You’re Beautiful' - brought him to fame in 2005.