Burnaby, BC-born crooner Michael Buble, famous for his smooth, Sinatra-like vocal style has just released his new studio album called 'Crazy Love'. The album sold a reported 132,000 copies in 3 days, landing Bublé in the top spot on the Billboard 200, passing the highly-anticipated new album from KISS, 'Sonic Boom'. Aided in part by a pushed-up release date that coincided with a performance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Michael is poised to recapture the success of his most recent release, 2007's 'Call Me Irresponsible'.
A Successful Career... And It's Still Early On
Buble's studio albums and 3 live DVDs have sold well in almost every country, most notably in his home and native land of Canada. It's that sort of home-bred success that may have contributed to his success south of the border, and his latest DVD 'Michael Buble Meets Madison Square Garden' is still selling strong in the U.S.
Michael Bublé's Early Years
The 34-year-old crooner came from humble roots on Canada's West Coast. The only son of a salmon fisherman, Buble's grandfather reportedly traded plumbing services at Vancouver nightclubs in exchange for stage time for his singing grandson. The barter worked, as Michael performed at many of the city's finest established from the age of 16 onward.
He went on to win the Canadian Youth Talent Search and met his then-manager Bev Delich, who managed him for the next 7 years. He independently released 3 albums during this period, First Dance in 1996; Babalu in 2001; Dream in 2002. After struggling to achieve the type of major success he was after, Michael nearly gave up and switched to journalism. Were it not for a chance meeting with Michael McSweeny, an aide to former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, his life may have been much different.
Bublé Breaking Out
Through an unbelievable chain of events, Michael was given the opportunity to perform at the wedding of Brian Mulroney's daughter Caroline in 2000, where he met famed music producer David Foster (Whitney Houston, Olivia Newton-John, All-4-One, Barbra Streisand, Paul McCartney, etc) who agreed to produce an album for Bublé', if the singer agreed to raise $500,000 to cover recording and production costs, which he did.
Foster ended up covering production costs under his 143 Records label, and influential Vancouver manager and businessman Bruce Allen came onboard as Michael's Manager. The self titled, debut album was released in 2003, and started a snowball effect began.
It's Time
Bubleé's second album on 143/Reprise Records was 2005's 'It's Time'. The record included remakes of some classic standards from a variety of eras, including the likes of 'Can't Buy Me Love', 'You Don't Know Me', and 'Quando Quando Quando', a duet with Canadian pop songstress Nelly Furtado. The album also yielded an original track, co-written by Bublé called 'Home'. The album reached #1 in Canada, Italy, and Japan, and Top 10 in many other countries around the world, including the United Kingdom.
Michael Bublé cleaned up at the 2006 Juno Awards, taking home awards for Artist of the Year, Album and Pop Album of the Year, and Single of the Year for 'Home'. The album was also nominated for a Grammy in 2006, losing out to Tony Bennet. In 2008, a country-version of 'Home' was released by Blake Shelton, which further solidified the popularity of the song.
Call Me Irresponsible
Bublé's third studio album on 143/Reprise again included songs from different eras, such as 'Always on My Mind', 'Me And Mrs Jones', and 'Comin' Home Baby', the latter being a duet with Boyz II Men. The first single 'Everything' became one of Buble's biggest hits to date, trading in the big band sound for that of a more Adult Contemporary sound. This 2007 release may be noted as an example of Bublé maturing as an artist.
Today
Bublé's latest release Crazy Love contains 12 tracks (with 1 bonus song), 2 originals, and a bona fide single 'Haven't Met You Yet', released Aug 31, 2009 in advance of the new record. The early US release date was Oct 9th, and the album continues to move with a fervor pace int hat territory.
The Moral of The Story
Like him, love him, or hate him, Michael Bublé is a true rags-to-riches story. Musicians everywhere can learn from his example of perseverance and always going with your gut. In 2000, Bublé nearly packed it in to pursue a career in journalism, but his insistence to play every gig and make every appearance led him to play that business party, where he was noticed by McSweeny.
Whether his career will continue to grow at record pace is yet to be known, but Michael Bublé represents the classy, hardworking artist that will change the world in innumerable ways. In 2009, Bublé pledged AUD50,000 to aid victims of the February 7th Bushfires in Victoria, Australia.
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