Blunt banned by radio station

A radio station has banned James Blunt from its playlist.

The singer defended his music at an awards ceremony last week by telling his critics to switch over if they didn’t like his songs.

Now a radio station has gone one better by banishing him from the airwaves.

Essex FM is responding to listeners who say they are sick of hearing Blunt’s hits You’re Beautiful and Goodbye My Lover everywhere they go.

“We don’t have anything against James Blunt and we’re pleased he has been so successful, but we really need a break,” said programme controller Chris Cotton.

“While his songs have been very popular, there is a tremendous amount of industry pressure to play certain artists frequently.

“Often this can be out of step with the audience’s tastes, which results in songs being overplayed. We’re happy to stand up to this pressure and follow the strong message listeners have given us. We encourage other radio stations to take the same step.”

Love him or hate him, Blunt has been a phenomenal success since he burst onto the music scene last year.

You’re Beautiful topped the charts in 25 countries and at the Ivor Novello Awards last week it was named Most Performed Work and International Hit of the Year.

In March, Blunt became the first UK artist to top the US Billboard chart in nine years. The album Back To Bedlam has sold more than seven million copies worldwide.

However, the former Army officer has his fair share of detractors and at the Ivor Novellos, he hit out at critics of his songs.

“To all those people who don’t like my music – you’re all adults, you can switch your radio off,” he declared.

Asked if he ever got sick of hearing You’re Beautiful, he replied: “I don’t have to listen to it, I’m the one who sings it."

However, Blunt acknowledged that there were people out there who have heard the song too many times.

Accepting the award for Most Performed Work, he told the audience: “I should probably be rude about it before anyone else is, so thank you very much for the Most Overplayed Song award.”