Michael Steven Bublé OBC (IPA: /b uː ˈb l eɪ/ boo-BLAY; born September 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Known as a pop icon, he is often credited with helping people become interested again in classic pop songs and the Great American Songbook. Bublé has sold over 75 million records worldwide and has won many awards, including five Grammy Awards and fifteen Juno Awards.

In 2003, Bublé's album named after himself reached the top ten in Canada and the United Kingdom. He gained a global audience with his 2005 album It's Time and his 2007 album Call Me Irresponsible, which was number one on the Canadian Albums Chart, the UK Albums Chart, the US Billboard 200, the Australian ARIA Albums Chart, and several European charts. His 2009 album Crazy Love was number one on the US Billboard 200 after three days of sales and stayed there for two weeks. It was also his fourth number-one album on Billboard's Top Jazz Albums chart.

His 2011 holiday album, Christmas, was number one on the Billboard 200 for five weeks, including the final four weeks of 2011 and the first week of 2012. It also reached the top five in the United Kingdom. With this, Christmas became his third album in a row to be number one on the chart. To Be Loved was released in April 2013, followed by Nobody but Me in October 2016 and Love in November 2018.

Early life and musical beginnings

Michael Steven Bublé was born on September 9, 1975, in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. His parents were Lewis Bublé, a fisherman, and Amber (née Santaga), a homemaker. His father’s and mother’s great-grandparents came to Canada from Italy. His family name was originally spelled "Bubli," and some of his ancestors lived in Istria. Bublé said that some people believe his family from modern-day Croatia is Yugoslavian, while others think they are Italian. He has two younger sisters: Brandee, who writes children’s books, and Crystal, who acts in movies and television. He and his siblings were raised as Roman Catholics. He attended Seaforth Elementary School and Cariboo Hill Secondary School.

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey on October 10, 2009, Bublé said he dreamed of becoming a famous singer when he was two years old. As a teenager, he kept a Bible by his bed and prayed to become a singer. He became interested in jazz music around age five when his family listened to Bing Crosby’s White Christmas album. His musical influences include Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Elvis Presley, Bobby Darin, and Sam Cooke.

His family first noticed his singing talent during a Christmas car ride when he was 13 years old. They heard him sing the phrase "May your days be merry and bright" from the song White Christmas with great strength.

Bublé loved ice hockey and wanted to play for the Vancouver Canucks as a professional, but he thought he was not skilled enough. He said, "I wanted so bad to be a hockey player… If I was any good at hockey, I probably wouldn’t be singing right now." He played hockey as a child, watched Vancouver Canucks games with his father, and said he attended every home game as a kid. He admired players like Gary Lupul, Patrik Sundstrom, and Ivan Hlinka. He shared his love for hockey with his grandfather.

From age 14 to 20, Bublé worked as a commercial fisherman with his father and crewmates during the summer. He described the job as "the most dangerous physical work I’ve ever done." He said living and working with older men taught him about responsibility and what it means to be a man.

At 16, he began singing in nightclubs with help from his Italian grandfather, Demetrio Santagà, a plumber from Preganziol, Treviso. The grandfather traded his plumbing work for stage time for his grandson. Bublé’s grandfather also paid for his singing lessons. His voice teacher, Sandi Siemens, and his maternal grandfather believed he would become a star. His maternal grandmother, Iolanda (née Moscone), was also Italian, from Carrufo, L'Aquila.

Bublé grew up listening to his grandfather’s collection of jazz records. He said his grandfather helped him discover his love for jazz. "My grandfather was my best friend. He opened me up to a world of music that my generation had missed. When he played me the Mills Brothers, I felt something magical happen. The lyrics were romantic and real, like the way a song should be. I knew I wanted to be a singer and that this was the music I wanted to sing."

Bublé always believed he would become a star, even though others doubted him. He said his maternal grandfather thought he would be "an opening act for somebody in Las Vegas." He never learned to read or write music, relying only on emotion to write songs.

At 18, Bublé won a local talent contest but was disqualified for being underage. The contest organizer, Bev Delich, entered him in the Canadian Youth Talent Search. After winning that contest, Bublé asked Delich to be his manager. Delich helped him for seven years, during which Bublé worked at clubs, conventions, cruise ships, hotel lounges, shopping malls, and talent shows.

In 1996, Bublé appeared in the TV show Death Game (also called Mortal Challenge) as a Drome Groupie. He also had uncredited roles in two episodes of The X-Files as a submarine crew member. His first national TV performance was on a 1997 Bravo! documentary titled Big Band Boom!, directed by Mark Glover Masterson. Beginning in 1997, he became a regular guest on Vicki Gabereau’s national talk show on

Music career

Michael McSweeney, who worked for former prime minister Brian Mulroney, saw Michael Bublé perform at a business party and received a copy of Bublé's self-funded album. McSweeney showed the album to Mulroney and his wife. Because of this, Bublé was invited to sing at the wedding of Mulroney's daughter, Caroline, where he performed "Mack the Knife" by Kurt Weill. At the wedding, Bublé met David Foster, a Grammy Award-winning producer who had worked with artists like Madonna, Whitney Houston, and Céline Dion.

David Foster was hesitant to sign Bublé to his label because he did not know how to market Bublé's music. Bublé went to Los Angeles with his agent for a short time to try to convince Foster to sign him. Eventually, Foster agreed to produce an album for Bublé if he raised $500,000 to cover the costs. Bublé raised the money, and Foster covered the production costs under his label, even though Warner Brothers did not guarantee support. Foster also helped by getting support from his friend, musician Paul Anka. After Foster agreed to produce Bublé's first album, Bruce Allen, whom Bublé had tried to work with for years, also signed him as his manager. Bublé appeared as a karaoke singer in the movie Duets in 2000 and as a club owner in Totally Blonde in 2001.

Bublé's self-titled debut album was released on February 11, 2003, by 143 Records and Reprise Records. The album includes songs like "Fever," "The Way You Look Tonight," and "For Once in My Life." It also features "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?" with Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees on backing vocals. The album reached the top 10 in Canada, the United Kingdom, and South Africa, and reached No. 1 in Australia. It was ranked No. 33 on the ARIA Top 100 Albums of 2003.

Bublé appeared on the Today program in the United States in February 2003. In November 2003, he released a Christmas EP called Let It Snow, which included five new songs. The EP reached No. 56 on the Billboard 200, and the title track reached the top 40 in Australia. A live DVD/CD called Come Fly with Me was released in early 2004. The CD reached No. 99 on the ARIA Top 100 Albums of 2004. The DVD included live performances and behind-the-scenes footage from Bublé's first world tour. The CD also included three new studio tracks, two live recordings of new songs, and three live versions of songs from Michael Bublé. The album reached No. 55 on the Billboard 200. In November 2004, a two-disc version of his debut album was released, combining Michael Bublé and Let It Snow.

Bublé won New Artist of the Year at the 2004 Juno Awards, and his album was nominated for Album of the Year but lost to Sam Roberts. He appeared in the 2003 film The Snow Walker and played a lounge performer on an episode of Days of Our Lives in 2003. In 2004, he appeared as himself in Las Vegas.

Songs from Bublé's debut album, including "For Once in My Life" and "Kissing a Fool," were on the soundtrack for the movie Down with Love (2003). The soundtrack also included a new duet with Holly Palmer for the movie's theme. A remix of the Spider-Man theme from Bublé's Babalu album was used in the closing credits of Spider-Man 2 (2004) and released as a single. A CD of the seven songs Bublé sang for Totally Blonde was released in 2003, called Totally Bublé. Bublé also collaborated with the Barenaked Ladies on "Elf's Lament," a song on their 2004 Christmas album Barenaked for the Holidays.

Bublé's second album, It's Time, was released on February 8, 2005, by 143/Reprise Records. The album includes songs like "You Don't Know Me," "Feeling Good," and "Can't Buy Me Love," as well as a duet with Nelly Furtado called "Quando, Quando, Quando." It also includes an original song called "Home," co-written by Bublé, his musical director Alan Chang, and Amy Foster-Gilles.

The album reached No. 1 in Canada, Italy, and Japan, and No. 2 in Australia. It also reached the top 10 in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, Austria, and Sweden. The album spent 104 weeks on the Billboard Top Jazz chart, including 78 weeks at No. 1. It was Billboard's Top Jazz Album in 2005 and 2006. The first single, "Feeling Good," had limited success, but the second single, "Home," reached No. 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Tracks chart and No. 72 on the Billboard Hot 100. The third single, "Save the Last Dance for Me," reached No. 5 on the Adult Contemporary Tracks chart and No. 99 on the Hot 100.

In 2005, Bublé appeared in a commercial for Starbucks' Frappuccino line, singing "Come Fly with Me." The single was included as a bonus track on a Starbucks edition of It's Time.

In 2006, Bublé won four Juno Awards: Album of the Year and Pop Album of the Year (It's Time), Single of the Year ("Home"), and Artist of the Year. He was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 2006 and 2007 for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album but lost both times to Tony Bennett. In 2007, he was nominated for a Juno Award for Fan Choice but lost to Nelly Furtado.

Bublé's third album, Call Me Irresponsible, was released on May 1, 2007, by 143/Reprise Records. The album includes songs like "Irresponsible" and "I'm Not the One." It reached No. 1 on the Canadian charts.

Bublé's fourth album, *Crazy Love

Personal life

Michael Bublé lives in Burnaby, British Columbia, with his wife and children. He previously lived in Croydon, London.

He has citizenship in both Italy and Canada.

Michael loves hockey and supports the Vancouver Canucks, a professional hockey team. Since December 2008, he has shared ownership of the Vancouver Giants, a junior hockey team. As part of his agreement with concert promoters, he requires a hockey puck from a local team to be placed in his dressing room during every concert.

On February 12, 2009, Michael donated A$50,000 to people affected by the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria, Australia. This donation was made during a charity concert at Lakeside Secondary School.

Michael was previously engaged to actress Debbie Timuss. They performed together in the musicals Red Rock Diner (1996) and Dean Regan's Forever Swing (1998). Debbie was listed as a dedicatee in Michael’s albums Michael Bublé and It’s Time. She also sang background vocals on these albums. While in Italy, Michael co-wrote the song “Home” for her. She appeared in the music video for “Home.” Their engagement ended in November 2005, and this experience inspired Michael to write the song “Lost.”

During an appearance at Australia’s Logie Awards in 2005, Michael met English actress Emily Blunt. They began dating shortly after. Emily sang background vocals on the song “Me and Mrs. Jones.” Michael wrote the song “Everything” for her.

After ending his relationship with Emily in July 2008, Michael began dating Argentine actress Luisana Lopilato. They became engaged in November 2009 and married in March 2011 in Buenos Aires. While dating, Michael co-wrote the song “Haven’t Met You Yet” for Luisana. She appeared in the music video for the song. The couple has four children: two sons born in 2013 and 2016, and two daughters born in 2018 and 2022.

In 2016, Michael’s oldest son was diagnosed with hepatoblastoma, a type of childhood cancer. Michael canceled his planned tour to care for his son during chemotherapy and radiotherapy. He discussed this experience with British talk show host James Corden in 2018. His son has since fully recovered.

Discography

• BaBalu (2001)
• Dream (2002)
• Michael Bublé (2003)
• It's Time (2005)
• Call Me Irresponsible (2007)
• Crazy Love (2009)
• Christmas (2011)
• To Be Loved (2013)
• Nobody but Me (2016)
• Love (2018)
• Higher (2022)

Concert tours and residency

• Michael Bublé: Live in Concert (2004)
• It's Time Tour (2005–2006)
• Call Me Irresponsible Tour (2007–2008)
• Crazy Love Tour (2010–2012)
• To Be Loved Tour (2013–2015)
• An Evening with Michael Bublé (2019–2022)
• Higher Tour (2022–2023)

• A Las Vegas Limited Engagement (2022)