Raised in a military family, James Blunt followed in his father's footsteps before surrendering to his muse. Given his buttoned­­-down background, it was something of a surprise when he found fame with a sweet, soft, starry-­­eyed repertoire. Blunt's breakout came in 2005 with “You're Beautiful,” a massively popular ballad that reached No. 1 on charts around the globe. (At one point, he found himself apologizing for the song's ubiquity.) Blunt continued to explore matters of the heart on his subsequent releases, to the delight of hopeless­ly romantic fans worldwide.