James Blunt has revealed that his goal during his time on The Traitors was to get himself banished from the show, rather than to win.
Blunt, who reached the final episode of the celebrity version of the popular reality competition, told the BBC that he attempted to engineer his own exit. "So for most of the time, I was trying to... get the hell out of dodge. But no-one was killing me and no-one was banishing me!" he explained.
Despite his efforts, Blunt became a notable figure in the series, known for his distinctive fashion choices and his self-described role as a "yapping terrier" in contrast to Michael Sheen's "mature labrador" at the round table. He admitted that his attempts to keep a low profile were often overridden by his desire to create theories and engage with the game, stating, "But that's also really boring. And so for me, I just thought, 'Let's just go around and come up with theories.'"
One of the most discussed moments from Blunt's time on the show was the banishment of comedian James Acaster. Blunt suggested that the editing of the program did not fully capture the intensity of the interrogation that led to Acaster's confession. "It was heavy in there and it was clear-cut. He was pinned to a post. We got him. We really, really got him," Blunt said, implying Acaster's confession was not entirely voluntary.
Blunt ultimately believes his appearance on The Traitors was a strategic move to promote his new music. He stated, "I think you may have hit the nail on the head with the latter [promoting new music]. I don't think otherwise I would have signed up to be imprisoned in a castle in Scotland." His latest album, "Airplane Mode," features a more introspective and downbeat tone, with Blunt exploring themes of melancholy, the state of the world, and personal struggles.
He described the songwriting process for "Airplane Mode" as an exercise in confronting his own thoughts and anxieties. "I don't have a therapist. I write songs as an exercise in voicing nostalgia and melancholy and the things I struggle with in the world," he said. The album's darker themes are informed by past experiences, including his time as an army captain during the Kosovo war and his subsequent struggles with public scrutiny and the phone-hacking scandal.
Blunt also discussed changes in his vocal performance, attributing a new depth and rasp to his voice to a demanding 21-month tour celebrating his debut album and subsequent vocal strain, which led him to take singing lessons. Despite the darker subject matter of his new music, Blunt maintains a sense of resilience, describing the closing track as "a fist in the air saying, 'Yeah, we will endure'."