Michael Buble's epic journey to fame
All the best bits from the Canadian Crooner's career!
Michael Bublé has one of the most recognisable voices in the world. Having released no less than 11 studio albums throughout his incredible career, it's no surprise that each one has been a hit!
Although the Canadian Crooner is now closely associated with Christmas songs, Michael has an expansive repertoire, carefully honed over the last nearly three decades - but just how did Michael Bublé become famous? Find out how he rose to fame and got his big break...
Michael Bublé: How did he get famous?
Early life
Michael was born on 9th September 1975 to parents Lewis and Amber and showed musical talent from a very young age. His dream of becoming a famous singer began when he was around two-years-old, and became interested in jazz at the age of five, thanks to his introduction to Bing Crosby's 'White Christmas' album by his family.
It wasn't until he was 13 that his family took a serious interest after noticing him sing his heart out to 'White Christmas', and his grandfather paid for his singing lessons and got him his first gig at the age of 16. After winning the Canadian Youth Talent Search contest, he hired the organiser to be his manager. Michael spent the next few years working extra parts in various TV shows before stepping in on a talk show to perform a singing set and therefore gaining exposure.
1996: Performing in Red Rock Diner
Back in 1996, after several years playing clubs, Michael landed a role as Elvis in the Vancouver run of musical Red Rock Diner. It was here Michael met partner Debbie Timmus and the pair later performed together in musical Forever Swing.
Early 2000's: Signed by David Foster
Constantly working on his craft, Michael got his big break after playing a gig for a former adviser to the Canadian prime minister. So impressed as the advisor, he dished out Michael's independent CDs and one landed in the hands of Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney. As a result, Michael played the wedding of Brian Mulroney's daughter and was introduced to grammy winning producer David Foster who later signed him to 143 records.
David - who has worked with Madonna, Whitney Houston and Céline Dion among many others - was initially reluctant to sign Michael to his label 143 Records, as he was unsure how he'd market Michael's music but after the singer moved to Los Angeles and some persuasion by friends, David agreed to produce Michael's first album.
2003: First major album
Michael's first major album was his self-titled album which was released in 2003 by 143 Records/Reprise Records. It featured the songs 'Fever', 'The Way You Look Tonight', 'For Once in My Life', 'Moondance' and 'You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine'. The album made it to the Top 10 in his home country of Canada, here in the UK as well as in South Africa. It made it to Number 1 in Australia!
2003: Christmas songs
Michael dipped his feet into the Christmas pool for the first time later in 2003, releasing an EP called 'Let It Snow!' featuring covers of five Christmas songs including 'Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!', 'I'll Be Home for Christmas' and 'White Christmas'.
2005: Release of 'It's Time'
Michael released 'It's Time' in February 2005 which featured some of his most well-known songs to this day, including a cover of 'Feeling Good' - which continues to be one of his signature songs - as well as 'Home', which he co-wrote himself. The album has since gone 2x Platinum in the UK.
2007: 'Call Me Irresponsible' released
Michael cemented his status as the Canadian Crooner with the release of 'Call Me Irresponsible' - which not only contained covers of classic pop and jazz tunes like 'Me and Mrs. Jones', 'That's Life' and 'Always on My Mind', but also featured two original Bublé tracks: 'Lost' and 'Everything'. The latter was written about his then-girlfriend, actress Emily Blunt, and the album won him a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.
2008: Co-owning the Vancouver Giants hockey team
After a lifelong passion for hockey, Michael became a co-owner of the Vancouver Giants in December 2008. He told the Ottawa Sun in 2005 that if he'd "been any good" at hockey, he wouldn't have become a singer: "I wanted so bad to be a hockey player and the truth is that I sucked. If I was any good at hockey, I probably wouldn't be singing right now. I'd probably be sitting out the season."
2009: Release of 'Crazy Love'
Michael released his next album in 2009, featuring covers of 'Cry Me A River' - the intro to which he wrote himself - 'Georgia On My Mind' and 'You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You', as well as two Bublé originals; 'Hold On' and 'Haven't Met You Yet'. The music video for the latter starred Michael along with his then-girlfriend, now-wife Luisana Lopilato, who he also wrote the song for. 'Crazy Love' won Michael yet another Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.
He also appeared as a celebrity mentor on The X Factor UK in 2009, later singing alongside finalist Stacey Solomon as they performed 'Feeling Good'.
2010: Winter Olympics in Vancouver
Michael not only performed on the day of the Opening Ceremony for the Winter Olympics in his home country of Canada, but he also took part in the torch relay as well as performing alongside other Canadian celebrities during the closing ceremony. His version of 'Cry Me A River' was used as the theme for the coverage here in the UK.
2011: Marriage to Luisana Lopilato
Michael began dating Luisana in 2008 after the breakdown of his relationship with Emily Blunt. The pair became engaged in 2009 and got married in March 2011 in Buenos Aires, Luisana's home city in Argentina. They have four children: Noah, born in 2013, Elias, born in 2016, Vida, born in 2018 and Cielo, born in 2022.
2011: Christmas album
After the success of his Christmas EP, Michael released a full Christmas album simply entitled 'Christmas' in 2011, featuring covers of all the biggest festive hits as well as three original tracks. The record cemented Michael's affinity with the Christmas season, hitting Number 1 in charts all over the world, including the UK and his home country of Canada - and has even gone 10x Platinum here in the UK with over 3 million album sales.
2013: 'Release of 'To Be Loved'
Michael hit the top spot in the charts in the UK, US and Canadian charts as well as plenty of others around the world. Featuring the single 'It's a Beautiful Day', the album has gone 2x Platinum in the UK and spawned a mammoth tour which began in June 2013 and finished in March 2015, seeing Michael perform in England, Ireland, the USA plus many countries around Europe.
2016: Release of 'Nobody but Me' and son's cancer diagnosis
2016 was a hard year for Michael. He released his seventh studio album, 'Nobody But Me' featuring incredible covers of big hits like 'God Only Knows' and 'The Very Thought of You' plus original songs such as the title track, with the album performing well around the world. However, his eldest son Noah was diagnosed with cancer at the age of just three-years-old. Michael cancelled his tour while the little boy underwent radiotherapy and chemotherapy - and thankfully Noah made a complete recovery.
2018: Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Michael was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the recording category, which is located at 6270 Hollywood Boulevard. In his emotional acceptance speech, he paid tribute to his wife, calling her his "hero" and "rock", as well as crediting his children with giving him a "purpose for life".
He added: "The longer I live, the more I realise that love isn't free. Love has a great cost. The more you love, the more you hurt. The greater chance of suffering and pain and when I woke up this morning I thought of that because, for all of those people that have loved me and supported me through the good times and the bad, I would risk that love a million times over for all of you."
2018: 10th studio album '❤️ (Love)'
Michael released 'Love' in November 2018 - his first release following his son's diagnosis and recovery - which featured hits such as 'La Vie en rose', 'My Funny Valentine' and 'When You're Smiling', going straight to Number 1 in the UK. He stated that he'd considered "never returning to music" in an interview with Billboard, but began to record songs as Noah's condition improved. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award.
2019: 'An Evening with Michael Bublé' Tour
Michael took on his sixth tour 'An Evening with Michael Bublé', which began in Tampa, Florida in February 2019. He told Billboard about how excited he was to tour once again: "I'm going to go back to what I was made to do. I'm going to come back to a world that needs love and romance and laughter more than it has in a long time. I'm going to be a conduit to that. This is the greatest record I've ever made."
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, UK dates were moved to summer 2022.
2022: 'Higher'
In early 2022, Michael announced that he'd be releasing his ninth studio album, 'Higher'. It was released in March 2022 and featured hits such as 'Make You Feel My Love', 'You're the First, the Last, My Everything' and 'A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square', with the record making it to Number 1 on the UK Album charts as well as winning Best Traditional Pop Album at the Grammys.
2023: Michael wins a Grammy for his album 'Higher'
In February 2023, Michael won the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the Grammy Awards for his album 'Higher'. The award was Michael's fifth Grammy win.
2023: 'Higher' UK tour dates
The 'Higher' Tour began in August 2022 and ended in Mexico City in October 2023. Michael visited the UK and Ireland in April and May 2023, performing in London, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Newcastle, Cardiff, Nottingham, Birmingham and Dublin.
Read more:
The Canadian Crooner: Get the low down on Michael Bublé
Elton John: The man who gave us 'Sacrifice' and 'Your Song'
Gary Barlow: A look back at his career highlights through the years