Jamie Cullum is destined for superstardom – and
for those who doubt Cullum’s eventual rise to
superstardom, they only need to look at the tremendous
success of his debut album, “Twentysomething”
in 2004, which sold a mind-blowing two million copies,
400,000 of those copies in the hard-to-break-into United
States. Perhaps what’s more impressive, however,
is critics lauded Cullum as the best jazz artist in
British history.
It comes as little surprise that Cullum pursued music.
After all, the Englishman from the town of Wiltshire,
immersed himself in all types of music – everything
from rock and roll and hip hop to jazz and blues –
growing up. At only eight, Cullum began taking piano
and guitar lessons, and his love of music would continue
to blossom. It was jazz that would skyrocket Cullum
to international prominence, and before long critics
would draw comparisons between Cullum’s smooth
musical style and jazz superstar Harry Connick Jr.
While Cullum’s youth was saturated with music,
his focus would shift during his stint at the University
of Reading. As a journalism and film major, Cullum did
whatever he could to make money, like most college students.
Between classes, he performed at wedding receptions
and on cruise ships, which turned out to give Cullum
a valuable break. It was at just such a performance
that Cullum impressed the right people and was offered
the chance to sing with the British Berkshire Jazz Orchestra.
As a result, Cullum earned enough money to record his
first demo, “Heard It All,” which he sold
during Berkshire Jazz Orchestra performances. “Heard
It All” gave Cullum just
the momentum he needed to record his first effort, Pointless
Nostalgia,” which appeared on Candid Records in
2002. His official debut album, “Twentysomething,”
hit store shelves in 2004 and became an instant sensation,
winning Cullum such affectionate nicknames as “Sinatra
in Sneakers” and “The David Beckham of Jazz.”
And, overnight, Jamie Cullum concert tickets were at
a premium.
“Twentysomething” earned Cullum plenty
of critical acclaim, netting him a Grammy nomination
and a Brit Award nomination for “Best Breakthrough
Artist.” He also won “The Best Newcomer”
at the Radio 3 Jazz Awards in the United Kingdom.
Cullum followed his smash debut album with “Catching
Tales,” released in 2005. His sophomore effort,
too, received critical acclaim, and the twentysomething
jazz artist is currently on tour in support of “Catching
Tales.”
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