It’s hard to overstate the impact of Michael Bublé’s music. His music is loved by millions of people around the world who attend his sold-out concerts. He is one of the world’s most successful artists, selling more than 65 million records worldwide. His music has won 13 Juno awards and four Grammy awards.
Bublé was born in Burnaby in 1975 and still makes his home in the neighborhood where he grew up and where he played street hockey with the neighbourhood kids. His children attend the same elementary school he attended. Bublé has said he dreamed of becoming a singer from a very young age, a dream that lived alongside his wish to become a professional hockey player. He says as a kid he attended every single Vancouver Canucks home game, a devotion that today is expressed in his support for Canuck Place Children’s Hospice. Michael also supports the B.C. Children’s Hospital as an Ambassador, The Burnaby Hospital Foundation and The Burnaby RCMP. His efforts supporting international charities include Dog for Dog, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Children’s Hospital in Argentina. Buble is part owner of the Vancouver Giants junior hockey franchise.
Bublé’s father was a fisherman and he spent six summers, from the age of 14, working as a commercial fisherman. He learned his love of jazz and the great American songbook from his grandfather. Bublé says: “My grandfather was really my best friend growing up. He was the one who opened me up to a whole world of music that seemed to have been passed over by my generation. Although I like rock and roll and modern music, the first time my granddad played me the Mills Brothers, something magical happened. The lyrics were so romantic, so real, the way a song should be for me. It was like seeing my future flash before me. I wanted to be a singer and I knew that this was the music that I wanted to sing.”
Bublé won the Canadian Youth Talent Search while in his teens. In 1997 he became a regular guest on CTV’s Vicki Gabereau Show, a live national talk show, where Bublé made himself available to fill in when other guests had to cancel, using the opportunity to improve his skills as a live performer. He was introduced to musician and record producer David Foster in 2000 who eventually signed Bublé to his 143/Reprise record label. Working with Foster, Bublé’s self-titled debut studio album was released in 2003 and reached the top 10 in Canada and the UK.
His second studio album, It’s Time, was released in 2005 and spent 104 weeks on the Billboard jazz chart including 78 weeks at number one. In 2009, his album “Crazy Love” debuted at number one.
Bublé won the 2010 Juno Awards for album, pop album, and single of the year. At the Grammy Awards, “Crazy Love” won best traditional pop vocal album of the year. His string of successful recordings continued, releasing his 10th studio album in 2018, “Love,” written as a heart emoji. Michael Buble has had 5 TV Specials on NBC and 3 specials on PBS. In addition, multiple appearances on Saturday Night Live, The Today Show, The Tonight Show, and David Letterman, plus major television shows around the world including The Social and Marilyn Denis in Canada. Michael also hosted the Junos in 2018 and 2013 and performed in the 2010 Olympic Games Opening ceremony. Recently, Michael has been very active with healthcare workers throughout BC and Canada doing what he can to spread the word about the dangers of Covid.19 and how the public can protect themselves from this pandemic.
