Will Blunderfield
Encyclopedia
Will Blunderfield is a Canadian singer-songwriter
and yoga instructor. He is signed to Nettwerk
/Nutone Records. Blunderfield's music is influenced by his roots in New York City's musical theater scene and by traditional Indian music, which he first became familiar with at age 18. He is an ambassador for lululemon athletica
, Vega, and Manduka Yoga Mats. Xtra
identified Blunderfield as the first openly gay Canadian mainstream pop artist to launch a career on a major label.
At 17, Blunderfield moved from Vancouver, Canada to New York City to study theatre on scholarship at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy
along with other graduates-cum-musicians Jason Derülo
, Janelle Monae
and Jason Mraz
. His original plan was to pursue a career on Broadway, but he soon changed his mind and decided to pursue music and yoga
, a discipline which he was introduced to while at the school and, according to him, has the potential to change the world.
Blunderfield performs and teaches around the world at workshops, retreats and conferences. He became a yoga enthusiast in the Bikram
school, but now teaches a blend of Bikram Yoga and his own invented style. In late 2010, Nettwerk Music Group CEO and yoga enthusiast Terry McBride
, who had previously managed artists such as Coldplay
, Avril Lavigne
, and Sarah McLachlan
, signed Blunderfield to the label's yoga-inspired Nutone Records alongside Donna De Lory, Wade Morissette
and Krishna Das.
In May 2011, he recorded a duet with Juno Award
-winning, multi-platinum record selling artist Bif Naked
for the international version of his album Hallelujah
. Blunderfield's album was released in July 2011 worldwide and debuted at number one on the iTunes
world music chart.
-like motivational affirmations set to a sensational score" have been criticized by yoga purists as bastardizing the tradition. Classes invariably include Blunderfield wearing black eyeliner and harem pants
as he prompts students to grind their pelvises in 40 degree heat. He performs Kirtan
and Broadway showtunes during savasana
.
Despite his unconventional approach to yoga, respected spiritual and yoga gurus such as Dr. Christiane Northrup and Eoin Finn have rallied behind him. In response to the critics, Blunderfield has upheld that his reading of the sacred yoga
texts The Bhagavad Gītā
and Vedas
tells him to drop the teachings, create your own practice, and find your own truth.
and other Vancouver yogis to contribute tracks on Listen to Understand, a Kirtan
-inspired collection of inspirational music, which was released in late 2010. Proceeds from album sales went to the BC Children's Hospital.
He was the headlining performer at Yogathon 2010, an event that raises funds for children impacted by HIV/AIDS. Blunderfield headlined at the Voices of Hope World AIDS Day Concert, an event sponsored by the MAC AIDS Fund
and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
. The event is part of an international concert series benefitting the Dr. Peter foundation.
Blunderfield is also a spokesperson for anti-bullying organization The Diversity Project. Blunderfield explained to Xtra
about becoming a spokesperson against bullying, saying, "I didn't really have any role models when I was in high school, and it was really difficult for me. I didn't have a practice like yoga to ground me in the knowledge that there's nothing wrong with me.... I want to use yoga to help people embrace themselves regardless of any abuse they may have experienced because of their sexual or gender identity, race or size."
Blunderfield has also supported the following notable charities:
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and yoga instructor. He is signed to Nettwerk
Nettwerk
The Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Management, Nettwerk Records, Nettwerk One Publishing, Nutone Records, and Artwerk. With over 150 employees, the Vancouver-based company has offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Boston, Nashville, and Hamburg...
/Nutone Records. Blunderfield's music is influenced by his roots in New York City's musical theater scene and by traditional Indian music, which he first became familiar with at age 18. He is an ambassador for lululemon athletica
Lululemon Athletica
Lululemon Athletica Inc. , styled as lululemon athletica, is a self-described yoga-inspired athletic apparel company, produces a clothing line and runs international clothing stores from its company base in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada....
, Vega, and Manduka Yoga Mats. Xtra
Xtra!
Xtra! is a gay magazine, on newsprint in tabloid format, published by Pink Triangle Press in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.-History and content :...
identified Blunderfield as the first openly gay Canadian mainstream pop artist to launch a career on a major label.
At 17, Blunderfield moved from Vancouver, Canada to New York City to study theatre on scholarship at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy
American Musical and Dramatic Academy
The American Musical and Dramatic Academy , is a college conservatory for the performing arts located in New York City and Los Angeles, California....
along with other graduates-cum-musicians Jason Derülo
Jason Derulo
Jason Joel Desrouleaux , better known by his stage name Jason Derülo, is an American singer-songwriter, actor and dancer. After producing records for several artists and writing songs for Cash Money Records, co-founder of the label Birdman, Young Money Entertainment owner Lil Wayne and rapper...
, Janelle Monae
Janelle Monáe
Janelle Monáe is an American R&B/soul musician signed to Bad Boy Records and Atlantic Records.Monáe debuted with a conceptual EP, Metropolis: Suite I ...
and Jason Mraz
Jason Mraz
Jason Thomas Mraz , also known as Mr. AZ and Mr. Raz, is an American singer-songwriter. Mraz released his debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which contained the hit single "The Remedy ", in 2002, but it was not until the release of his second album, "Mr. A-Z", in 2005, that Mraz achieved...
. His original plan was to pursue a career on Broadway, but he soon changed his mind and decided to pursue music and yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
, a discipline which he was introduced to while at the school and, according to him, has the potential to change the world.
Blunderfield performs and teaches around the world at workshops, retreats and conferences. He became a yoga enthusiast in the Bikram
Bikram Yoga
Bikram Yoga is a system of yoga that Bikram Choudhury synthesized from traditional hatha yoga techniques and popularized beginning in the early 1970s. Bikram's classes run exactly 90 minutes and consist of a set series of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises...
school, but now teaches a blend of Bikram Yoga and his own invented style. In late 2010, Nettwerk Music Group CEO and yoga enthusiast Terry McBride
Terry McBride
Terry McBride is the current CEO and one of three founders of the Nettwerk Music Group, which includes Nettwerk Productions , Nettwerk Management , Nettwerk One , and Artwerks...
, who had previously managed artists such as Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
, Avril Lavigne
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
, and Sarah McLachlan
Sarah McLachlan
Sarah Ann McLachlan, OC, OBC is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. Known for her emotional ballads and mezzo-soprano vocal range, as of 2006, she has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards and four...
, signed Blunderfield to the label's yoga-inspired Nutone Records alongside Donna De Lory, Wade Morissette
Wade Morissette
Wade Imre Morissette is a Canadian kirtan and indie pop-rock musician, yoga instructor and therapist and author.-Early life:...
and Krishna Das.
In May 2011, he recorded a duet with Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
-winning, multi-platinum record selling artist Bif Naked
Bif Naked
Bif Naked is a Juno Award-winning, Indian-born American-Canadian multi-platinum record selling, rock singer, writer, poet, motivational speaker and actress.-Personal life:...
for the international version of his album Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Halleluyah, and the Latin form Alleluia are transliterations of the Hebrew word meaning "Praise Yah". The last syllable is from the first two letters of the name of God, YHWH, written JHVH in Latin). Hallelujah is found primarily in the book of Psalms...
. Blunderfield's album was released in July 2011 worldwide and debuted at number one on the iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
world music chart.
Controversy
Blunderfield's approach to yoga has met with some controversy in the yoga community. In May 2011, The Canadian Press reported that Blunderfield's classes, known for their "Tony RobbinsTony Robbins
Anthony "Tony" Robbins is an American self-help author and motivational speaker. He became well known through his infomercials and self-help books, Unlimited Power: The New Science Of Personal Achievement and Awaken The Giant Within...
-like motivational affirmations set to a sensational score" have been criticized by yoga purists as bastardizing the tradition. Classes invariably include Blunderfield wearing black eyeliner and harem pants
Harem pants
Harem pants or harem trousers, also known as parachute pants, are women's baggy long pants tapered at the ankle, with side flaps on the hip that button at the waist area....
as he prompts students to grind their pelvises in 40 degree heat. He performs Kirtan
Kirtan
Kirtan or Kirtana is call-and-response chanting or "responsory" performed in India's devotional traditions. A person performing kirtan is known as a kirtankar. Kirtan practice involves chanting hymns or mantras to the accompaniment of instruments such as the harmonium, tablas, the two-headed...
and Broadway showtunes during savasana
Savasana
-Etymology:The name comes from the Sanskrit words Shava meaning "corpse", and Asana meaning "posture" or "seat".-Description:...
.
Despite his unconventional approach to yoga, respected spiritual and yoga gurus such as Dr. Christiane Northrup and Eoin Finn have rallied behind him. In response to the critics, Blunderfield has upheld that his reading of the sacred yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
texts The Bhagavad Gītā
Bhagavad Gita
The ' , also more simply known as Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata, but is frequently treated as a freestanding text, and in particular, as an Upanishad in its own right, one of the several books that constitute general Vedic tradition...
and Vedas
Vedas
The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....
tells him to drop the teachings, create your own practice, and find your own truth.
Philanthropy and activism
Will Blunderfield has been involved in extensive philanthropic activities. He partnered with YYoga, Tamara RhodesTamara Rhodes
Tamara Rhodes is a Canadian jazz singer. She was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia. She has been performing since a young age. After high school, she moved to New York City where she attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts . She then studied with cabaret legend Helen...
and other Vancouver yogis to contribute tracks on Listen to Understand, a Kirtan
Kirtan
Kirtan or Kirtana is call-and-response chanting or "responsory" performed in India's devotional traditions. A person performing kirtan is known as a kirtankar. Kirtan practice involves chanting hymns or mantras to the accompaniment of instruments such as the harmonium, tablas, the two-headed...
-inspired collection of inspirational music, which was released in late 2010. Proceeds from album sales went to the BC Children's Hospital.
He was the headlining performer at Yogathon 2010, an event that raises funds for children impacted by HIV/AIDS. Blunderfield headlined at the Voices of Hope World AIDS Day Concert, an event sponsored by the MAC AIDS Fund
MAC AIDS Fund
MAC AIDS Fund was established in 1994. The fund was developed to support people who are living with HIV/AIDS worldwide. As well as donating funds to communities that offer services and help to and prevent the HIV/AIDS through educational programs and services.-History:MAC cosmetics was originally...
and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
. The event is part of an international concert series benefitting the Dr. Peter foundation.
Blunderfield is also a spokesperson for anti-bullying organization The Diversity Project. Blunderfield explained to Xtra
Xtra!
Xtra! is a gay magazine, on newsprint in tabloid format, published by Pink Triangle Press in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.-History and content :...
about becoming a spokesperson against bullying, saying, "I didn't really have any role models when I was in high school, and it was really difficult for me. I didn't have a practice like yoga to ground me in the knowledge that there's nothing wrong with me.... I want to use yoga to help people embrace themselves regardless of any abuse they may have experienced because of their sexual or gender identity, race or size."
Blunderfield has also supported the following notable charities:
- Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation
- Africa Yoga Project
- Yoga Aid
- Red Cross Japan
- Once Upon a Cure
- Canadian National Institute for the Blind CNIB
External links
- Official Website
- http://yyoga.ca/blog/on-the-mat-with-will-blunderfield/ at YYOGA
- http://www.lululemon.com/vancouver/robson/ambassadors/WillBlunderfield Ambassador for "Lululemon AthleticaLululemon AthleticaLululemon Athletica Inc. , styled as lululemon athletica, is a self-described yoga-inspired athletic apparel company, produces a clothing line and runs international clothing stores from its company base in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada....
"