Blue

U.K. four-piece Blue made an immediate impact on the British charts during 2001 with a string of well-crafted pop/R&B singles. Issuing their debut album, All Rise, towards the end of that year, the quartet would go on to dominate the British pop charts with follow-ups One Love (2002) and Guilty (2003) before going on hiatus. Returning some ten years later, Blue — who were now ingrained in British pop culture — issued three more albums, including 2022′s Heart & Soul.
Duncan James and Antony Costa, who first met on the audition circuit, decided to form their own group in early 2000. They soon teamed up with Lee Ryan, whom they also first noticed on the circuit, and his flatmate Simon Webbe, an ex-professional footballer. A management and recording contract with Innocent Records ensued, and the quartet was placed with several songwriting/production teams. Their debut single, “All Rise,” written by leading Norwegian pop team Stargate and taken from the album of the same name, reached number four on the U.K. singles chart in May 2001 and spent several weeks in the Top Ten. The quartet’s cover version of Next’s U.S. chart-topper “Too Close” and “If You Come Back” went to number one in August and November, respectively. Their debut album, All Rise, which incorporated rock and funk influences alongside a mix of pop ballads and up-tempo R&B, hit the chart at number four upon release. The quartet confirmed their commercial status when their second album, One Love, debuted at the top of the U.K. album chart in November 2002. They returned to the top of the singles chart the following month, duetting with Elton John on an updated version of his “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word.” 2003 saw their third album, Guilty, continue with their winning formula, with its three singles, “Guilty,” “Breathe Easy,” and their cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours” (featuring Wonder and Angie Stone) all reaching the U.K. Top 20. In 2004, the group released a best-of set which featured their new single, “Curtain Falls,” and after completing a tour in support of the album, the quartet announced that Blue was going on hiatus. Lee Ryan and Simon Webbe released solo albums the following year.
It wasn’t until 2009 that Blue reappeared, performing at Silverstone Classic amidst rumors they would be releasing a new album. This wasn’t to materialize that year or the year after, but Blue did return in 2011 with “I Can”, the song that would represent the U.K. in the Eurovision Song Contest. Although unsuccessful in the final, Blue, buoyed by the response from fans, began working on their next record. During a concert in China in the summer of 2012, the band performed a new song, “Hurt Lovers,” and announced in October that they would be releasing their fourth studio album, Roulette. In early 2013, Blue embarked on The Big Reunion U.K. tour with a host of other U.K. pop groups, including Honeyz and Liberty X, before releasing Roulette, which featured the single “Without You,” in April of that year. Two years later, the group had signed a deal with Sony to release their fifth album, Colours. Featuring a mix of covers and original material, the album debuted on the U.K. charts at number 13. Following its release, the group continued to tour the U.K., while each member once again focused on their own solo careers, with James and Costa acting and Webbe and Ryan issuing solo material. 2021 saw Blue celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut album, with the group announcing a string of arena dates across the U.K. to take place the following year. The quartet had also returned to the studio, with their sixth album, Heart & Soul, being issued at the tail end of 2022. ~ Brendan Swift & Daniel Clancy