Will Blunderfield

Last updated

Will Blunderfield
Blunderfield performing.jpg
Will Blunderfield at Robson Street in Vancouver, July 2010.
Background information
Birth nameMark William Kent Blunderfield
Born (1985-07-18) July 18, 1985 (age 38)
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Genres World, pop, mantras
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, yoga teacher, performance artist
Instrument(s)Vocals, piano, synthesizer, harmonium
Years active2009–present
Labels Sony Music
Nettwerk/Nutone Records
Warner Music Group
Spirit Voyage Records
Website music.apple.com/ca/artist/will-blunderfield/436535637

Mark William Kent Blunderfield (born July 18, 1985) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and yoga teacher. He is signed to Nettwerk Records/Sony Music (WMG) with music released through Spirit Voyage Records. [1] Blunderfield's musical style draws influence from his background in New York City's musical theater scene, as well as from spiritual hymns and mantras that he became acquainted with during his time in the British Columbia Boys Choir as a child. [2] [3] He is an ambassador for lululemon athletica, Vega, and Manduka Yoga Mats. [4] [5] [6] Xtra identified Blunderfield as an activist for diversity and social equality in schools. [7] His fame reached mainstream proportions in Japan in 2012, where he embarked on extensive tours and achieved success on radio with the single "Long Time Sun," featured on the international version of his album. [8] [9] [10] [11] Blunderfield has also gained attention as an internet sensation, credited for his contributions to the male rewilding movement, which explores alternative perspectives on modern masculinity. [12]

Contents

Education

At 17, Blunderfield moved from Vancouver to New York City to study theatre on scholarship at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, where he was classmates with Jason Derulo, Janelle Monáe 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. [13]

Blunderfield holds multiple certifications in Hatha Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Sexual Kung Fu under Loren Johnson and Mantak Chia, Jon Kabat-Zinn's Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), and Compassionate Inquiry under Gabor Maté MD. He has a degree in Psychology, Sexuality and Human Nutrition from the University of British Columbia. [14]

Career

Blunderfield performs and teaches around the world at workshops, retreats and conferences. [15] [16] [17] 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. [18] [19] [20]

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. [21] He has charted primarily in the world music, new age and occasionally in the mainstream charts. Blunderfield's album was released in July 2011 worldwide and debuted at number one on the iTunes world music chart. [22]

He has also created a charity foundation, Fukushima Yoga Project, had a Canadian television spot as yoga & wellness expert (Life & Style with Zara) and produced a line of japa mala jewelry products labelled "Rock Om". He has contributed opinion pieces to many publications and performed a cabaret show Yoga Fantasia.

In 2015, Blunderfield starred in the primetime reality show Why Did You Come to Japan? (YOUは何しに日本へ？). [23] He released a theme song in conjunction with the show titled "Story," written by Japanese popstar Ai. [24]

He performs original compositions inspired by devotional chant, World Music, Musical Theater and Mantra Music during savasana. [25]

In February 2018, Blunderfield released the title track of his second full-length album, a cover of Wild Horses by The Rolling Stones. The song and album were produced by Grammy and Juno Award-winning producers Brian West (Sia, Bono, Nelly Furtado), Mike Southworth (Bif Naked), and Adam Stanton (Jess Moskaluke). [26]

Blunderfield launched a short film for his song Even When You're Gone (For Eliah), which he dedicated to a friend who died of a fentanyl overdose. The video was filmed in Vancouver and was directed by Canadian documentary filmmaker Charles Wilkinson. [27] The film was nominated as an official selection at the Austin Spotlight Film Festival. [28]

Will Blunderfield is also known for his uconventional approach to men's work, specifically naked rewilding. [29] His unique methods have gained significant attention in the online world and have been featured on various prominent platforms. Notably, his work has been discussed on iHeartRadio's "Man Thinkers" podcast, where he engaged in insightful conversations about masculinity and personal development. Will has also made notable appearances on well-known shows like "Your Mom's House" with Tom Segura and "Congratulations" with Chris D'Elia, as well as the "Tiny Meat Gang" podcast produced by TMG Studios. [30]

The impact of Will's teachings extends beyond his online presence. Media outlets such as The Province, The Vancouver Sun, New York Post and Esquire Magazine have recognized the transformative nature of his rewilding methods, featuring his work and shedding light on its influence. [31] Moreover, a full documentary about Will and his work was produced and released by the American digital media company Channel 5 News, with journalist Andrew Callaghan leading the project. The documentary quickly gained widespread attention, going viral and amassing over 2.2 million views within a week of its release. [32] [33]

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) aired a program and interview on "The New Gurus," hosted by Helen Lewis, in which Will discussed his rewilding approach and its potential to redefine modern masculinity. Additionally, he was interviewed for a CBC docuseries exploring sexuality as well as a Christmas music special. [34] Will has also been interviewed by Vice News multiple times by reporters Samantha Cole and Ryan Hook for The Globe & Mail. [35] [36]

Philanthropy and activism

Will Blunderfield has been involved in extensive philanthropic activities. He partnered with YYoga, Tamara Rhodes 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. [37]

Blunderfield is also a spokesperson for a tolerance organization, The Diversity Project. [38] Blunderfield explained to Xtra about becoming a spokesperson, 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." [39]

Blunderfield recorded a single of the classic song Stand by Me in 2019 along with a sold-out concert series with all proceeds benefitting Out in Schools, a program created by the Vancouver Queer Film Festival to showcase LGBTQ-themed movies in Canadian high schools with the intention of lessening bullying and promoting understanding and diversity. [40]

Blunderfield has also supported the following notable charities:

Discography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nettwerk</span> Canadian record label

Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Records, Nettwerk Management, and Nettwerk One Publishing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bif Naked</span> Canadian singer

Beth Torbert is a Canadian singer best known by her stage name Bif Naked. Between 1996 and 2016, she was among the top 150 selling Canadian artists in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Econoline Crush</span> Canadian rock band

Econoline Crush is a Canadian rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia, formed in 1992. They have released five studio albums and two studio EPs, and are best known for their charting singles such as "You Don't Know What It's Like", "Home", "Surefire ", "All That You Are (X3)", "Make It Right", and "Dirty". They achieved platinum status with the 1997 album The Devil You Know and also received two Juno nominations, in 1995 for Purge and in 1998 for The Devil You Know.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martina Sorbara</span> Canadian singer-songwriter

Martina Sorbara is a Canadian singer-songwriter and frontwoman of the band Dragonette.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rich Priske</span> Canadian musician (1967–2020)

Rich Priske, also known as Rich Rock, was a Canadian bass guitarist. Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, he had long been active in the B.C. music scene, and played bass guitar and/or written songs for Art Bergmann, DSK, ShoCore, Chrome Dog, Bif Naked, The Real McKenzies, and others. Priske was best known for playing bass guitar in the Canadian band Matthew Good Band from 1998 to 2002. After the band's dissolution in 2002, he kept playing with Matthew Good until the end of the In a Coma tour in fall 2005. Later in life, he lived in Kelowna and played in the Jon Bos Band and Florida Man.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tomohisa Yamashita</span> Japanese singer, actor, and TV host

Tomohisa Yamashita, also widely known as Yamapi, or Tomo, is a Japanese singer, actor, and TV host.

Her Royal Majesty's Records (HRMR) is a Canadian independent record label founded in Vancouver in 1995 by Bif Naked and Peter Karroll and managed by Peter Karroll. Originally HRM Records was created to be a home for Bif Naked's music after Plum Records folded up shop after the release of Bif Naked's self-titled release. Peter Karroll licensed Bif's songs to many major labels and did co-venture music projects including mixing and recording tracks for Films and Television. Peter Karroll co-wrote, produced and mixed many successful tracks including Platinum and Gold selling albums and singles with Bif Naked. In 2005 Peter Karroll merged the music label with Bodog to create Bodog Music and Bodog Entertainment. Her Royal Majesty's Records was the backbone of the Bodog entertainment juggernaut and combined with the Artist Management company TKO Entertainment Corp the Bodog Entertainment entity produced over 150 Network Television shows in the US and licensed in many countries. As well live events on In Demand and music television programing on the Fuse Network all contributed to the overall success of Bodog Entertainment. In 2008 the entertainment companies were unmerged and Peter Karroll moved forward more albums with Bif Naked and DMX the American rap / hip hop superstar. During the Bodog Era Peter signed and released the Legendary Hip Hop group the WuTang Clan. Thousands of Live events were produced with the Artists from HRMR / Bodog with them touring extensively on major festivals and tours such as Warped Tour, Family Values, Rock Am Ring, Rock Am Park, Hultsfred Festival Bif Naked's largest attendance in the headline position was 2011 in Cloverdale BC where she performed in front of 110,000 estimated audience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lululemon Athletica</span> Multinational athletic apparel retailer

Lululemon athletica inc., commonly known as lululemon, is a Canadian-American multinational athletic apparel retailer headquartered in British Columbia and incorporated in Delaware, United States. It was founded in 1998 as a retailer of yoga pants and other yoga wear, and has expanded to also sell athletic wear, lifestyle apparel, accessories, and personal care products. The company has 574 stores internationally and sells online.

Terry McBride is the CEO and one of three founders of the Nettwerk Music Group, which includes Nettwerk Productions, Nettwerk Management, Nettwerk One (publishing), and Artwerks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big John Bates</span> Canadian singer

Big John Bates is a Canadian singer, songwriter and guitarist. He cofounded and performed in Annihilator, Big John Bates & the Voodoo Dollz and the Noirchestra. Bates has had long-term sponsorships with Jagermeister, Gretsch (guitars) and Hofner (basses) through his career.

Wade Imre Morissette is a Canadian kirtan and indie pop-rock musician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ani Kyd</span> Canadian musician

Ani Kyd is a Canadian, Vancouver-based musician, actor, and life coach.

dbClifford Musical artist

Daniel Clifford, better known by his stage name dbClifford, is a multi instrumentalist, singer, composer and producer of French and English descent. Born in France, he previously lived in Los Angeles, Victoria, Toronto, London and currently resides in Bergerac. His debut album, Recyclable, was released in 2007. The first single, "Simple Things", was a top 40 hit on Canadian, French and Dutch Hot AC radio and his second single "Don't Wanna" was a number-one hit in Japan. His second album Feet Above The Ground was released in 2011 and he won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest with the song "New State Of Mind" in the pop category. Lucky Me is the singer's third studio album, recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London and released in 2019 on Samadhi Music. The singer has performed at many international festivals such as Rock En Seine, North Sea Jazz Fest and the Festival De Nimes.

Dennis J. "Chip" Wilson is an American-born Canadian businessman, investor, and philanthropist who has founded several retail apparel companies, most notably the yoga-inspired athletic apparel company Lululemon Athletica Inc. Wilson is widely regarded as the progenitor and a pioneering figure of the athleisure phenomenon, in which the trend has permeated mainstream North American society since its emergence in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yoga pants</span> Non-binding stretch pants originally worn as athletic or leisurewear

Yoga pants are high-denier hosiery reaching from ankle to waist, originally designed for yoga as exercise and first sold in 1998 by Lululemon, a company founded for that purpose. They were initially made of a mix of nylon and Lycra; more specialised fabrics have been introduced to provide moisture-wicking, compression, and odour reduction.

Shannon Wilson is a Canadian fashion designer, businesswoman, and philanthropist. She is best known for her former role as lead designer at the yoga apparel company Lululemon Athletica. In 2014, she founded Kit and Ace, a technical luxury apparel company.

Christine M. Day is a Canadian retail executive. She has been the CEO of the Vancouver-based food company Luvo Inc. since January 2014. From 2008 through December 2013, she was the CEO of the Canadian clothing company Lululemon Athletica. Prior to taking her post at Lululemon she worked for Starbucks' Asia-Pacific division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kit and Ace</span> Canadian clothing brand

Kit and Ace is a Canadian clothing brand.

The Lululemon murder occurred on March 11, 2011, at a Lululemon Athletica store located in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Bethesda, Maryland, when Brittany Norwood, a store employee, murdered her coworker Jayna Troxel Murray. The case received widespread media coverage and was commonly referred to as the "Lululemon murder." In January 2012, Norwood was sentenced to life imprisonment without possibility of parole.

Randall "Randy" Steffes is a Canadian musician and manager. As a musician, he has played with Bif Naked's early band Gorilla Gorilla and the skate punk band SNFU. He has also worked as manager, tour manager, guitar technician, sound engineer, and additional musician for Green Day, Good Riddance, and The Real McKenzies.

References

  1. ↑ "Devotional Singer – Will Blunderfield | drishtipoint.ca". drishtipoint.ca. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011.
  2. ↑ "» Interview: Will Blunderfield on Tokyo, Yoga, Music and his new album, "HALLELUJAH"- HelloYoga.com – Tokyo's English-Speaking Yoga Community". HelloYoga.com. Retrieved November 20, 2010.
  3. ↑ Holmes, Margot (May 31, 2011). "BC BOYS CHOIR ALUMNI". British Columbia Boys Choir. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Vega Ambassador | My Vega". myvega.com. Archived from the original on November 27, 2010.
  5. ↑ Will Blunderfield. "Manduka High Performance Yoga Mats and Yoga Accessories | Community". Manduka.com. Retrieved November 20, 2010.
  6. ↑ "lululemon athletica | yoga-inspired athletic apparel | ambassadors". Lululemon.com. Retrieved November 20, 2010.
  7. ↑ Kittelberg, Lori (May 31, 2011). "From yoga, with love". Xtra. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Blue Ocean（ブルーオーシャン）- TOKYO FM 80.0MHz - 住吉美紀". Blue Ocean（ブルーオーシャン）- TOKYO FM 80.0MHz - 住吉美紀 (in Japanese).
  9. ↑ "YogaFest Yokohama 2012 | Sport and fitness in Tokyo". Time Out Tokyo. July 22, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Interview: Will Blunderfield on Tokyo, Yoga, Music, and His New Album, "Hallelujah" - HelloYoga.com - Tokyo's English-Speaking Yoga Community". Archived from the original on July 24, 2012. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
  11. ↑ Ryan, Denise (January 11, 2013). "Bringing healing and joy to Japan". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved January 12, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Your Balls Are Back Online". VICE News. June 6, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  13. ↑ Burgmann, Tamsyn (May 21, 2011). "Hot hatha yoga teacher empowers students, puts musical theatre twist on classes". The Canadian Press. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  14. ↑ Landiedel, Matt (April 23, 2020). "Episode 6: Sexuality on the Spiritual Journey, with Will Blunderfield" . Retrieved May 25, 2023– via YouTube.
  15. ↑ "Tokyo American Club - Shake Your Asana: Yoga with Will Blunderfield". www.tokyoamericanclub.org. Archived from the original on July 28, 2011.
  16. ↑ "Devotional Singer – Will Blunderfield". drishtipoint.ca. July 26, 2010. Retrieved November 20, 2010.
  17. ↑ "love letter to vancouver – the lululemon athletica blog". Lululemon.com. February 11, 2010. Retrieved November 20, 2010.
  18. ↑ "Recent Releases". Nutone Music. Retrieved November 20, 2010.
  19. ↑ McBride, Terry (January 20, 2011). "YYoga breathes new passion into love of music". The Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on March 16, 2011.
  20. ↑ "Terry McBride". Nettwerk Music Group. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  21. ↑ "Will Blunderfield Amazing Grace ft. Bif Naked". Nutone Music. Retrieved November 20, 2010.
  22. ↑ "iTunes Store Top 10 World Albums". Apple.com. July 27, 2011. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
  23. ↑ "Why Did You Come To Japan?". TV Tokyo. April 27, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Officialai". Instagram. April 28, 2015. Archived from the original on December 26, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
  25. ↑ Kittelberg, Lori (May 31, 2011). "From yoga, with love". Xtra. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  26. ↑ "Popular Albums". Apple. February 28, 2018. iTunes Apple Play. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Even When You're Gone (For Eliah)". January 21, 2020. Apple iTunes. Retrieved April 1, 2022– via Apple Music.
  28. ↑ "Selections". Austin Spotlight Film Festival. February 28, 2018. Austin Spotlight. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  29. ↑ "The naked truth: Vancouver men are taking the plunge for cold-water nude yoga". November 17, 2019. Vancouver Sun. Retrieved May 21, 2023– via Vancouver Sun.
  30. ↑ "The Erotic Awakening". YouTube. July 6, 2022. Supergood Clips. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  31. ↑ "We warm our testicles and butts in the sun — our erotic male bonding isn't 'gay'". June 7, 2023. NY Post. Retrieved June 7, 2023– via NY Post.
  32. ↑ "Is Channel 5 The Future of News?". Esquire. December 30, 2022. Esquire Apple Play. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  33. ↑ "Will Blunderfield". October 12, 2022. YouTube. Retrieved May 21, 2023– via YouTube.
  34. ↑ "CBC News - Christmas Spin Class with Will Blunderfield". November 13, 2020. YouTube. Retrieved January 4, 2024– via YouTube.
  35. ↑ "The New Gurus". BBC Radio 4. December 4, 2022. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  36. ↑ "Your Balls Are Back Online". VICE News. June 6, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  37. ↑ "Community Highlights". BC Children's Hospital Foundation. April 13, 2011. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  38. ↑ Breckon, Calan (April 13, 2011). "Support VLog Will Blunderfield". The Diversity Project. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  39. ↑ Kittelberg, Lori (May 31, 2011). "From yoga, with love". Xtra. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  40. ↑ Kittelberg, Lori (March 16, 2019). "Will Blunderfield & Friends". The Cultch. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  41. ↑ "Yoga Jam Session". The Greater Vancouver Visitors and Convention Bureau. February 19, 2011. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  42. ↑ "Yoga Aid Canada". Yoga Aid Pty. Ltd. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  43. ↑ "Musical Performances". Once Upon A Cure. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  44. ↑ "Media Advisory – Canadians get limber in support of the Great Canadian Yoga Stretch". CNW Group Ltd. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.