Blue (English group)

For other groups, see Blue (disambiguation).

Blue
Background information
Genres	R&B, pop
Years active	2000–2005, 2009–present
Labels	Innocent, Virgin, EMI
Members	Lee Ryan Simon Webbe Duncan James Antony Costa

Blue are an English pop vocal group, whose members are Simon Webbe, Lee Ryan, Duncan James and Antony Costa. Blue originally formed in 2000 before splitting in 2005. In 2009, it was confirmed that the band would reform. In April 2009, the group reunited and a Best of Blue Tour was announced. They represented the United Kingdom at the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest in Dusseldorf, Germany with the song "I Can". They came 11th, earning 100 points.

Career

All Rise (2000–01)

The band released their debut single "All Rise" in May 2001 and it reached number 4 on the UK Singles Chart. Their follow up single "Too Close" was released in August 2001 peaking at #1 on the UK Singles Chart. They went on to achieve a second number one in November with "If You Come Back". The album All Rise was released in time for Christmas and reached number one, eventually selling in excess of 1.8 million albums in the UK. The final single from the album, "Fly By II", reached number six in March 2002.

One Love (2002-2003)

Their second studio album, One Love was released in October 2002, entering at #1 on the UK Albums Chart and selling more than 150,000 copies. Three singles were released from the album: "One Love", which peaked at #3, "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word", featuring vocals from Elton John, which peaked at #1, and "U Make Me Wanna", which peaked at #4. The song "Supersexual" was issued in parts of South America and Spain in order to promote the band in the region.

Guilty (2003–04)

Their third studio album, Guilty, was released in the fall of 2003, entering at #2 on the UK Albums Chart and selling 100,000 copies on the week of release. The album spawned four singles, including the title track, "Guilty", which peaked at #2, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours", featuring vocla from Stevie Wonder and Angie Stone, which peaked at #11, "Breathe Easy", which peaked at #4, and "Bubblin'", which peaked at #9. The album ended up selling more than 1 million copies in the UK alone. The song "The Gift" was released to promote the album in Japan.

Best of Blue (2004-2005)

The band made the decision to split in 2004 after Elton John publicly suggested that their popularity was decreasing and that they should concentrate on making solo careers. As such, Best of Blue, a greatest hits compilation, was released in November 2004. The album spawned the singles "Curtain Falls", which peaked at #4, "Get Down on It", which peaked at #3, and "Only Words I Know", which peaked at #2 in France and Italy. The album peaked at #2 on the UK Albums Chart and was awarded a double platinum certification.

Solo Careers (2005-2009)

Following their split in 2005, all four members of the band embarked on solo careers. Simon Webbe became the most successful of the four, releasing two solo albums, and earning four top-ten hits, including "Lay Your Hands", "No Worries" and "Coming Around Again". Lee Ryan achieved minor success, releasing a top-ten studio album and four singles, two of which peaked inside the top 20. Duncan James released one studio album and three singles, and only achieved success with his debut release, "Sooner or Later". Antony Costa achieved the least success, only releasing one single. Ryan intended to release a second studio album, and Webbe intended to release a third, however, their releases were postponed due to Blue's reunion.

Reformation (2009-2010)

In April 2009, it was revealed that the band had reformed and had written new material, due to be released in a joint partnership with Innocent Records and EMI Music, with whom they still have a three-record deal. The band confirmed that they would be performing at 95.8 Capital FM's Summertime Ball, which took place in London's Emirates Stadium in June 2009. Following the performance, the band agreed to perform at the Silverstone Classic festival in August 2009.

Eurovision Song Contest 2011 and New Album (2011—)

Blue performing at the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Düsseldorf, Germany on 14 May 2011.

It was announced on 29 January 2011 that Blue would reunite and also represent the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011, with their entry "I Can". It coincided with the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the band in 2001 and a one hour documentary was broadcast in April 2011 celebrated their preparations for the final. It was the third time the group has Eurovision ambitions as group member Lee Ryan wrote and composed "Guardian Angel", Andy Scott-Lee's song for the 2005 edition of Making Your Mind Up. Furthermore, Antony Costa came second in the 2006 edition of the show with the song "It's A Beautiful Thing". Group member Duncan James was a panellist on all episodes of the Eurovision: Your Country Needs You series in 2009, which Jade Ewen won. He also announced the UK votes in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 final. Blue became the first UK representatives since The Shadows in 1975 to have had multiple no.1 singles in the UK chart prior to appearing in Eurovision, and the first since Sonia in 1993 to have had a no.1 at all before entering the competition. The song "I Can" premiered on 11 March 2011, on The Graham Norton Show. In the contest, they came 11th with 100 points. After the contest Blue said they were the victims of political voting, claiming they would have finished higher if countries had voted for the performance rather than their neighbours. It later turned out when the European Broadcasting Union (Who Runs Eurovision) released the split Televote & Jury results, That Blue came in 5th place with the European voters and the final result was down to coming in 22nd place on the Jury vote. Duncan James insisted that the result of their Eurovision bid won't affect their UK comeback, adding: "Should the worst happen, we're still going to press ahead with the album. It won't be the last of us – we're all fully committed to this band again."

Blue have revealed that they are working with Bruno Mars on their comeback album. Discussing the record with Digital Spy, Lee Ryan said: "We've been writing with Ne-Yo, and I've written at least a couple of songs on my own that will probably make the album. We've also been working with Bruno Mars on a song called 'Black And Blue' – he's sending his parts over from a demo we recorded a while ago. It's got some haunting notes on the chorus." Blue will perform on a tour in Manila on 25 February 2012, with A1 (UK), Jeff Timmons of 98 Degrees (US) - live at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Discography

Main article: Blue discography

Studio albums

• 2001: All Rise
• 2002: One Love
• 2003: Guilty

Compilation albums

• Best of Blue (2004)
• 4Ever Blue (2005)
• The Platinum Collection (2006)
• The Collection (2007)

External links

Official Links

• Twitter: @OfficialBlue / @MrDuncanJames / @SimonWebbe1 / @AntonyCosta
• Facebook
• YouTube

Official Portuguese Fanclub (BluePortugal)

• Website
• Twitter
• Facebook
• YouTube