Cullum was born in Romford, East London. He was brought up in Hullavington, Wiltshire, and educated at the independent fee-paying Grittleton House School and the sixth form at Sheldon School. He then went on to study English Literature, and minored in Film Studies, at Reading University where he graduated with First Class Honours.
His mother, Yvonne, is a secretary of Anglo-Burmese origin, whose family settled in Wales after Burma's independence; his father, John Cullum, worked in finance. His paternal grandfather was a British Army officer, while his paternal grandmother was a Jewish refugee from Prussia who sang in Berlin nightclubs.
Cullum married British model Sophie Dahl at a country hotel in the New Forest National Park in England on 9 January 2010.
Cullum released his first album, Jamie Cullum Trio—Heard it All, in 1999, of which 500 copies were made. Due to their rarity, original copies have sold for as much as £600 on eBay. The success of Heard It All Before resulted in Cullum being invited to appear on Geoff Gascoyne's album Songs of the Summer.
After graduating from Reading University, Cullum released a best-selling album, Pointless Nostalgic, which stirred interest from Michael Parkinson[2] and Melvyn Bragg.
Just after Cullum made his first television appearance, on Parkinson in April 2003, he signed a £1m contract[3] for three albums with Universal, who beat Sony in a bidding war. Cullum's third album, Twentysomething, released in October 2003, went platinum and became the #1 selling studio album by a jazz artist in the United Kingdom. Cullum ended 2003 as the UK's biggest selling jazz artist of all time.[3]
Although primarily a jazz musician, he performs in a wide range of styles and is generally regarded as a "crossover" artist with his musical roots firmly based in jazz. Cullum draws his inspiration from many different musicians and listens to an eclectic mix of music from Miles Davis[4] to Tom Waits and many more. Cullum has belonged to several bands, ranging from banging drums in a hip hop group to playing guitar in rock bands such as Raw Sausage and The Mystery Machine, in his teenage youth. Cullum names his elder brother, Ben Cullum, as his biggest musical influence, and the two continue to collaborate extensively.
Cullum is well known not only for his abilities on the piano, but also for his unique entertainment style and charisma. One of the many things that features in Jamie's concerts is the "stompbox" (not to be confused with an effect pedal for guitars), made from a small wooden block. The stompbox is used to amplify a musician's tapping foot. Jamie found this in Australia and uses it to enhance upbeat and fast-paced songs such as Seven Nation Army originally by the White Stripes and "Gold Digger", originally by Kanye West. He is also often found using a looping machine. This plays a heavy part in Cullum's versions of Seven Nation Army and Teardrop by Massive Attack. Cullum is also often found beatboxing at most gigs.
As well as the White Stripes and Kanye West, Cullum has performed work by Massive Attack, Rihanna, Pussycat Dolls, Radiohead, Gnarls Barkley, Elton John, Justin Timberlake, John Legend, Joy Division, Lady Gaga and many others. He has also performed with Kylie Minogue, Sugababes, Will.i.am and Burt Bacharach.
Cullum rarely works to a set list and on average his gigs last just over two hours. The gigs are largely improvised, rooted in jazz but not solely consisting of jazz music.
Cullum has played at many large music festivals, including Glastonbury Festival (in 2004 & 2009), Coachella 2005, 2006 South by Southwest, North Sea Jazz Festival, the Hollywood Bowl (performing with the Count Basie Orchestra) and the 2006 Playboy Jazz Festival. On the April 29th 2006 Cullum played his biggest ever crowd on Queensday in The Netherlands.
Discography:
1999 - Heard It All Before
2001 - Pointless Nostalgic
2003 - Twentysomething
2005 - Catching Tales
2009 - The Pursuit
2010 - Devil May Care
2013 - Momentum
2014 - Interlude
2018 - The song society playlist
2019 - Taller
2020 - The pianoman at christmas
2021 - The pianoman at christmas (The complete edition)
I Want To Be A Popstar
Jamie Cullum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They're selling records by the million, seems so easy in my opinion,
Look at the Jazz Star, he really needs some guts
Playing from seven to midnight, surviving on peanuts
Selling records by the dozen
Probably sold his tenor to make 'em
With artwork designed by his brother
And liner notes by his mother
Told what to do, miming to a tape
While a team of experts make sure you're looking great
Taking a limo to your own private bar
My God! I want to be a popstar!
Going to get on the T.V and go on dates with only the pretty
Maybe next year I'll pretend to be gay
I'll sell more records in a flash that way
Makes no difference if i look like a nut
Every kid in the world is going to copy my haircut
I'll advertise some trainers, maybe even a car
Product placement will gurantee I'm a star
An ugly guy will write my songs
Surley there is nothing wrong
Retiring when I'm 22
With a house a car and nothing to do
Instantaneous satisfaction it will be
Got no need for artistic credibility
With this attitude I'm bound to go far
My God! I want to be a popstar!
Where's the middle ground?
It's hard to make a living with you own true sound
What road am I going to tread?
What the hell would i do instead?
There may be no tours in Roma, or drug-induced designer coma
No teenage girls when show is over, I prefer my women older
Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about
Sometimes it would be nice to play a place and sell out
Driving to a gig in my brand new sports car
My God! I want to be a popstar!
Maybe its too easy, to move so quickly so far
Who wants to be a popstar?
In this song, Jamie Cullum expresses his disillusionment with the music industry and the current trend of manufactured popstars. He questions why it's these fake artists who make the headlines, selling records by the million and living a life of luxury, while real musicians like jazz musicians struggle to make a living playing shows from seven to midnight surviving on peanuts. He ridicules the idea of miming to a tape while a team of experts make sure that you're looking great and selling a record by the dozen after selling your tenor.
Cullum also contemplates the idea of becoming a popstar himself, but he's conflicted about it. He knows that he could easily pretend to be someone he's not, sell more records, and become an overnight sensation. He knows that he could do product placement, have an ugly guy write his songs, and retire when he's 22 with a house, car, and nothing to do. But he questions if he really wants to go down this path and if he'll have any artistic credibility. He wonders if there's a middle ground and what road he should tread.
Overall, the song is a critique of the music industry and the pressures to sell records at any cost. It's a call for musicians to stick to their own true sound and not conform to the manufactured popstar mold.
Line by Line Meaning
Why is it all these fakers, seem to make the morning papers?
The media gives more attention to fake musicians than genuine ones.
They're selling records by the million, seems so easy in my opinion,
Selling records in huge numbers appears to be effortless to him.
Look at the Jazz Star, he really needs some guts
Being a jazz artist requires more courage than just being a popstar.
Playing from seven to midnight, surviving on peanuts
Jazz artists often work long hours and earn little money.
Selling records by the dozen
Jazz albums may only sell a few copies at most.
Probably sold his tenor to make 'em
Jazz artists may have to sell their musical instruments to finance their albums.
With artwork designed by his brother
Jazz albums may not have high-quality artwork like pop albums.
And liner notes by his mother
Jazz albums may have liner notes written by family members instead of famous critics.
Told what to do, miming to a tape
Popstars may not have creative control over their performances and may lip-sync.
While a team of experts make sure you're looking great
Popstars may have a whole team of professionals managing their image.
Taking a limo to your own private bar
Popstars may live luxurious lives with private spaces inaccessible to regular people.
My God! I want to be a popstar!
The singer desires the lifestyle of a popstar even if it means accepting inauthenticity.
Going to get on the T.V and go on dates with only the pretty
Popstars may get more publicity if they are seen dating attractive people.
Maybe next year I'll pretend to be gay
The singer is willing to pretend to be gay to gain more popularity.
I'll sell more records in a flash that way
Pretending to be gay may lead to more record sales in the short term.
Makes no difference if i look like a nut
Popstars may not have to care about their image as long as they're famous.
Every kid in the world is going to copy my haircut
Popstars may have a huge influence on young people's fashion choices.
I'll advertise some trainers, maybe even a car
Popstars often participate in product placements to earn money.
Product placement will gurantee I'm a star
Selling out to corporate interests may ensure a popstar's fame.
An ugly guy will write my songs
Popstars may not have to be talented songwriters, and other people may write their songs for them.
Surley there is nothing wrong
The singer has no qualms about being inauthentic as a popstar.
Retiring when I'm 22
Popstars may not have long, sustainable careers and may retire early.
With a house a car and nothing to do
Popstars may have a lot of money but no meaningful work to do after retirement.
Instantaneous satisfaction it will be
Being a popstar may bring quick rewards but not long-term fulfillment.
Got no need for artistic credibility
Pop music may value fame and commercial success more than artistic merit.
With this attitude I'm bound to go far
The singer believes that shallow values and a willingness to sell out will lead to fame and success.
Where's the middle ground?
The singer wonders if there is a way to pursue music that values authenticity and commercial success.
It's hard to make a living with you own true sound
Authentic musicians may struggle to earn money and gain exposure.
What road am I going to tread?
The singer is unsure about the path to take as a musician.
What the hell would i do instead?
The singer can't imagine pursuing any other career than music.
There may be no tours in Roma, or drug-induced designer coma
Authentic musicians may not have the luxury of touring or indulging in drugs and expensive fashion.
No teenage girls when show is over, I prefer my women older
Authentic musicians may not attract young, enthusiastic fans and may instead prefer older audiences.
Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about
The singer acknowledges that they may be ignorant about the realities of the music industry.
Sometimes it would be nice to play a place and sell out
Authentic musicians may fantasize about being popular and earning lots of money.
Driving to a gig in my brand new sports car
Authentic musicians may not have extravagant cars or wealth.
My God! I want to be a popstar!
The singer still desires the glamorous lifestyle of a popstar despite acknowledging the drawbacks of being inauthentic and shallow.
Maybe its too easy, to move so quickly so far
Aiming for quick and easy success may lead to superficiality and a lack of substance in music.
Who wants to be a popstar?
The singer asks a rhetorical question to highlight the negative aspects of being a popstar.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAMIE CULLUM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind