James Blunt has said the coronavirus pandemic has been a “blessing in disguise” for his career.

The singer-songwriter was supposed to head out on tour last year before the global pandemic put a stop to his plans. Speaking in a new interview, he’s suggested this allowed him to take some much-needed time away from music.

“I was supposed to be on tour for a year and I was sent home. And, you know, for me that was probably a very good thing because I haven’t spent time at home with my family, ever,” he told the Henley Standard.

“I’ve been promising that I would take a year off from music at some stage, but I was lying, probably,” he continued. “And so this is very good – to spend time at home, do things that adults do and family people do. And so perhaps it has been a blessing in disguise for me.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Blunt discussed the pub he opened in London prior to the coronavirus crisis, which he said was probably “the wrong businesses” to get into.

“Well, I mean, I’m definitely in the wrong business. With the pandemic the music business completely closed down and all touring stopped,” he said. “We were just a month into what was supposed to be a world tour and we were sent home, which was obviously devastating.”

He added: “I’m in the pub business too — I bought myself a pub — and obviously that closed down, so I really picked the wrong businesses.

“That’s why it’s very exciting that we should be preparing to get out on the road again.”

Meanwhile, James Blunt recently revealed that he once developed scurvy from eating an all meat and condiment diet to spite vegans.