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Will Blunderfield

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Will Blunderfield
Will Blunderfield at Robson Street in Vancouver, July 2010.
Will Blunderfield at Robson Street in Vancouver, July 2010.
Background information
Birth nameMark William Kent Blunderfield
Born (1985-07-18) July 18, 1985 (age 39)
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
GenresWorld, pop, mantras
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, yoga teacher, performance artist
Instrument(s)Vocals, piano, synthesizer, harmonium
Years active2009–present
LabelsSony Music
Nettwerk/Nutone Records
Warner Music Group
Spirit Voyage Records
Websitemusic.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] Since 2021, Blunderfield has achieved internet fame through his "male rewilding" practice, which uses methods including semen retention to help men "connect with their bodies and each other".[2][3]

Education

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At 17, Blunderfield moved from Vancouver to New York City to study theatre on scholarship at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. 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.[4]

Blunderfield holds 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. He has a degree in Psychology, Sexuality and Human Nutrition from the University of British Columbia.[5]

Career

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Blunderfield performs and teaches around the world at workshops, retreats and conferences.[6][7][8] 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 signed Blunderfield to the label's yoga-inspired Nutone Records.[9][10][11]

In May 2011, he recorded a duet with Bif Naked for the international version of his album Hallelujah.[12] He has charted primarily in the world music, new age and occasionally mainstream charts. Blunderfield's album was released in July 2011 worldwide and debuted at number one on the iTunes world music chart.[13] From 2012, Blunderfield achieved success in Japan, where he has toured and received extensive radio play.[14][15][16][17]

In 2015, Blunderfield starred in the primetime Japanese reality show Why Did You Come to Japan? (YOUは何しに日本へ?).[18] He released a theme song in conjunction with the show titled "Story," written by Japanese popstar Ai.[19]

He performs original compositions inspired by devotional chant, world music, musical theater, and mantra music during savasana.[20]

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 Brian West, Mike Southworth, and Adam Stanton.[21]

Blunderfield has achieved fame online due to his public-facing "Men's Work" practice, focused on a method he calls "naked rewilding".[22] He frequently posts accounts of his workshops and activities, including mutual masturbation and urophagia, to Instagram. Blunderfield's viral fame has resulted in a large number of podcast appearances, including on The Joe Rogan Experience.[23][24] Blunderfield's "erotic male bonding" was also the subject of a Channel 5 News YouTube documentary, and a number of profiles on outlets including the BBC and CBC.[25][26][27][28][29]

Activism

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Blunderfield has frequently performed in support of charity organizations in British Columbia. 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.[30]

Blunderfield was a spokesperson for a Vancouver-based tolerance organization, The Diversity Project.[31][32] He has also performed in support of LGBTQ youth in Canadian high schools.[33] He has supported a number of Yoga-related charities.[34][35][36]

Discography

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  • Hallelujah (2010)
  • Hallelujah (2011) (International Sony Music/WMG version)
  • Amazing Grace EP [WMG] (2012)
  • Story EP Universal Music Japan (2015)
  • Dancing in the Rain EP (2015) (Asia)
  • Wild Horses (2018)
  • Will Blunderfield / Tej Randhir & Friends: Live at The Cultch (2019)
  • Aquarian Sadhana (2019)
  • Wild Horses (The Remixes) EP (2019)
  • Hallelujah (10th Anniversary Extended Edition) (2020)
  • Greatest Hits & Other Delights (2020)
  • Live In Japan (2023)
  • God Cock (2024)

References

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  1. ^ "Devotional Singer – Will Blunderfield | drishtipoint.ca". drishtipoint.ca. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011.
  2. ^ "Your Balls Are Back Online". VICE News. June 6, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  3. ^ Caulfield, Timothy (October 23, 2024). "Does being 'manly' make you healthier and happier? The top 5 reasons the answer is ... nope". CBC Documentaries.
  4. ^ Burgmann, Tamsyn (May 21, 2011). "Hot hatha yoga teacher empowers students, puts musical theatre twist on classes". The Canadian Press. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  5. ^ Landiedel, Matt (April 23, 2020). "Episode 6: Sexuality on the Spiritual Journey, with Will Blunderfield". Retrieved May 25, 2023 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ "Tokyo American Club - Shake Your Asana: Yoga with Will Blunderfield". tokyoamericanclub.org. Archived from the original on July 28, 2011.
  7. ^ "Devotional Singer – Will Blunderfield". drishtipoint.ca. July 26, 2010. Retrieved November 20, 2010.
  8. ^ "love letter to vancouver – the lululemon athletica blog". Lululemon.com. February 11, 2010. Retrieved November 20, 2010.
  9. ^ "Recent Releases". Nutone Music. Retrieved November 20, 2010.
  10. ^ McBride, Terry (January 20, 2011). "YYoga breathes new passion into love of music". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on March 16, 2011.
  11. ^ "Terry McBride". Nettwerk Music Group. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  12. ^ "Will Blunderfield Amazing Grace ft. Bif Naked". Nutone Music. Retrieved November 20, 2010.
  13. ^ "iTunes Store Top 10 World Albums". Apple.com. July 27, 2011. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
  14. ^ "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 80.0 MHz - 住吉美紀 (in Japanese).
  15. ^ "YogaFest Yokohama 2012 | Sport and fitness in Tokyo". Time Out Tokyo. July 22, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  16. ^ "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.
  17. ^ Ryan, Denise (January 11, 2013). "Bringing healing and joy to Japan". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved January 12, 2013.
  18. ^ "Why Did You Come To Japan?". TV Tokyo. April 27, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
  19. ^ "Officialai". Instagram. April 28, 2015. Archived from the original on December 26, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
  20. ^ Kittelberg, Lori (May 31, 2011). "From yoga, with love". Xtra. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  21. ^ "Popular Albums". Apple. February 28, 2018. iTunes Apple Play. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  22. ^ "The naked truth: Vancouver men are taking the plunge for cold-water nude yoga". Vancouver Sun. November 17, 2019. Vancouver Sun. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  23. ^ "Tom Segura". September 16, 2024. Joe Rogan Experience. Retrieved September 16, 2024 – via YouTube.
  24. ^ "The Erotic Awakening". July 6, 2022. Supergood Clips. Retrieved May 21, 2023 – via YouTube.
  25. ^ "Is Channel 5 The Future of News?". Esquire. December 30, 2022. Esquire Apple Play. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  26. ^ "The New Gurus". BBC Radio 4. December 4, 2022. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  27. ^ "Your Balls Are Back Online". VICE News. June 6, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  28. ^ "Will Blunderfield". October 12, 2022. YouTube. Retrieved May 21, 2023 – via YouTube.
  29. ^ "We warm our testicles and butts in the sun — our erotic male bonding isn't 'gay'". New York Post. June 7, 2023. NY Post. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  30. ^ "Community Highlights". BC Children's Hospital Foundation. April 13, 2011. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  31. ^ Breckon, Calan (April 13, 2011). "Support VLog Will Blunderfield". The Diversity Project. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  32. ^ Kittelberg, Lori (May 31, 2011). "From yoga, with love". Xtra. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  33. ^ Kittelberg, Lori (March 16, 2019). "Will Blunderfield & Friends". The Cultch. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  34. ^ "Media Advisory – Canadians get limber in support of the Great Canadian Yoga Stretch". CNW Group Ltd. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  35. ^ "Musical Performances". Once Upon A Cure. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  36. ^ "Yoga Aid Canada". Yoga Aid Pty. Ltd. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
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