Hip and charming crooner Michael Bublé started dreaming about becoming a singer when he was a toddler. Another childhood fantasy was to be a professional hockey player, but he later settled on co-owning a Vancouver hockey team. He fell in love at first sight, marrying an Argentinian beauty who didn’t speak English. His young family has suffered through a devastating illness, but Bublé’s personal life and music career appear to be in perfect harmony. Here are 50 melodious facts about Michael Bublé.
1. Wannabe Greatness
Michael Bublé always loved hockey, and although he didn’t get to play professionally like Wayne “the Great One” Gretzky, he’s actively involved in the sport as a co-owner of a WHL team in British Columbia called the Vancouver Giants.
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2. The Puck Stops Here
Michael Bublé loves the sport of hockey so much, he literally carries it with him! As Bublé mentioned in an interview with the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, he requests—where possible—a hockey puck from every city he performs in.
3. Singing for Success
In 2000, Michael Bublé was a minor Canadian singing celebrity, garnering enough attention to land a singing gig at the wedding of Caroline Mulroney, the only daughter of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Mega-producer David Foster attended the nuptials, and he took an immediate shine to Bublé.
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4. No English Required
Bublé was so instantly attracted to his future wife, Luisana Lopilato, it didn’t matter to him in the slightest that the Argentinian beauty basically spoke zero English.
5. A Straight Shooter
Luisana Lopilato was out with a male friend—who happened to be a very handsome actor—the night she met future husband Bublé. She phoned her mother after meeting the singer, admitting her disappointment—because she was convinced that Bublé was gay! He spent most of the time talking to her male friend and because she barely spoke any English, she didn’t realize Bublé’s overwhelming interest in her.
He drilled her actor friend for information about her, confirming that they weren’t dating, because he wanted to ask her out without appearing to be rude!
6. I Heart Grandpa
Michael Bublé grew up in British Columbia, but he sought dual Italian citizenship in 2005—all for the sweetest reason. Bublé’s grandfather, Demetrio Santaga, hailed from an Italian village near Padua, and Bublé became a dual citizen out of sheer amore for his grandpa and their Italian roots.
7. Suck it Up, Buttercup
If you demanded Bublé to name his all-time favorite movie, he might quip “as you wish” before telling you it’s The Princess Bride. How adorable is that?
8. Can’t Wait for Taco Tuesday
Bublé’s comfort food pick is Old El Paso tacos. Yup, that stuff in the yellow boxes. He’d probably eat them every night of the week if he could!
9. Blunt Talk
Emily Blunt and John Krasinski are definite contenders for cutest married stars in Hollywood, but before “Krasunt” joined hearts, Bublé met Blunt backstage at an Australian awards show and dated her from 2005 to 2008. He’s since admitted that he wasn’t the most stellar boyfriend to the beautiful actress, and many blame his rumored cheating for their breakup.
10. Sing Your Heart Out
Michael Bublé revealed that he needed therapy to recover from his 2008 breakup with Emily Blunt. As Bublé also revealed, for the first time in his recording career, he put a lot of “introspection and sadness and regret and at the same time hope” into his album Crazy Love, all resulting from the failure of that significant relationship.
Bublé admitted the process of recording Crazy Love wasn’t a “feel-good thing,” but it ultimately felt therapeutic to be so vulnerable with his music.
11. He Can’t Read or Write
Musically, that is. Michael Bublé never learned to read or write music notes or song chords, relying on his emotions to interpret his tunes.
12. Success by Any Other Name
Fame might be sweet, but it wasn't an overnight success for Bublé. He released two back-to-back albums, Babalu (2001) and Dream (2002), before finally breaking through with a self-titled album in 2003 that sold a million-plus units.
13. Thank You, Captain High Liner
From the young age of 14 until he turned 20, Bublé worked a dangerous summer job on the high seas as a commercial fisherman. He followed in the footsteps of his dad, a salmon fisherman who spent a long time away from home, working at sea off the coast of Vancouver.
14. Bublé Want a Cracker?
Bublé built a music career on his catchy covers of crooner classics. As he proved in a TV interview with legendary newsman Dan Rather, Bublé can deftly mimic the voices of legendary singers including Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Dean Martin, and Johnny Cash.
15. Invitation Only
It makes sense that a romantic crooner like Bublé, whose favorite movie is The Princess Bride, might be inclined to “make scents” too. In 2016, Bublé joined the elite list of celebs who have launched perfumes and colognes. His fragrances for women are called Michael Bublé By Invitation, and they’ve been an aromatic, attractively-priced success.
16. Carpool Karaoke
Bublé’s family found out the extent of his singing talent when he was just 13 years old. During the holiday season, Bublé would belt out “White Christmas” in the car to his family’s complete astonishment.
17. Say a Little Prayer
Michael Bublé admitted in an interview with Oprah that he’d always dreamed of becoming a singer. Even as a toddler, he slept with a bible and prayed to be a singer when he grew up.
18. Got a Dream? Work It
Bublé used every avenue he could to get his singing talent recognized. He performed in talent shows around British Columbia, he sang in local shopping malls, he even took his turn at singing telegrams—all to accomplish his dream.
19. Mills Magic
Bublé was drawn to many genres of music from a young age, but surprisingly, he was most inspired by The Mills Brothers, a jazz group from the 1930s who achieved great fame as the first African American vocalists to have a radio show. When a young Bublé heard The Mills Brothers for the first time, he felt a “magic” like nothing before.
20. Plumbing for Favors
Bublé’s maternal grandfather was a plumber by trade. His grandfather started approaching nightclubs in the area when Bublé was just 16 years old, offering free plumbing jobs in exchange for giving Bublé a performing slot.
21. Comparisons are Welcome
As a youngster, Bublé was obsessed with his hometown hockey team, the Vancouver Canucks, and especially a player on the team named Jiri Bubla, whose last name looked and sounded very similar to Bublé.
22. Thankfully Not Jersey Shore
While Bublé doesn’t have a purely classical sound, he did receive vocal training from an operatic baritone singer name Joseph Shore, who helped Bublé develop his velvety, crooner style.
23. A Sin City Low
Bublé’s family was generally very supportive of his singing aspirations, but his paternal grandfather had very low expectations, telling Bublé he’d only ever make it as far as “an opening act for someone in Las Vegas.”
24. An Unrightful Winner
Bublé’s grandpa Mitch encouraged him to enter a local singing contest when he was 17 years old. Although he blew away the competition and won handily, the minimum age to compete was 18. When organizer Beverly Delich found out that Bublé had fibbed about his age, the consequences were heartbreaking: she disqualified him.
But Delich was so impressed by Bublé, she then encouraged him to enter an age-appropriate contest called the British Columbia Youth Talent Search.
25. The Search Is Over
Michael Bublé won the British Columbia Youth Talent Search in 1992, singing some of his grandfather Mitch’s jazz favorites. As Bublé said, "My grandfather was really my best friend growing up. He was the one who opened me up to a whole world of music that seemed to have been passed over by my generation."
26. Foster Figure
While Bublé gives a ton of credit to his grandfather Mitch for opening his mind to music, he met another fatherly figure at age 25, who would prove to be instrumental to Bublé’s success. After performing “Mack the Knife” at a wedding reception, Bublé discovered that music mega-producer David Foster was a guest at the wedding.
Bublé sought out Foster’s advice, and Foster advised Bublé he would need half a million dollars to get a decent album released. Bublé got investors to back him, and with Foster’s guidance, he released his first album.
27. His Heart Will Go on and on
Bublé has experienced an irregular heartbeat that affects many people harmlessly, but it’s something that he’s particularly sensitive to. Called “Holiday Heart Syndrome,” Bublé can feel his heart racing after a few alcoholic beverages, or other stimulants like caffeine.
28. Love in Multiple Languages
Bublé and his wife Luisana Lopilato are ensuring that their children speak English (his native tongue), Spanish (her native tongue), and they’re also embracing Bublé’s proud Canadian Italian heritage.
29. Six Deadly Summers
As mentioned earlier, Michael Bublé spent every summer from the age of 14 to 20 working as a commercial salmon fisherman. His father was a full-time fisherman who worked far off the coast of Vancouver. It was not only backbreaking physical work, but it could also be extremely dangerous. As Bublé explained, "We'd be gone for two, sometimes three months at a time and the experience of living and working among guys over twice my age taught me a lot about responsibility and what it means to be a man."
30. Hold the Beetroot
With all his daydreams about becoming a singer, Bublé does have one nightmare—his hatred of beets. He’s explained that when he was around 10 years old, his family was invited to a neighbor’s Thanksgiving dinner in Canada. Beets were being served with the turkey, and while Bublé didn’t want any, his mother insisted he eat them because she didn’t want him to appear rude.
Bublé managed to choke down the beetroot—but he promptly threw it up all over the Thanksgiving table. It comes as no surprise that he's avoided the beet ever since.
31. Taste That
Other than beetroot, Bublé is a confessed foodie who's cooking-obsessed. When he worked as a commercial fisherman as a teenager, he served as the cook on the boat. He incorporates his Italian background into his cooking now, and he apparently loves preparing gnocchi. He also prepares chorizo with his Argentine mother-in-law.
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32. Once an X-Actor, Always an X-Actor
While breaking into music, Bublé attempted other jobs in the entertainment industry to make ends meet. Most notably, he got cast as an extra on The X-Files in 1996—but his brief appearance on the sci-fi series, as a member of a submarine crew, didn’t go too swimmingly in real life. Fans interested in Bublé’s brief stint on The X-Files can find a clip of the episode online.
33. The Great Hotdog Heist
Bublé got axed as an extra on The X-Files for an innocent reason. He’s since admitted that he was starving during filming, and he grabbed a quick hot dog from the craft services table to quiet his hunger pains. But the craft services table was off-limits to mere extras like Bublé, and a crew member—who sounds “hangrier” than Bublé ever was—fired him on the spot, telling him he’d “be blacklisted” and that he “would never work again in Hollywood.”
Sounds like the guy needs to hear that he’s just a lowly crew member and not Howard Hughes.
34. The Other Harry and Meghan
Bublé is a big fan of the band One Direction. In fact, one of the first songs he included on an album that he didn’t write himself was penned by singer Meghan Trainor and former One Direction heartthrob turned solo artist Harry Styles.
35. Foreshadowing Forever
After Michael Bublé met his future wife, he penned one of his hit songs, “Haven’t Met You Yet”. The title might not give it away, but it’s an upbeat love song that was inspired by her. Bublé cast her in the music video for the song, and their chemistry was unmatchable. The two have been together ever since.
36. It’s a Big Dill
While Bublé confesses that it might sound awkward, one of his favorite snacks is a big dill pickle.
37. Rocking His Dental Health
Bublé is a diehard believer in the benefits of dental flossing.
38. That’s Quite the Underwear Drawer
Bublé says that he only wears colorful boxer-briefs and “Muppet socks.”
39. Backstage Rocker
Bublé winds up for performances by listening to classic rock tunes like the Rolling Stones’ "Sympathy for the Devil" before hitting the stage.
40. Bunking in Cinderella’s Castle
Bublé and his wife love Disney World. They even honeymooned in Cinderella’s castle.
41. Party in the Back
Like many good Canadian children, Michael Bublé rocked a mullet hairstyle when he was growing up.
42. If That Singing Thing Doesn’t Pan Out
Not only is Bublé passionate about hockey, being the co-owner of a WHL hockey team, but he's also provided commentary on hockey games for sports radio stations.
43. All Ears
Bublé abused his ears plenty growing up, going through a loud rock phase that included bands like AC/DC and Gun N’ Roses. He also got both his ears pierced as a defiant teen. Since becoming a professional singer, Bublé’s gone a little softer on his ear area, and he dislikes using in-ear monitors.
44. Every Night Is a Blackout
Other people might be content drawing the curtains, but Bublé can’t sleep without a t-shirt wrapped around his head for darkness. Has no one told him about the existence of sleep masks?
45. He Loves Lucy
While gentlemen prefer blondes, Bublé says he’s always liked redheads. But go figure, the love of his life is an Argentinean blonde actress, Luisana Lopilato.
46. In Perfect Tune
Bublé never tunes into his TV performances, and he always performs with a tunefully clear mind—as in, no pre-show drinks or substances.
47. DSquared Must Be DLighted
DSquared are controversial Canadian brothers with a clothing line, and Bublé has done them one heck of a favor. He’s admitted that he only wears DSquared clothing because he loves their stuff—and there’s no sponsorship deal involved.
48. Celebrity Fanboying
Michael Bublé has been lucky enough to meet Queen Elizabeth II. While he’s grateful for that noteworthy experience, he says he freaked out more when he met Oscar the Grouch!
49. Noah’s Arc
In 2016, Michael Bublé and his wife received the most devastating news that parents can get. Their oldest son Noah was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of liver cancer—there are barely 100 cases of this cancer diagnosed in the US every year. Bublé revealed in a TV interview that there were “a million times that my wife and I were just surviving, struggling to survive, and to breathe. I much rather would have it have been me…”
Thankfully, by April 2017, Bublé released a statement that his brave little Noah was progressing well through treatment, and his doctors were optimistic. Noah Bublé is currently cancer-free.
50. Priorities Are No Problem
When Bublé’s son was diagnosed with cancer, he and his wife both halted their careers and closed ranks to protect their family. Bublé says it forced him to realize what is truly important in life, and his priorities are firmly in check now. His family either comes with him on tour, or he tours for three weeks then halts and spends two weeks at home with them.
As Bublé declared in a print interview, “it’s literally the most financially irresponsible way to tour…but that doesn’t matter to me. This is the best of both worlds.”