Will Blunderfield

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. Xtra identified Blunderfield as an activist for diversity and social equality in schools. His fame reached mainstream proportions in Japan in 2012, where he embarked on extensive tours and achieved success on radio with the single "Long Time Sun," featured on the international version of his album. Blunderfield has also gained attention as an internet sensation, credited for his contributions to the male rewilding movement, which explores alternative perspectives on modern masculinity.

Education
At 17, Blunderfield moved from Vancouver to New York City to study theatre on scholarship at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, where he was classmates with Jason Derulo, Janelle Monáe and Jason Mraz. 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 and, according to him, has the potential to change the world.

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

Career
Blunderfield performs and teaches around the world at workshops, retreats and conferences. 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, who had previously managed artists such as Coldplay, Avril Lavigne, and Sarah McLachlan, signed Blunderfield to the label's yoga-inspired Nutone Records alongside Donna De Lory, Wade Morissette, and Krishna Das.

In May 2011, he recorded a duet with Juno Award-winning, multi-platinum record selling artist Bif Naked for the international version of his album Hallelujah. He has charted primarily in the world music, new age and occasionally in the mainstream charts. Blunderfield's album was released in July 2011 worldwide and debuted at number one on the iTunes world music chart.

He has also created a charity foundation, Fukushima Yoga Project, had a Canadian television spot as yoga & wellness expert (Life & Style with Zara) and produced a line of japa mala jewelry products labelled "Rock Om". He has contributed opinion pieces to many publications and performed a cabaret show Yoga Fantasia.

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

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

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 Grammy and Juno Award-winning producers Brian West (Sia, Bono, Nelly Furtado), Mike Southworth (Bif Naked), and Adam Stanton (Jess Moskaluke).

Blunderfield launched a short film for his song Even When You're Gone (For Eliah), which he dedicated to a friend who died of a fentanyl overdose. The video was filmed in Vancouver and was directed by Canadian documentary filmmaker Charles Wilkinson. The film was nominated as an official selection at the Austin Spotlight Film Festival.

Will Blunderfield is also known for his uconventional approach to men's work, specifically naked rewilding. His unique methods have gained significant attention in the online world and have been featured on various prominent platforms. Notably, his work has been discussed on iHeartRadio's "Man Thinkers" podcast, where he engaged in insightful conversations about masculinity and personal development. Will has also made notable appearances on well-known shows like "Your Mom's House" with Tom Segura and "Congratulations" with Chris D'Elia, as well as the "Tiny Meat Gang" podcast produced by TMG Studios.

The impact of Will's teachings extends beyond his online presence. Media outlets such as The Province, The Vancouver Sun, New York Post and Esquire Magazine have recognized the transformative nature of his rewilding methods, featuring his work and shedding light on its influence. Moreover, a full documentary about Will and his work was produced and released by the American digital media company Channel 5 News, with journalist Andrew Callaghan leading the project. The documentary quickly gained widespread attention, going viral and amassing over 2.2 million views within a week of its release.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) aired a program and interview on "The New Gurus," hosted by Helen Lewis, in which Will discussed his rewilding approach and its potential to redefine modern masculinity. Additionally, he was interviewed for a CBC docuseries exploring sexuality as well as a Christmas music special. Will has also been interviewed by Vice News multiple times by reporters Samantha Cole and Ryan Hook for The Globe & Mail.

Philanthropy and activism
Will Blunderfield has been involved in extensive philanthropic activities. 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.

Blunderfield is also a spokesperson for a tolerance organization, The Diversity Project. Blunderfield explained to Xtra about becoming a spokesperson, saying, "I didn't really have any role models when I was in high school, and it was really difficult for me. I didn't have a practice like yoga to ground me in the knowledge that there's nothing wrong with me.... I want to use yoga to help people embrace themselves regardless of any abuse they may have experienced because of their sexual or gender identity, race or size."

Blunderfield recorded a single of the classic song Stand by Me in 2019 along with a sold-out concert series with all proceeds benefitting Out in Schools, a program created by the Vancouver Queer Film Festival to showcase LGBTQ-themed movies in Canadian high schools with the intention of lessening bullying and promoting understanding and diversity.

Blunderfield has also supported the following notable charities:


 * Africa Yoga Project
 * Yoga Aid
 * Red Cross Japan
 * Once Upon a Cure
 * Canadian National Institute for the Blind CNIB

Discography

 * 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)