Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Women in Sport 2026
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Spring Summer 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    • Digital Issues
    • Women Who Win
    1. Culture

    So Emily Blunt almost became a pop singer

    Emily Blunt just revealed that she almost became Britain's answer to Britney Spears

    By Marie Claire
    Published 7 December 2018 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Emily Blunt at The Girl on the Train premiere
    (Image credit: Rex)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Emily Blunt just revealed that she almost became Britain's answer to Britney Spears

    After you’ve watched Emily Blunt work her magic on screen, it’s hard to imagine her as anything other than an actress. Especially in her latest role in new thriller Girl on the Train. Or when she totally stole the show in The Devil Wears Prada.

    giphy

    Sure, we’ve seen her hold a tune – remember Into the Woods? Or the BBC mini-series Gideon’s Daughter? It’s no secret that Emily can definitely sing.

    But our minds were officially blown when we found out that Emily almost chose this as her actual career.

    The 33-year-old actress almost became Britain's next Britney Spears after she signed a record deal while she was still at school. In fact, the then 18-year-old Emily even went as far as to make a demo before she decided the music industry wasn’t actually for her.

    You may like
    • Jodie Kidd Jodie Kidd on Fashion, Fast Cars and Finding a Second Career in Motorsport
    • Cara My Life in London Cara Delevingne on Designing Her First Collection for Topshop and London's Best-Kept Secrets
    • Alisha Boe "If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It": Actor Alisha Boe on Why She'll Never Give Up Her Signature Scent

    Critics' Choice Awards 2015

    Critics' Choice Awards 2015

    In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, Emily revealed how she almost became the new princess of pop: 'I was 18 and I was just, well, you know, I was 18. I was at that stage of my life where I was like, "Who cares, yeah, maybe; that sounds cool." Everything sounds cool other than being in school at 18. But then I got terrified and pulled out because I felt they were wanting me to be like Britney Spears,' she explained. 'And I was like, "I can't dance, and I don't sing like Britney Spears." I just felt it was snowballing too fast and it wasn't ultimately what I wanted to do.'

    While very few people even get one chance at stardom, Emily Blunt seems to be one of life’s lucky few as shortly after she was spotted by an agent who asked her whether she’d ever considered acting. ‘I said, "That would be great, sure, I'll give it a go”’ said Blunt.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    And we’re so glad she did.

    Marie Claire
    Social Links Navigation

    The leading destination for fashion, beauty, shopping and finger-on-the-pulse views on the latest issues. Marie Claire's travel content helps you delight in discovering new destinations around the globe, offering a unique – and sometimes unchartered – travel experience. From new hotel openings to the destinations tipped to take over our travel calendars, this iconic name has it covered.

    Read more
    Jodie Kidd
    Sustainability Jodie Kidd on Fashion, Fast Cars and Finding a Second Career in Motorsport
    Cara My Life in London
    Fashion Cara Delevingne on Designing Her First Collection for Topshop and London's Best-Kept Secrets
     
     
    Alisha Boe
    Fragrance "If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It": Actor Alisha Boe on Why She'll Never Give Up Her Signature Scent
    Arsenal player and Lioness Chloe Kelly
    Health and Fitness Chloe Kelly: “I Never Take Playing for My Country for Granted—I Just Want to Give it My All”
     
     
    Latest in Culture
    Notting Hill Carnival
    Culture The Agenda: How to Spend Your Finite Free Time Well This Summer
    B _ W - Woman reading book with wine in natural sunlight - TVS
    Culture 9 of Britain's 10 Bestselling Novels Begin With a Dead Woman. I Asked Authors, Literary Experts and a Criminal Behavioural Analyst Why
     
     
    Madonna's Confessions II: Madonna performs at TSX Stage in Times Square on June 4, 2026 in New York City.
    Culture Madonna's Confessions II Deserves to Be the Album of the Summer, But the Response Proves We Still Punish Women for Ageing
    Lexi Minetree in Elle, the Legally Blonde prequel
    Culture Legally Blonde's Prequel Elle Captures the Lost Joy of Analogue Adolescence
     
     
    Latest in News
    The Beauty Digest: New Products to Know
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: A Foundation With Infinite Shades, Diptyque Does Bodycare, and the Exhibition Every Beauty Lover Should See
    Eva Omaghomi
    Fashion After 17 years in the Royal Household, Eva Omaghomi Talks Bringing African Design Talent to Harrods
     
     
    New Beauty Products: The Beauty Digest
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: Dyson Does Teeth, Fenty Rips Up the Rulebook (Again) and a Surprisingly Fragrant Week for Dogs
    Jodie Comer
    Shopping Jodie Comer Just Announced the Start of Knee-High Boots Season
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.