James Blunt offers his music to New Zealand authorities to disperse anti-vaccine protesters

Not everyone is a fan of the chart-topping British singer-songwriter James Blunt — and New Zealand authorities are counting on it.

Amid recent protests against coronavirus vaccine mandates in the island nation, authorities have been playing music including Barry Manilow tunes and "Macarena" in an attempt to disperse crowds. Addressing the tactic over the weekend, Blunt offered up his own discography, tweeting at New Zealand Police, "Give me a shout if [Manilow] doesn't work."

Trevor Mallard, the speaker of New Zealand's House of Representatives, joined in on the joke, responding, "@JamesBlunt we will take up your very kind offer. My only doubt is whether it is fair to our @nzpolice officers but I think they will be able to cope."

Dave Benett/Getty Images James Blunt

According to Radio New Zealand, authorities did indeed try blasting Blunt's 2005 hit "You're Beautiful" — which reached No. 1 in several countries and earned three Grammy nominations — to deter antivax demonstrators. Alas, the song seems to have had limited effect on the protesters, who have also been inundated with renditions of "Baby Shark," "Let It Go," and "My Heart Will Go On."

Blunt, 47, is known for his self-deprecating manner. In 2014, he told Hello that his signature song "was force-fed down people's throats" and became "annoying."

He also poked fun at himself last month amid the Joe Rogan podcast controversy, tweeting, "If @spotify doesn't immediately remove @joerogan, I will release new music onto the platform."

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