British alt-rock singer/songwriter James Blunt [ tickets ] has announced dates for his upcoming North American tour, with 18 shows scheduled across a three-week, March-April swing.

Blunt, who grew up in a military family and served in the British Army (he was deployed to Kosovo with other UN troops), will start off his slate of small clubs and theater March 13 in Washington, DC.

Indie-poppers The Boy Least Likely To will support on all of Blunt's upcoming dates, with electronic duo Sierra Swan signed on for a secondary support slot starting with the March 23 show in Lakewood, OH. Blunt who is currently touring in Europe, will also play a one-off Feb. 7 date in Los Angeles before embarking on another round of UK shows.

Blunt's full European itinerary can be found at his website.

Blunt got his break in the music industry by catching the attention of producer Linda Perry (Christina Aguilera, Pink) at the 2003 SXSW conference in Austin, TX. The producer signed him to her Custard label, and Blunt released his debut album, "Back to Bedlam," in January of last year.

The album reached No. 1 on the UK's pop charts, a position it held for several weeks. Blunt also won the title of Best New Act at last fall's MTV Europe Music Awards.