James Blake Litherland (born 26 September 1988) is an English singer, songwriter and record producer. He is known for his emotive vocal style, often employing a light head voice and falsetto. He first gained wider attention in 2010 with the extended plays "The Bells Sketch", "CMYK" and "Klavierwerke". He subsequently signed with A&M Records and released his self-titled debut album "James Blake" in 2011, which received critical acclaim and reached the top ten of the UK Albums Chart.
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James Blake Litherland (born 26 September 1988) is an English singer, songwriter and record producer. He is known for his emotive vocal style, often employing a light head voice and falsetto. He first gained wider attention in 2010 with the extended plays "The Bells Sketch", "CMYK" and "Klavierwerke". He subsequently signed with A&M Records and released his self-titled debut album "James Blake" in 2011, which received critical acclaim and reached the top ten of the UK Albums Chart. He later moved to Republic Records, where his second album "Overgrown" (2013) achieved both critical and commercial success, also reaching the UK top ten and entering the US Billboard 200. His third album, "The Colour in Anything" (2016), was followed by the 2018 single "King's Dead", a collaboration with Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar and Future, which charted in both the United Kingdom and the United States. His fourth album, "Assume Form" (2019), became his highest-charting release in both territories. His subsequent studio albums include "Friends That Break Your Heart" (2021), "Playing Robots Into Heaven" (2023) and "Trying Times" (2026). In 2024, he released the collaborative album "Bad Cameo" with Lil Yachty. In addition to his solo work, Blake has written and produced material for a range of artists, including collaborations with Jameela Jamil, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, Rosalía, Travis Scott and others. His work has received industry recognition, including the Mercury Prize, multiple Grammy Awards and nominations, a Latin Grammy Award and Brit Award nominations. Blake is the only child of musician James Litherland and Helen Litherland. He showed an early interest in music and received classical piano training during childhood. He attended Grange Park Primary School in Winchmore Hill and The Latymer School in Edmonton before studying Popular Music at Goldsmiths, University of London. During his time there, he co-organised a series of events known as "Bass Society", which featured UK electronic artists. He began his recording career with the 12" release "Air & Lack Thereof" in 2009 on the Hemlock label, which received support from BBC Radio 1 DJ Gilles Peterson. This led to further exposure, including a guest mix on Peterson’s programme. His EP "Klavierwerke" originated as part of his academic coursework. The EP "CMYK" (2010), released via R&S Records, gained radio airplay, and his cover of "Limit to Your Love" was selected as a prominent radio feature and entered the UK Singles Chart. In 2011, he was nominated for the BBC’s Sound of 2011 poll and was runner-up in the Brit Awards Critics’ Choice category. His debut album "James Blake" was released in February 2011 and included tracks such as "The Wilhelm Scream". That year, he also released the EPs "Enough Thunder" and "Love What Happened Here", which incorporated more structured and R&B-influenced elements compared to his earlier work. During the period leading up to "Overgrown", Blake collaborated with various artists and participated in the collective 1-800 Dinosaur, which organised club events and later became a record label. "Overgrown" (2013) featured contributions from Brian Eno and RZA and won the Mercury Prize. A remix of "Life Round Here" featuring Chance the Rapper was released later that year. Work on his third album began under the working title "Radio Silence" before it was released as "The Colour in Anything" in 2016. The album was completed in part in the United States with producer Rick Rubin and included collaborations with Bon Iver and Kanye West. Around this time, Blake contributed to Beyoncé’s album "Lemonade", including the track "Forward", and worked on projects by Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar. In 2018, he co-wrote and performed on "King's Dead", which achieved commercial success and received a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance. That year he also released solo material including "If the Car Beside You Moves Ahead" and "Don't Miss It", and contributed to works by artists such as Travis Scott. His fourth album "Assume Form" (2019) included collaborations with André 3000, Travis Scott and Metro Boomin. In 2020, he released several standalone tracks and the EP "Before". His fifth album, "Friends That Break Your Heart" (2021), was followed by "Wind Down" (2022), an ambient project created in collaboration with the company Endel. His sixth album, "Playing Robots Into Heaven" (2023), marked a return to more electronic and experimental styles. In 2024, Blake departed from Polydor Records and established his own label under CMYK Group. He released independent material including the single "Thrown Around", the EP "CMYK 002" and the collaborative album "Bad Cameo". He also contributed the track "Séance" to the soundtrack of the film "Sinners" (2025). His seventh studio album, "Trying Times", was released in March 2026, preceded by the single "Death of Love". Studio albums James Blake (2011) Overgrown (2013) The Colour in Anything (2016) Assume Form (2019) Friends That Break Your Heart (2021) Playing Robots into Heaven (2023) Trying Times (2026)
