James Blake

James Blake

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New James Blake Album To Feature Rosalia, Travis Scott & More

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The British electro-soul singer/songwriter's fourth LP, 'Assume Form,' is due out Jan. 18 and also features collabs with Metro Boomin, Moses Sumney and André 3000
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Jan 10, 2019 - 1:33 pm

Today GRAMMY nominee James Blake revealed details for his fourth studio album: Assume Form will drop next Friday, Jan. 18. His website now details its track list and pre-order details, revealing some exciting features and perhaps a deeper dive into hip-hop influenced beats in his own releases: GRAMMY nominee Travis Scott, Metro Boomin, Moses Sumney, Latin GRAMMY winner Rosalía and GRAMMY winner André 3000 all make appearances.

Assume Form is Blake's follow up to 2016’s The Colour In Anything, and will feature previously released single "Don't Miss It," plus 11 new songs. Hip-hop producer wunderkind Metro Boomin is listed on two tracks, with rap phenomenon Scott joining on "Mile High" and soulful L.A.-based singer/songwriter Sumney featured on "Tell Them."

Spanish singer Rosalía, who blends electro-pop sounds and hip-hop beats with traditional flamenco, sings with Blake on "Barefoot In The Park." Yesterday evening, shortly after teasing his new album in a post with a link to assumeform.com, he retweeted a clip of the two of them working in the studio together, with a snippet of what is likely their song together.

"Where's The Catch?" will feature André 3000, formerly of GRAMMY-winning rap duo Outkast. According to Pitchfork, the two have paired up before, on André's 17-minute song "Look Ma No Hands," released last May.

Blake will embark on a previously announced North American tour, beginning in Miami on Feb. 15. Tickets are on sale now. He has also just added three U.K. show dates in April and will be performing in Barcelona at the Primavera Sound music festival on June 1, along with Rosalía.

Despite only releasing two solo singles last year, he kept busy in 2018 with several headlining festival performances and quite a few big collabs: He worked with Scott in 2018 on "Stop Trying to Be God" on Scott's Astroworld, which is currently nominated for Best Rap Album. Another big 2018 collab for Blake was with GRAMMY winner Kendrick Lamar and GRAMMY nominee Future on "King's Dead" for the Black Panther Soundtrack. The song is up for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance and Album of the Year.

To see who wins at the 61st GRAMMY Awards, tune in on Sun. Feb. 10 on CBS.

Primavera Sound 2019 Features A "New Normal" Equal-Gender Lineup

James Blake

James Blake

Photo: Recording Academy

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James Blake On 'Assume Form' Collabs: "A Dream Come True" | GRAMMY Museum

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The GRAMMY-winning "Retrograde" singer talks about his 2019 album and shares who inspired him to pursue a career in music
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Jan 16, 2020 - 11:08 am

Shortly before GRAMMY winner James Blake treated 300 or so lucky GRAMMY Museum guests to a lively conversation and acoustic piano performance, the British electro-soul artist caught up with the Recording Academy. In our Behind The Scenes conversation, Blake spoke about his empowered 2019 album, Assume Form—which is currently nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 2020 GRAMMYs—and how he chose the epic collaborator list that includes current Best New Artist nominee Rosalía, André 3000, Travis Scott and Moses Sumney.

The "Retrograde" singer also shared who inspired him to pursue a career in music. (Spoiler alert, the answer is really cute.)

Watch our exclusive Behind The Scenes video with Blake below, and read on to learn more about the late-2019 GRAMMY Museum event, including what five songs he performed.

James Blake On 'Assume Form,' André 3000 & His Dad

"They're just all some of my favorite artists, so it was a dream come true, really, of a collaborator list," he told us. "I've been lucky enough that some of the people that I listen to also listen to some of my music and were happy to oblige to part of it."

"I think they all brought something really unique and we were on the same wavelength when we were making the music, so it feels natural, it feels kind of organic, and I'm so happy and honored they were able to join it."

Watch: Billie Eilish On Her Long Relationship With The GRAMMY Museum, How Rihanna Shaped Her Fashion Sense & More

Blake also shared how influential his father, the senior James Litherland (Blake was born James Blake Litherland), has been to his own music. Litherland is a life-long musician and played with the late-'60s U.K. rock outfit Colosseum. In 2011, Blake covered and reimagined his father's song "Where to Turn" on "The Wilhelm Scream," featured on his 2011 self-titled debut album.

"Over my career, there's been a running theme of coming into the foreground…with every reveal, comes some kind of risk," Blake told GRAMMY Museum's Artistic Director Scott Goldman, who moderated the event. "If Assume Form was anything, it was not only a version of songwriting clarity but also emotional clarity. It was the most clear I'd felt in a long time, so it was a good time to make an album."

Read: Find Out Who Just Made History With Their GRAMMY Nominations: 2020 GRAMMYs By The Numbers

He also dove a bit more into the album's collaborators, praising André's musicality and his "heady-ass verse" on "Where's The Catch." "His verse is f**king genius and I couldn't have written that." Blake also shared his love of Spanish nu-flamenco queen Rosalía, who brought her otherworldly vocals and fierceness to "Barefoot In The Park," noting that working with her felt super easy and natural.

After the in-depth conversation, Blake made his way over to the piano for a soulful performance that opened with Assume Form's "Are You In Love?" and closed with his "favorite song ever written about a relationship:" Joni Mitchell's "Case Of You," which he covered on his 2011 EP, Enough Thunder. In between those two heartwrenching love songs, he treated fans to "Love Me In Whatever Way," from 2016's The Colour In Anything, "Overgrown," from his 2013 album of the same name, and "Vincent," his 2017 Don McLean cover.

Don't forget to tune into the 62nd GRAMMY Awards on Sun., Jan. 26 to find out if Blake will take home the golden gramophone for Best Alternative Music Album. GRAMMY.com and CBS will be your ticket to find out all the winners and watch all the fun on GRAMMY day—see you there!

Grammys Newsletter

Lightning In A Bottle 2020 Lineup: James Blake, KAYTRANADA, Doja Cat, Bob Moses, Four Tet, GRiZ & More

GRAMMY Awards in arms

Photo: Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty Images

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Find Out Who Just Made History With Their GRAMMY Nominations: 2020 GRAMMYs By The Numbers

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Lizzo, Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X, Ariana Grande, H.E.R. and FINNEAS are the top-nominated artists this year, and the first three are all first-timers
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Nov 22, 2019 - 3:20 pm

Let's be real—the 2020 GRAMMYs have been on our mind lately, especially with all the excitement that came with artists finding out about their nominations on Wednesday. Let's take a look at the 62nd GRAMMY Awards by the numbers to find out who made history and other big takeaways from the expansive nominee list.

This year's top-nominated artists, in order of most nods, are Lizzo, Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X, Ariana Grande, H.E.R. and FINNEAS. As a first-time nominee, Lizzo leads the pack with eight total nominations—her fellow top-three artists, who both earned six nods, are also first-timers and all Best New Artist nominees.

Related: Record Of The Year Nominees Revealed | 2020 GRAMMY Awards

Eilish and Lizzo make history as the first time two artists have been nominated in all four General Field categories (Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Best New Artist). At just 17, the "bad guy" singer is the youngest nominee to ever receive nominations in these four all-genre categories. Last year, these four categories were expanded to include eight nominees.

Another Best New Artist contender, Barcelonan nu-flamenco queen Rosalía, also makes history as the first nominee in the category that performs completely in Spanish. The "Malamente" singer also has a nomination in Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album, for her Latin GRAMMY-Album-Of-The-Year-winning LP, El Mal Querer.

One of her fellow category contenders, Puerto Rican Latin trap king Bad Bunny, is competing against himself; his Latin GRAMMY-winning debut album, X 100PRE, and his 2019 J Balvin-collab project, Oasis, are both nominated.

Read More: Find Out Who's Nominated For Best New Artist | 2020 GRAMMY Awards

FINNEAS, Eilish's older brother and producer, is also being nominated for the first time, and earned five nods. He shares three with her (Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year and Song Of The Year) and also is in the running for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical and Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical.

Grande and H.E.R. snagged five more nods each this year, following both of their first-ever GRAMMY wins at the 61st GRAMMY Awards. This past show was H.E.R.'s debut year—she was a Best New Artist contender and took home wins for Best R&B Album and Best R&B Performance, the latter of which she is nominated for again.

Watch: H.E.R. Wins Best R&B Album

As for Ari, she won Best Pop Vocal Album for Sweetener last year and is in the running for this award again for her follow up, thank u, next. Her prior two albums, 2014's My Everything and 2016's Dangerous Woman, were also nominated for the same pop award. The 62nd GRAMMY Awards is the first time the "7 rings" singer is contending for Record Of The Year and Album Of The Year.

To decide who is nominated and, in the second round, take home the golden gramophones, approximately 11,000 Recording Academy voting members—music professionals across genres and disciplines, including recording artists, songwriters, producers and engineers—participate in the voting process.

2020 GRAMMY Awards: Complete Nominees List

This year, over 20,000 submissions were entered for GRAMMY consideration this year. Eligible music was released between Oct. 1, 2018 and Aug. 31, 2019.

In just 64 days, ton Jan. 26, 2020, the nominees will walk the red carpet into Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles! Stay tuned to GRAMMY.com, our YouTube page, our newsletter (sign up below) and our social channels (follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) for all things 2020 GRAMMYs, and make sure to catch the show live on CBS.

Grammys Newsletter

Poll: Who Will Win Best Pop Vocal Album At The 2020 GRAMMYs?

Cardi B

Cardi B

Photo: Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images

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Travis Scott & Cardi B To Headline The 2019 Made In America Festival

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JAY-Z's music festival returns to Philadelphia for its eighth year, on Aug. 31 & Sept. 1
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Apr 2, 2019 - 6:21 pm

Today, the Made In America Festival, started by JAY-Z in 2012, announced the lineup for its 2019 fest, featuring GRAMMY nominee Travis Scott and GRAMMY winner Cardi B as the headliners. The two-day event is set to take place in Philadelphia Aug. 31–Sept. 1, and will also include performances from GRAMMY winners Anderson .Paak, with The Free Nationals, James Blake and Kaskade.

61st GRAMMY Awards first-time nominees Jorja Smith and Tierra Whack are also on the bill, along with rising rappers Juice WRLD and Blueface, among others. The eighth annual festival will take place outdoors at Philly's Benjamin Franklin Parkway, and is a great way to close out a busy festival season.

Cardi is fresh off her first-time GRAMMY win this February, where she took home Best Rap Album for her debut LP, Invasion Of Privacy. The rap queen will be making her rounds at several other festivals around the globe this year, including Hangout Fest in Alabama and Primavera Sound in Barcelona, Spain.

Watch: Cardi B Wins Best Rap Album

Fellow Made In America headliner Scott, who just closed out the second leg of his successful Astroworld Tour, will also be performing a select number of festivals, as well as Boston Calling and Rolling Loud in Miami. He and Cardi will also be part of the opening weekend parties at the new KAOS club in Las Vegas.

Tickets to Made In America go on sale to the general public this Friday, April 5, with a TIDAL pre-sale currently up and running; more ticket info is available on the fest's site.

Kanye West Will Bring His "Sunday Service" To Coachella 2019

Tierra Whack

Tierra Whack

Photo: Randy Holmes/Getty Images

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Red Bull Music Festival NYC: Tierra Whack, FKA Twigs, Rosalía & More To Headline

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Spanish singer Rosalía will kick things off at Webster Hall on April 30 and Philly rapper Tierra Whack will take over the Rainbow Room on May 10, marking their first headlining shows in New York
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Mar 20, 2019 - 12:56 pm

Red Bull Music Festival NYC announced its 2019 lineup today, featuring Spanish flamenco innovator Rosalía, rising Philadelphia rapper Tierra Whack, British experimental R&B artist FKA Twigs and New York R&B singer Teyana Taylor. The fest includes 10 special events across NYC from April 30–May 18.

Latin GRAMMY winner Rosalía kicks things off at the newly remodeled Webster Hall on April 30, for a show she announced yesterday as part of her first-ever North American solo tour. GRAMMY nominee Tierra Whack will also make her New York headline show debut at none other than the legendary Rainbow Room above Rockefeller Plaza on May 10.

Related: Tierra Whack Talks Creative Process, Netflix Recommendations & Checkers’ Fries

FKA Twigs will perform for two nights, May 11–12, at the Park Avenue Armory, her first shows since 2016 and since recovering from a tumor removal surgery last year.

Taylor, along with an all-female production team, will follow with her "House of Petunia" show on May 15 at the Grand Ballroom at the Manhattan Center.

Other events include a free show in the park with experimental Jazz ensemble Onyx Collective and other NYC-based artists on May 3. California social justice-minded rapper JPEGMAFIA will follow with a performance in Brooklyn on May 8.

Philly artist/activist/electro-poet Moor Mother will share her art concert/art installation piece "Red Summer" at BRIC in Brooklyn on May 9.

Avant-garde electro-pop artist Holly Herndon will present her new show "PROTO," blending A.I., music and art, in Brooklyn on May 16.

To close things out on May 18, Ugandan DJ Kampire and fellow Nyege Nyege Tapes labelmates will mark their U.S. debut in Brooklyn.

More details and tickets, which are purchased individually, can be found at the fest's page.

Primavera Sound 2019 Features A "New Normal" Equal-Gender Lineup