Sit down! Sit down this is not a drill! Jordan Rakei shared a cheeky announcement yesterday with a bunch of eye emojis all candidly. ‘Tune into Annie Mac’s BBC Radio 1 Future Sounds for new music’. Say what?! Well of course I wasted no time hopping on expecting an eargasm and it did not disappoint. Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, producer, and songwriter Jordan Rakei is back with his fourth studio album, ‘What We Call Life’, released via Ninja Tune on 17th September.

’Family’ starts with guitar and underlying FX, laced with delicate harmonies and sincere lyrics. His falsetto piercing through the beautiful produced instrumentation. Seamlessly merging acoustic, electronic and atmospheric ambience to create this masterpiece.

A hard hitting theme the word ‘family’ has many meanings and looks different to everyone all over the world. It’s not all roses and daisies it takes hard work, there are struggles, highs and lows but hope that whatever family means to you there is love.

‘What We Call Life’ is Jordan Rakei’s most vulnerable and intimate album to date. Its lyrics concern the lessons that the New Zealand-born, Australia-raised, and London-based artist learned about himself during therapy, a journey that began two years ago when he started reading about the ‘positive psychology’ movement. These themes manifest on songs like lead single “Family”, which Rakei says is “the most personal” he’s ever been with his lyrics. “I wanted to hit my vulnerability barrier and be really honest. It’s about my parents’ divorce in my mid-teens but still having love for them no matter what,” he explains.

With previously sold-out US and Australian headline tours, as well as performances at iconic venues and festivals – including Glastonbury, Pitchfork Avant-Garde Block Party, SXSW, Montreux Jazz Festival, two sold out nights at Ronnie Scott’s, and a DJ set at Fabric (under his Dan Kye alias) – Jordan played a triumphant sold-out stop at London’s Roundhouse in 2019. In April 2022 he will embark on his biggest UK and EU tour yet, ending with a massive headline show at London’s 5000-capacity O2 Academy Brixton.

No stranger to collaboration, Rakei is closely associated with friends and collaborators like Loyle Carner (with whom he co-wrote, produced and performed on “Ottolenghi” and the Jorja Smith-featuring “Loose Ends”), Tom Misch and Alfa Mist. He has also joined Chic’s Nile Rodgers for a writing session and recorded with Terrace Martin, producer for Kendrick and Snoop Dogg, and Herbie Hancock. There’s also his tight relationship with the South London dance music scene orbiting Bradley Zero’s Rhythm Section clubnight and label, with Rakei adopting the alias Dan Kye, most recently to offer up an exclusive track for Bonobo’s ‘Fabric presents’ mix and to release his full-length, ‘Small Moments’ album in November 2020. He also recently covered Donald Byrd’s “Wind Parade” for the Blue Note Re:imagined compilation, and earlier this year showcased work from his creative community alongside some of his favourite tracks (including his own covers of Radiohead’s “Codex”, and Jeff Buckley’s “Lover, You Should've Come Over”) in his mix for the esteemed LateNightTales series. He continues to offer up production tutorials and behind-the-scenes insights into his creative process with his fan community on Patreon.

Be sure to follow Jordan Rakei for the latest. His music - including Family available to stream now. Get your merch and tour dates too.