Singer-songwriter and producer James Blake sat down for the latest Broken Record podcast and discussed what he feels are his greatest collaborations.
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James Blake has a laundry list of brand-name music collaborations, including the likes of Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, and JAY-Z. Working with his own influences, however, has left him the most starstruck, such as his time with André 3000. As a guest verse feature on his song "Where's the Catch," Blake said that it was a “crazy honor to get him on that song.” He recalled, “You're dealing with a living icon who, it's almost surprising to hear something new come from that person because you're so used to the songs that exist. You're like, almost it seems impossible that they could just be created. It feels like they were just divinely just put somewhere… in this case with Andre, yeah, I just had to pinch myself a little bit and remind myself it was really happening.”
The two struck up such a good relationship, in fact, they wrote “an influx” of songs and demos. When asked about the possibility of hearing these songs, Blake more or less shot it down. “Wasn't he on this podcast when he said that he wasn't going to be releasing any more music? That's actually how I found out,” he joked with the podcast host. Unfortunately that means we won’t have any song releases... or at least, not yet.
But the collaboration that truly changed his life, Blake said, was with one of the podcast’s own hosts, producer, and record label executive Rick Rubin. The two were working on Blake’s album The Colour in Anything when he said they met at a “very tumultuous point” in Blake’s life. “You know, I was deep in mental health struggles, should we say, and kept sucking up my relationship,” he told the podcast. "I was just in a very incoherent state, and I was looking… Honestly, I was looking for an answer in the music, maybe, but you know, I knew it wasn't going to be there.” Rather, Blake said he found his answer in a sit-down conversation with Rubin. The music industry veteran gave him relationship advice for both his personal life and his work, especially when it came to the benefits of being the “person who takes a break and comes back fresh.”
“I think that [conversation] was probably the best thing that came out of that set, out of that session” Blake explained, “because the album's great. Like, I love it and I'm proud of it, and Rick was great on the album. But the album didn't change my life. That sit down for, like, twenty minutes changed my life. So working with him, there was actually time to have a deep personal conversation. It wasn't just all work all day, every day.” Later on in the podcast, Blake reflected on his work, saying, “I'm honestly so blessed. Like I've had some of the most unbelievable musical experiences and personal experiences in this career. I just can't wait to see what's next.”
To listen to the full conversation and hear more about his collaborations, check out the full Broken Record podcast episode for free on the Audacy app.
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