James Blake will release Trying Times, his sixth studio album and first independent record, on March 13th, 2026. The British producer, who recently criticized the excesses of the music industry, has already unveiled his first track, Death of Love.
By Alexis Thibault.
James Blake, a genius who collaborated with Frank Ocean and Rosalía
Blending electronic minimalism and weightless soul music, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist James Blake, 37, has become a major producer of his generation… How can one sum him up in a few lines? A two-time Grammy Award winner – Best Rap Performance for Jay Rock’s King’s Dead (2019) and Best Rap Song for Scientists & Engineers by André 3000 and Killer Mike (2024) – James Blake has delivered countless standout productions. Among them are Blonde by Frank Ocean (2016), DAMN. by Kendrick Lamar (2017), 4:44 by Jay-Z (2017), and Lemonade by Beyoncé (2016). He also collaborated with singer Rosalía in 2019.
As for his solo career, the artist has followed a singular path. His critically acclaimed debut album, James Blake (2011), laid the foundation for a distinct sound oscillating between minimalist dubstep and stripped-down soul. Overgrown (2013), his second solo record, won the prestigious Mercury Prize. The Colour in Anything (2016), a double opus of seventeen tracks co-produced with Rick Rubin, marked a significant broadening of his sonic palette. By then, James Blake had already made a name for himself. That 2016 record highlighted both fragile and monumental electronic pop sounds. A kind of gospel shattered over UK bass, ethereal synths, and hypnotic melancholy.
His most recent albums are Playing Robots Into Heaven (2023) and Bad Cameo (2024). The former returned to the grainy textures and hypnotic rhythms of his early days, reconnecting with the UK underground. The latter was an unlikely collaboration with Atlanta rapper Lil Yachty. Together, they crafted a dreamlike world where alternative rap, ambient, and electronica intertwined, defying any categorization.
The emancipation of a producer
It has been two years since James Blake left Republic Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group that also represents Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, and Drake. The British musician is now taking full control of his career. Tours, distribution, management… he oversees all aspects of it through his own label, Good Boy Records.
By dissecting the inner workings of the industry, he sadly discovered the dark side of the business. “I saw that there are unethical parts of the model that are responsible for a massive transfer of wealth away from the artist,” he declared in an interview with Variety. Before adding: “It’s not that there’s no money there. It’s just being diverted to the wrong places, and the system is set up to not give you that information.”
A scathing indictment that fellow artist Labrinth had already mentioned in the columns of Numéro in 2024. “James Blake criticized Spotify. Like many other platforms, it doesn’t support artists enough. And he’s right! Even with millions of streams, most of them still can’t sustain a proper career.” He added: “So they consider going on tour with a loop pedal to replace an entire band. Because they simply can’t afford to do otherwise.”
Trying Times, a new album slated for 2026
Now fully independent, James Blake keeps walking on his own path with a new album, Trying Times, scheduled for release on March 13th, 2026. The first single, Death of Love, recorded with the London Welsh Male Voice Choir, offers a few hints at the direction of the project, described as “a commentary on the relentlessness of modern life.”
We already know that the twelve-track album will include collaborations with British rapper Dave and Chicago singer Monica Martin, former member of the pop-folk band Phox. The latter had previously worked with him on the song Go Easy, Kid in 2021.
Trying Times by James Blake, coming out on March 13th, 2026.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source numero.com ’
