Jacob Collier: A playful approach to creating music

Part 1 of the TED Radio Hour episode Work, Play, Rest – Part 2.

Grammy winner Jacob Collier has been called a musical phenomenon; his work is full of joy and spontaneity. He makes a case for why we should emphasize play, passion, and curiosity over practice.

About Jacob Collier

Jacob Collier is a Grammy-winning musician, best known for his energetic live performances and experimental blends of jazz, R&B and electronic pop.

Collier uploaded his first music video in 2011 and eventually became viral for videos of himself performing multiple instruments and vocal harmonies simultaneously. In 2016, he released his chart-topping debut album, In My Room. He has since amassed five Grammys, nine Grammy nominations, and millions of international followers. Collier has toured his one-man show at over 150 locations (including the TED stage), teaming up with Ben Bloomberg of the MIT Media Lab to design his audio-visual live performance presence. He is currently finishing a four-volume series of albums called Djesse.

Collier briefly studied jazz piano at the Royal Academy of Music in London, England.

This segment of the TED Radio Hour was produced by Rachel Faulkner and edited by Sanaz Meshkinpour. You can follow us on Twitter @TEDRadioHour and email us at [email protected].

Web Resources

Related TED Bio: Jacob Collier Related TED Talk: "Redemption Song" Related TED Playlist: Live music, onstage at TED

Related NPR Links

Related TED Bio: Jacob Collier 1A: Jacob Collier Hasn't Let Lockdown Pause His Music Jacob Collier On Creating The Negative Space Of 'Djesse Vol. 3'Original Article