Album: Cloak by Jordan Rakei (2016)
Format: Album

Artist Background: Jordan Rakei (born 23 May 1992) is a New Zealand-Australian musician, singer, songwriter and record producer currently based in London, United Kingdom. Rakei has also released and performed under the moniker Dan Kye. Part of the New Zealand music scene. Associated with Soul movement.

Music Scene: Part of the New Zealand music scene. Associated with Soul movement.

Tags: 2010s, Album


Album: Origin (Deluxe Edition) by Jordan Rakei (2020)
Genre: Soul
Format: Album

Description: “It’s a mad, mad world,” Jordan Rakei repeatedly observes on the opening track of his third studio album, but the expat—born in New Zealand, raised in Australia, now based in Britain—refuses to give in to pessimism. Origin is an expansive and artful collection of electronic pop songs that dives deep into the chaos of contemporary life and examines both fundamental failings and revitalising moments of wonder. The record’s palette is vivid and wide-ranging: Funk bass and tingling guitar licks underpin “Rolling Into One”, while “Mind’s Eye” mixes slinky Afropop guitar and dreamy electronic melodies. It’s an album about opening things up, whether it be Rakei’s songwriting or the listener’s perceptions. The lineage these songs tap into is a rich one, taking in Stevie Wonder’s masterful 1970s recordings and the soulful laments of Marvin Gaye through to the evocative textures of James Blake. The common thread is humanity, as Rakei sings about finding it in others on “Wildfire” and remembering to value his own on the bewitching “Signs”. It’s ambitious but always coherent.

Artist Background: Jordan Rakei (born 23 May 1992) is a New Zealand-Australian musician, singer, songwriter and record producer currently based in London, United Kingdom. Rakei has also released and performed under the moniker Dan Kye. Part of the New Zealand music scene. Associated with Soul movement.

Music Scene: Part of the New Zealand music scene. Associated with Soul movement.

Tags: Soul, 2020s, Album


“It’s a mad, mad world,” Jordan Rakei repeatedly observes on the opening track of his third studio album, but the expat—born in New Zealand, raised in Australia, now based in Britain—refuses to give in to pessimism. Origin is an expansive and artful collection of electronic pop songs that dives deep into the chaos of contemporary life and examines both fundamental failings and revitalising moments of wonder. The record’s palette is vivid and wide-ranging: Funk bass and tingling guitar licks underpin “Rolling Into One”, while “Mind’s Eye” mixes slinky Afropop guitar and dreamy electronic melodies. It’s an album about opening things up, whether it be Rakei’s songwriting or the listener’s perceptions. The lineage these songs tap into is a rich one, taking in Stevie Wonder’s masterful 1970s recordings and the soulful laments of Marvin Gaye through to the evocative textures of James Blake. The common thread is humanity, as Rakei sings about finding it in others on “Wildfire” and remembering to value his own on the bewitching “Signs”. It’s ambitious but always coherent.

Album: Origin by Jordan Rakei (2019)
Genre: Soul
Format: Album

Description: “It’s a mad, mad world,” Jordan Rakei repeatedly observes on the opening track of his third studio album, but the expat—born in New Zealand, raised in Australia, now based in Britain—refuses to give in to pessimism. Origin is an expansive and artful collection of electronic pop songs that dives deep into the chaos of contemporary life and examines both fundamental failings and revitalising moments of wonder. The record’s palette is vivid and wide-ranging: Funk bass and tingling guitar licks underpin “Rolling Into One”, while “Mind’s Eye” mixes slinky Afropop guitar and dreamy electronic melodies. It’s an album about opening things up, whether it be Rakei’s songwriting or the listener’s perceptions. The lineage these songs tap into is a rich one, taking in Stevie Wonder’s masterful 1970s recordings and the soulful laments of Marvin Gaye through to the evocative textures of James Blake. The common thread is humanity, as Rakei sings about finding it in others on “Wildfire” and remembering to value his own on the bewitching “Signs”. It’s ambitious but always coherent.

Artist Background: Jordan Rakei (born 23 May 1992) is a New Zealand-Australian musician, singer, songwriter and record producer currently based in London, United Kingdom. Rakei has also released and performed under the moniker Dan Kye. Part of the New Zealand music scene. Associated with Soul movement.

Music Scene: Part of the New Zealand music scene. Associated with Soul movement.

Tags: Soul, 2010s, Album


Album: The Loop by Jordan Rakei (2024)
Genre: R&B | Style: Urban/R&B | Mood: Good Natured
Record Label: Decca Records
Format: Album

Description: Jordan Rakei’s dreamily delicate voice is as poised as ever on his fifth album, even on tracks where more than 40 people might be contributing. Those sheer numbers are thanks to robust string and horn sections and a smaller choir, lending scope to The Loop’s self-produced majesty. Yet for all of the bravura flourishes here, Rakei sounds every bit as intimate as he did when he was cutting tracks in his humble bedroom. “Hopes and Dreams” especially hinges on his confiding vocals, unfolding against a sparse backdrop featuring no drums. It’s one of several songs inspired by Rakei settling into fatherhood, and even the album title comes from the idea that his son may someday have children of his own. Elsewhere, the Brisbane-raised, London-based multi-instrumentalist takes notes from classic soul of several eras, from Marvin Gaye to D’Angelo and beyond. The arrangements are impeccable throughout, whether it’s the warmly dusty breakbeats on opener “Flowers” or the rustling loops and handclaps on “Cages”. There’s a live-in-the-room quality to it all, even when a track like “Everything Everything” bolsters Rakei’s heavenly vocal flutter and a cool rhythmic snap with lively tides of celestial layering. As he meditates on the subtle complexities of parenthood and friendship alike, the instrumentation remains transfixing right alongside his words of wisdom. - Apple Music

Artist Background: Jordan Rakei (born 23 May 1992) is a New Zealand-Australian musician, singer, songwriter and record producer currently based in London, United Kingdom. Rakei has also released and performed under the moniker Dan Kye. Part of the New Zealand music scene. Associated with Soul movement.

Music Scene: Part of the New Zealand music scene. Associated with Soul movement.

Tags: R&B, Urban/R&B, Good Natured, 2020s, Album, Decca Records


Jordan Rakei’s dreamily delicate voice is as poised as ever on his fifth album, even on tracks where more than 40 people might be contributing. Those sheer numbers are thanks to robust string and horn sections and a smaller choir, lending scope to The Loop’s self-produced majesty. Yet for all of the bravura flourishes here, Rakei sounds every bit as intimate as he did when he was cutting tracks in his humble bedroom. “Hopes and Dreams” especially hinges on his confiding vocals, unfolding against a sparse backdrop featuring no drums. It’s one of several songs inspired by Rakei settling into fatherhood, and even the album title comes from the idea that his son may someday have children of his own. Elsewhere, the Brisbane-raised, London-based multi-instrumentalist takes notes from classic soul of several eras, from Marvin Gaye to D’Angelo and beyond. The arrangements are impeccable throughout, whether it’s the warmly dusty breakbeats on opener “Flowers” or the rustling loops and handclaps on “Cages”. There’s a live-in-the-room quality to it all, even when a track like “Everything Everything” bolsters Rakei’s heavenly vocal flutter and a cool rhythmic snap with lively tides of celestial layering. As he meditates on the subtle complexities of parenthood and friendship alike, the instrumentation remains transfixing right alongside his words of wisdom. - Apple Music

Album: Wallflower by Jordan Rakei (2017)
Genre: Soul
Format: Album

Description: Moving to London after the success of 2014’s Groove Curse EP forced New Zealand-born, Brisbane-raised Jordan Rakei to confront his introversion and anxiety. He taps into that experience on this album of warm, inventive soul. With a voice that switches gracefully from velvety longing to Jeff Buckley-like fragility, he picks over his insecurity on the gentle funk of “Nerve” and sighs about an “unnecessary goodbye” on the fluid, string-mottled “Goodbyes”. “Clues Blues” offers the best showcase of Rakei’s skill and versatility, moulding electronic R&B, dub and jazz into a cohesive soundtrack for his absorbing introspection.

Artist Background: Jordan Rakei (born 23 May 1992) is a New Zealand-Australian musician, singer, songwriter and record producer currently based in London, United Kingdom. Rakei has also released and performed under the moniker Dan Kye. Part of the New Zealand music scene. Associated with Soul movement.

Music Scene: Part of the New Zealand music scene. Associated with Soul movement.

Tags: Soul, 2010s, Album


Moving to London after the success of 2014’s Groove Curse EP forced New Zealand-born, Brisbane-raised Jordan Rakei to confront his introversion and anxiety. He taps into that experience on this album of warm, inventive soul. With a voice that switches gracefully from velvety longing to Jeff Buckley-like fragility, he picks over his insecurity on the gentle funk of “Nerve” and sighs about an “unnecessary goodbye” on the fluid, string-mottled “Goodbyes”. “Clues Blues” offers the best showcase of Rakei’s skill and versatility, moulding electronic R&B, dub and jazz into a cohesive soundtrack for his absorbing introspection.

Album: What We Call Life by Jordan Rakei (2021)
Genre: Soul
Format: Album

Description: A dedicated period of introspection influenced Jordan Rakei’s fourth album. “Therapy is a really logical way to help yourself improve in life,” the New Zealand-born, Australia-raised and London-based singer-songwriter tells Apple Music. “It's not just about getting out of an extremely depressive state, or getting over a divorce or a really bad breakup. It's like, how can therapy be a tool to get me to see life slightly differently, and make me slightly happier?” What We Call Life finds Rakei at his most confident, his approach to composition and production shifting as a result of his journey, with each song representing something he learned via therapy. “I feel like it's really who I am right now,” he says. “I had my own sound, but I was letting my influences shine through a little bit more. But with this one, I feel like it's the first time I’ve had my own voice throughout a whole album.” Across his previous work, Rakei hasn’t found issues with genre-blending—fusing soul, jazz, R&B and alternative influences with rare finesse. But What We Call Life is his most experimental, ambient and existential set yet. “Introspection is hard for some people; they don't like thinking about their own life, or their past, or anything,” he says. “So doing a bit more of that would be really good for us all.”

Artist Background: Jordan Rakei (born 23 May 1992) is a New Zealand-Australian musician, singer, songwriter and record producer currently based in London, United Kingdom. Rakei has also released and performed under the moniker Dan Kye. Part of the New Zealand music scene. Associated with Soul movement.

Music Scene: Part of the New Zealand music scene. Associated with Soul movement.

Tags: Soul, 2020s, Album


A dedicated period of introspection influenced Jordan Rakei’s fourth album. “Therapy is a really logical way to help yourself improve in life,” the New Zealand-born, Australia-raised and London-based singer-songwriter tells Apple Music. “It's not just about getting out of an extremely depressive state, or getting over a divorce or a really bad breakup. It's like, how can therapy be a tool to get me to see life slightly differently, and make me slightly happier?” What We Call Life finds Rakei at his most confident, his approach to composition and production shifting as a result of his journey, with each song representing something he learned via therapy. “I feel like it's really who I am right now,” he says. “I had my own sound, but I was letting my influences shine through a little bit more. But with this one, I feel like it's the first time I’ve had my own voice throughout a whole album.” Across his previous work, Rakei hasn’t found issues with genre-blending—fusing soul, jazz, R&B and alternative influences with rare finesse. But What We Call Life is his most experimental, ambient and existential set yet. “Introspection is hard for some people; they don't like thinking about their own life, or their past, or anything,” he says. “So doing a bit more of that would be really good for us all.”

Jordan Rakei

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