Jordan Rakei | |
---|---|
![]() Rakei at SXSW London 2025 | |
Background information | |
Also known as | Dan Kye |
Born | Tokoroa, Waikato, New Zealand | May 23, 1992
Origin | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
Genres | |
Occupations |
|
Instruments |
|
Years active | 2013–present |
Labels |
|
Website | jordanrakei |
Jordan Rakei (born 23 May 1992) is a New Zealand-Australian musician, singer, songwriter and record producer currently based in London, United Kingdom. [1] Rakei has also released and performed under the moniker Dan Kye. [2]
Rakei was born in 1992 in Tokoroa, in the Waikato of New Zealand's North Island, to a Pākehā mother and a Cook Islands Māori father. [3] [4] [5] At the age of three, Rakei and his family moved to Brisbane, Australia. He lived in Brisbane until he made the move to London in 2015. [6] [7]
Rakei's first releases were Live at Recording Oasis and Franklin's Room EPs in 2013, self-released, aged 21 years old. [8] [9] Less than a year later in 2014, Rakei releases, Groove Curse EP, [10] was the first release on the Soul Has No Tempo label. [11] Less than a year after this EP, he made the move to London.
After working with artists such as FKJ and Tom Misch, in December 2015 he was part of a Grammy nomination [12] for his work on Disclosure's track "Masterpiece", released on their 2015 album Caracal . [13] [14]
Rakei released his debut album Cloak through his own label, 4101 Records on 3 June 2016. [15] Later that year, he unveiled his dancefloor alias Dan Kye, [16] and released his first EP, titled Joy, Ease, Lightness, [17] on Rhythm Section records. [18]
On 6 June 2017, it was announced that Rakei had signed to Ninja Tune records and would be releasing his next album with them. [19] With this announcement came the release of his new single "Sorceress". [20] Later that month, he made his Glastonbury Festival live debut on the Pussy Parlure stage. [21]
On 22 September 2017, Wallflower was released on Ninja Tune. Wallflower was later shortlisted for Best Australian Album in the 2017 Australian Music Prize. [22]
A tour of North America in spring 2018 included a performance at SXSW Festival and a live session for Jason Bentley's radio show on KCRW. [23] [24] [25]
In 2018, Rakei released the single "Wildfire", released on 10 May 2018, [26] and also provided the vocals on the 2018 Nightmares on Wax track "Typical".
On 26 February 2019, Rakei released "Mind's Eye", the first single from his then unannounced third album. [27] On 23 April 2019, Rakei announced this new album, titled Origin , and released a new single from it, "Say Something". [28] The album was released on 14 June 2019. [29] Rakei supported the record with a series on music festival dates in Summer 2019 and then began a subsequent world tour, beginning that August in Brisbane and ending in November 2019 in Brooklyn, New York. [30] During the tour, he recorded a set for NPR Music's "Tiny Desk Concerts" series which was published online on 13 January 2020. [31]
In September 2021, Rakei's fourth studio album What We Call Life was released, preceded by four singles. Rakei said the album is his "most vulnerable and intimate album to date"; something that he attributes to listening to singer-songwriters like Laura Marling, Scott Matthews, Joni Mitchell and John Martyn while writing the record. [32]
In January 2024, Rakei announced that his fifth studio album, The Loop, would be released on 10 May of the same year. [33]
Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
---|---|---|
UK [34] | ||
Cloak |
| — |
Wallflower | — | |
Origin | — | |
What We Call Life |
| 54 |
The Loop |
| 36 |
Title | Details |
---|---|
Late Night Tales: Jordan Rakei |
|
Title | Details |
---|---|
Live at Recording Oasis |
|
Franklin's Room |
|
Groove Curse |
|
Live at Metropolis Studios |
|
Bruises |
|
The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2020 [44] [45] | Origin | Best Independent Soul/R&B Album or EP | Nominated |
The APRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand by the Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually.
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | "Send My Love" | Most Performed R&B / Soul Work | Nominated | [46] |
The Australian Music Prize (the AMP) is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. The commenced in 2005.
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2017 | Wallflower | Australian Music Prize | Nominated | [47] [48] |
The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. They commenced in 2005.
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | himself | Double J Artist of the Year | Nominated | [49] |