Benjamin Gerard Coyle-Larner (born 6 October 1994), known professionally as Loyle Carner, is an English hip-hop musician. He released his debut album, Yesterday's Gone, in 2017, which was nominated for the 2017 Mercury Prize. He released his second album, Not Waving, but Drowning, in April 2019, and his third, hugo, in October 2022. His fourth studio album, Hopefully!, was released in June 2025. Carner has been nominated for three Brit Awards.
Benjamin Gerard Coyle-Larner[2][3] was born on 6 October 1994 in Lambeth, South London.[4][5] He and his younger brother, Ryan, were raised in South Croydon by his mother, Jean, a teacher of children with learning difficulties, and his stepfather, Nik.[6][7] He has contact with his biological father, Robert Nicholas Junior Carter, who is of Guyanese descent.[7]
At the age of 13, Carner had a small role in the 2008 film 10,000 BC.[12] He started his secondary education at Whitgift School in South Croydon, then after having secured a scholarship moved on to study at the Brit School for Performing Arts and Technology. He was then accepted into the Drama Centre where he began a degree in acting.[13][8][14] In 2014, he dropped out of the Drama Centre after his stepfather died of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), deciding to focus on his music.[7] Reflecting on this decision, Carner said: "It changed my life not just by making money from it but also by meeting all the people I know. All the people I love are connected to this thing of ours."[15]
Music career
Carner played his first official gig at The Button Factory in Dublin, Ireland in October 2012 supporting rapper MF Doom.[16] He released his first extended play in September 2014, titled A Little Late, which was well received by music critics.[7] Carner supported American rapper Joey Badass on his UK tour and went on to play the 2015 UK festival season, including Glastonbury Festival.[17][18] He played on Huw Stephens' BBC Radio 1 show as part of their Piano Sessions series in October of that year.[19] Carner was included in the BBC's Sound of 2016 list.[20] In August 2016, he supported American rapper Nas in his show at the O2 Academy Bristol.[21] Later in the year, he collaborated with poet Kae Tempest for a performance.[22]
In 2018, he received two respective Brit Award nominations for British Breakthrough Act and British Male Solo Artist.[27] He was scheduled to perform on BBC Radio 1 in February 2018 but cancelled due to a disagreement over cover song choices.[25] Carner's second album, Not Waving, but Drowning, was released on 19 April 2019.[28] On 30 June, he performed as part of the year's Glastonbury Festival on its Other Stage, marking his second appearance after playing the John Peel Stage the year before.[29] The song "Angel" was listed as part of the FIFA 20 soundtrack playlist.[30] In 2020, Carner and his brother co-directed a music video for the song "Eugene" by Arlo Parks.[31]
Carner performing in October 2022.
Carner's third studio album, Hugo, was released on 21 October 2022.[32] It was met with critical acclaim. At Metacritic the album received an average score of 87, based on 8 reviews.[33]Hugo was nominated for the 2023 Mercury Prize, but lost to Ezra Collective's Where I'm Meant to Be.[34]
Carner headlined Glastonbury's West Holts stage in 2023. During his set, he brought up former youth MP Athian Akec on stage, who gave a speech about the knife crimes in the UK.[35][36]
On 24 May 2024, Carner released his first live album, Hugo: Reimagined (Live from the Royal Albert Hall).[37] Recorded during his performance at the Royal Albert Hall in October 2023, it includes all songs from his album Hugo, as well as some songs from his previous albums.[38]
On 20 June 2025, Carner released his fourth studio album, Hopefully!.[39] In its first charting week, Hopefully! opened at number-two on the UK Albums Chart, marking it his highest charting album in the country.[40]
Carner has been confirmed to be performing at the Soundstorm 2025 Music Festival in Banban, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in December 2025. [41]
Artistry
Carner employs a "languid" style of rapping.[8] His sound has been described as "confessional and clever lyricism", "jazz-infused", as well as "sensitive and eloquent".[7][17][16][15] He cites American hip-hop and grime music as musical influences.[42][43] He also regards American poet Langston Hughes and British writer Benjamin Zephaniah as inspirations.[43][44]
Carner has described himself as feeling “like an outsider, in a nice way,” while also recognising his place in the UK rap lineage, citing admiration from both grime MCs such as Kano and Ghetts and UK hip-hop figures including Rodney P, Jehst, and Klashnekoff. He explained that his aim was “to be a link in the chain, to take it from where it was before and allow another generation to love it as much as me.”[15]
Personal life
As of January 2017, Carner lived in Croydon, South London with his mother and brother.[9] He has one son (born late 2020) and one daughter (born 2024).[45] He also runs a cooking school for children with ADHD called Chilli Con Carner.[46][47] He has titled songs after chefs Yotam Ottolenghi and Antonio Carluccio.[14] Carner has nut and sesame allergies.[11]
In 2018, he appeared in a film for a project by the charity organisation Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), which aims to prevent male suicide.[48] The following year, he curated an art exhibition and donated its proceeds to CALM.[1]
Carner is a supporter of Liverpool F.C.[49] As a tribute to his stepfather, who idolised Eric Cantona and was a passionate Manchester United F.C. supporter, Carner released a song titled "Cantona".[8] He also named his 2016 tour after Cantona, and has worn his stepfather's Cantona shirt during concerts.[7][50] Carner used samples of songs written and performed by his stepfather alongside Misure La VerT for Yesterday's Gone's hidden title track, which concludes the album.[51]
Discography
Studio albums
List of studio albums, with selected details and chart positions
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