Sound Advice: James Blake

Join James Blake on Sound Advice, the weekly interview series covering artists’ journeys and their creative process. In this episode, we speak to the Grammy Award-winning musician live from the SoundCloud office in New York City about his latest album, ‘Trying Times,’ as well as creativity, navigating being an independent artist and more.

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Welcome to Sound Advice, the series spotlighting artists’ creative process and their SoundCloud journey. We’ll get the inside knowledge straight from the source on how musicians, producers and creatives are leaning into everything SoundCloud offers to elevate their sound, get heard and catapult their careers. Sound Advice is now available in audio format on the SoundCloud Stories profile.

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Ahead of releasing his latest album, James Blake joined us at the SoundCloud office in New York City for a special rendition of Sound Advice. This conversation was recorded live in front of an intimate crowd of day-one fans and supporters, giving audience members an opportunity to listen to ‘Trying Times’ in full prior to its official release on March 13, and then hear directly from James about his creative process.

Throughout our exclusive interview, we talk extensively about the making of the project, diving deep into the romantic and chaotic inspirations behind his emotional songs, as well as hear more from James about his fondness for unique voices, unexpected samples and bittersweet melodies. 

Elsewhere throughout our conversation, James opens up about the healing nature of collaboration, the meaning behind various songs on ‘Trying Times’ and what fans can expect from his upcoming tour. James also reflects on his experiences in the music industry that spurred him to take his career, and his releases, into his own hands.

Our in-person audience also had some amazing questions for James about his creative process, music-making and how he’s dug himself out of dark places to create this beautiful new record, so you can hear a selection of those questions included in this installment of Sound Advice as well.

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LISTEN TO THE AUDIO EPISODE OF SOUND ADVICE FEATURING JAMES BLAKE

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HIT PLAY ON ‘TRYING TIMES’ BY JAMES BLAKE ON SOUNDCLOUD

CHECK OUT JAMES BLAKE’S TRACK-BY-TRACK COMMENTARY ON THE MAKING OF ‘TRYING TIMES’ HERE

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Things We Talked About In This Episode of Sound Advice

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What Going Independent Has Taught James Blake About His Career and Artistry

• We begin the conversation with a look at James Blake’s latest career move as an artist: going independent. After many years on major labels, the British artist has now partnered with an independent label, Good Boy Records, for the release of his 2026 album, ‘Trying Times.’ For James, the change made sense: being in control of your creativity is paramount to him. 
• He reflects on how the move has allowed him to shift career “obstacles in your way” and “emotionally unlock” new sides of his creative process, as well as offers some frank wisdom about the process of going independent.
• Being independent, he says, doesn’t necessarily make things easier for you as an artist. Your day-to-day life may become more complex, and in order to meet that complexity, “you have to learn things that artists who sign to majors don’t have to learn,” he says. 
• For James, though, learning those things has made him “a more formidable and in-control artist.” As he expresses, when you take your career into your own hands, you come to realize that a lot of the stress and worry you might experience comes from a lack of control and boundaries. By being independent, you can take back that control.

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The Making of James Blake’s 2026 Album, ‘Trying Times,’ and Vocal Pop Inspirations

• James recently released his seventh album, ‘Trying Times.’ After many years of releasing studio albums, what lessons has he learned about the album-making process, and what of those lessons did he take into the making of ‘Trying Times’? For James, the core realization was that, even as a solo artist, “I need other people,” he says. “And this record was raised by a village.” Here, he talks about his core team of collaborators and musicians who helped bring the album to life, and the role that humor and camaraderie play in his creative process. 
• Part of that creative process was the slow acceptance that James needed to take his time with ‘Trying Times.’ In order to make impactful art that sits right with you, he shares, it’s important to know when you need to not rush your work. Here, he talks about taking 2025 to really make the album the best it could be — and how rewarding that decision was. Speaking honestly, he shares that ‘Trying Times’ “wouldn’t hit the high that it does” without that extra time spent. 
• One of those highs is his latest single, “I Had a Dream She Took My Hand,” which features a sample that evokes a 1960s R&B-pop vocal girl group. The sample, in fact, he shares, is from a contemporary band called Thee Sinseers. James talks about finding the sample and how it inspired him to craft a song that describes a romantic love affair through the ages, allowing him to really experiment with his songwriting and connect more deeply with his lyricism. 
• James Blake comes from an underground electronic music world, growing up on genres like dubstep and grime, but his sound has evolved into a soulful experimentation with electronic and pop music. So what elements of pop music is he most drawn to as an artist? 
• “I’m drawn to people with special voices,” he says, naming artists like Monica Martin, a collaborator of his, and Lola Young, the Grammy-winning breakthrough London vocalist and songwriter. Here, James gets deep about what a great vocalist means to him, and what a great voice can achieve. “There’s a spiritual channel that we all have,” he says. “And a singer’s voice adapts to accommodate the message they’re trying to share.” 
• As voices change over time, so do the messages they bring. He goes on to discuss the emotional weight of performances that have really moved him, and why, in turn, he struggled to perform one of his most beloved tracks, “Retrograde,” live for those same exact reasons. 

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Collaborating With UK Rapper Dave on ‘Trying Times’

• A voice that James loves is Dave, the British rapper and songwriter whose success in the UK scene is translating to international audiences. They mostly recently worked together on the track “Doesn’t Just Happen,” which features on ‘Trying Times.’ 
• James speaks in depth about Dave’s artistry and character, the creative chemistry that they have together, and why he feels that Dave brings out a side of him in the studio that he’s often not been able to tap into. Dave is “a consummate genius,” James notes. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone write as impactfully as Dave. He might be one of the most profound writers we’ve ever had, of any genre,” he says, of British music. 
• Part of that genius is what James describes as a curiosity: “The thing that's odd about an artist is why you keep coming back,” he shares. It’s that feeling when “you’re not sure if you like something but it keeps tickling a part of your brain.” Here, James goes into more detail about artists who share that sensibility, such as Cameron Winter of Geese and Thom Yorke of Radiohead. Their “jagged edges” are what make them so interesting to him. 
• In working with a vocalist like Dave, James reveals more about what appeals to him creatively. “You can have one very weird thing” about you as an artist, he says, “so long as it’s propped up by two conventional things.” For James, Dave’s “tripod” of creativity is based around the “weird” style of his monotone vocal delivery, but that’s “propped up” by his “complete lyrical mastery and charisma.” 
• Here, he goes into more detail about making music with Dave, what kind of beats they both gravitate towards and which beat he made with Dave in mind, but ended up keeping for himself. 

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James Blake’s Love of Dubstep and Grime Melodies and Samples

• Another sample that features on ‘Trying Times’ is “I Luv U,” the seminal breakthrough track from Dizzee Rascal’s 2003 debut album, ‘Boy in da Corner.’ Here, James talks about his love for early grime and dubstep music — including artists like Mala, Digital Mystikz, Skream, Wiley and Danny Weed, among others — and how that underground British electronic club scene was his first foray into musical experimentation. 
• One of the key elements of that world that’s stayed with James throughout his music-making is the power of a great, melody-led instrumentation. He notes the London grime crew Ruff Sqwad as one of his core reference points. Their seminal beat, “Functions on the Low,” was brought to wider attention thanks to Stormzy’s “Shut Up,” and is a favorite of his. That track, he says, “shows how a great melody transcends what its place is,” in a genre or culture. 

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Taking ‘Trying Times’ on Tour, and the Making of James Blake’s New Live Show 

• Now that ‘Trying Times’ has been released, James is getting ready to take the album on tour. Here, he talks about how his live show has evolved in recent years, and how, as a solo artist known for performances focused on himself and his piano-playing, he’s stepping it up again with a more ambitious live band. 
• As James’ voice has evolved, so has his confidence about presenting himself as a singer. Of the ‘Trying Times’ tour specifically, he says, “This time, I want to just come out and sing,” because he’s “never giving myself the chance to be a singer who sings his own songs.” 
• In order to step more into that vocals-first frontman role, James has been evolving his live show in order to have more players onstage, and to have “machines react to the players, not the other way around.” He goes into more detail about that set up, and how that live-ness has been invigorating for him. 
• As a parting note, he shares that the track he’s most excited about performing live is “Retrograde” — the same track that he once found too emotional to perform. It’s a full-circle moment for James, as he reflects on the track’s meaning. “It’s magical for me,” he shares, because “it resonates something that’s very pure and uninterrupted … it feels like it was gifted to me.” You can check out James Blake’s upcoming tour dates here. 

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Our Live Audience Asked James Blake Some Great Questions, Too

• After James Blake wrapped up his time on Sound Advice with Vivian Host, he took questions from the live audience, in SoundCloud’s New York City office. Having absorbed the conversation, fans shared their thoughts on the new album and asked thoughtful questions about James’s creative process, career moves and reflections on how to navigate today’s music industry as an independent artist. Be sure to listen to the questions and James’s answers: he goes deep into personal and professional advice, and graciously opens up to the fans that were in the building for this special event.
• The live Q&A is one of many elements of artist-to-fan interactions that are growing on SoundCloud, and deepening how music fans can directly engage with their favorite artists on the platform. In 2025, SoundCloud has expanded its arsenal of features to improve the artist-to-fan experience — from fan-powered royalties and the fan support button, to the Artist All-In-One subscription and more — to bring creators and listeners closer together. 

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Links and Extras

Follow James Blake’s journey on SoundCloud.
Press play on James Blake’s 2026 album, ‘Trying Times.’
Check out James Blake’s exclusive Voice Notes for a track-by-track commentary on ‘Trying Times.’ 
Listen to James Blake’s latest singles, “Death of Love” and “I Had a Dream She Took My Hand.”
Follow Dave, who worked with James Blake on “Doesn’t Just Happen.”
Go back to where it all began with James Blake’s first, self-titled album.
Explore some of James Blake’s wide-ranging influences, including Radiohead, Joni Mitchell, Mala and Bon Iver, to name a few. 
Listen to the New Era Indie playlist on SoundCloud.
Never miss an episode and follow the official Sound Advice playlist on SoundCloud.

Getting The Most Out of SoundCloud

Learn more about using DMs to connect with fellow artists and potential collaborators.
Learn more about how to make a custom playlist on SoundCloud.
Learn more about unlimited uploads, available with an Artist Pro subscription.
Learn more unlocking access to unlimited distribution, available with Artist Pro.
Learn more about getting heard with SoundCloud’s updated algorithm, available to Artist and Artist Pro subscribers.

To discover additional features a SoundCloud Artist or Artist Pro subscription offers, visit here. To catch up on past installments of Sound Advice and make sure you don’t miss out on future episodes, visit here.
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_{CREDITS Host: Vivian Host, Executive Producer: Mike Spinella, Producer: KC Orcutt, Audio Engineer: David “DibS” Shackney, Coordinator: Trevor McGee, Editorial Associate: Lauren Martin}