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James Blake unveils the secrets behind the making of his new album Trying Times
James Blake is back with Trying Times, his seventh studio record and first independent album, this Friday, March 13th, 2026. The British producer, who recently spoke out against the downward slide of the music industry, invited his audience and a handful of journalists to a private listening session at the Lafayette Anticipations foundation on March 9th, 2026. Numéro attended the event to share with you the secrets behind the making of this powerful opus.
By Alexis Thibault,
and Nathan Merchadier.
Published on 29 January 2026. Updated on 13 March 2026.
James Blake, a genius who collaborated with Frank Ocean and Rosalía
Blending electronic minimalism and weightless soul music, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist James Blake, 37, has become a major producer of his generation… How can one sum him up in a few lines? A two-time Grammy Award winner – Best Rap Performance for Jay Rock’s King’s Dead (2019) and Best Rap Song for Scientists & Engineers by André 3000 and Killer Mike (2024) – James Blake has delivered countless standout productions. Among them are Blonde by Frank Ocean (2016), DAMN. by Kendrick Lamar (2017), 4:44 by Jay-Z (2017), and Lemonade by Beyoncé (2016). He also collaborated with singer Rosalía in 2019.
As for his solo career, the artist has followed a singular path. His critically acclaimed debut album, James Blake (2011), laid the foundation for a distinct sound oscillating between minimalist dubstep and stripped-down soul. Overgrown (2013), his second solo record, won the prestigious Mercury Prize. The Colour in Anything (2016), a double opus of seventeen tracks co-produced with Rick Rubin, marked a significant broadening of his sonic palette. By then, James Blake had already made a name for himself. That 2016 record highlighted both fragile and monumental electronic pop sounds. A kind of gospel shattered over UK bass, ethereal synths, and hypnotic melancholy.
His most recent albums are Playing Robots Into Heaven (2023) and Bad Cameo (2024). The former returned to the grainy textures and hypnotic rhythms of his early days, reconnecting with the UK underground. The latter was an unlikely collaboration with Atlanta rapper Lil Yachty. Together, they crafted a dreamlike world where alternative rap, ambient, and electronica intertwined, defying any categorization.
The emancipation of a producer
It has been two years since James Blake left Republic Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group that also represents Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, and Drake. The British musician is now taking full control of his career. Tours, distribution, management… he oversees all aspects of it through his own label, Good Boy Records.
By dissecting the inner workings of the industry, he sadly discovered the dark side of the business. “I saw that there are unethical parts of the model that are responsible for a massive transfer of wealth away from the artist,” he declared in an interview with Variety. Before adding: “It’s not that there’s no money there. It’s just being diverted to the wrong places, and the system is set up to not give you that information.”
A scathing indictment that fellow artist Labrinth had already mentioned in the columns of Numéro in 2024. “James Blake criticized Spotify. Like many other platforms, it doesn’t support artists enough. And he’s right! Even with millions of streams, most of them still can’t sustain a proper career,” he declared, before adding: “So they consider going on tour with a loop pedal to replace an entire band. Because they simply can’t afford to do otherwise.”
Trying Times, a powerful record made independently
Now fully independent, James Blake keeps walking on his own path with his seventh album, Trying Times, available on March 13th, and released by his own label Good Boy Records. Largely recorded at Real World Studios, founded by Peter Gabriel, the record marks a turning point in the British producer’s career.
After two and a half years of introspection and a return to his London roots – he was previously living in Los Angeles – the musician unveils thirteen intimate tracks, filled with the uncertainties of our time. Speaking about this return, he says: “There are things I loved there, and I will always be grateful for the time I spent there. I found a place of healing. I was in recovery. For me, it was like going to rehab. On the other hand, London is a place I find very soothing. It’s more spiritually enriching for me because I grew up there. It brings me back to my roots and to my family.”
After his departure from Republic Records, the artist now fully embraces his independence, even if it comes at a cost. “I’d rather take a financial setback than wake up every morning resenting the people who decide what I do,” he explains during a private listening session held at the Lafayette Anticipations foundation in Paris on March 9th.
This newly found freedom can be felt at several points throughout the album. “On this record, I paid more attention to the structure of the songs, to the poetry of the lyrics. Because every word counts. That’s one of the key lessons I learned from many very good rappers I’ve collaborated with,” he continues, after delivering a heartfelt live rendition of his track Trying Times in front of a deeply moved audience.
James Blake. © Harrison & Adair.
A seventh record blending spectral soul and electronic impulses
Musically speaking, this seventh record extends the sonic experiments that have made James Blake successful, all the while rendering them more organic. The introspective Death of Love, recorded with the London Welsh Male Voice Choir, opens the album on an almost liturgical dimension. This spiritual vein returns later in the gospel declaration I Had a Dream She Took My Hand, while the track Make Something Up stands out as a meditation on creativity in an era that sometimes seems to be running out of new ideas.
Later on, James Blake reconnects with his electronic roots. The highly infectious Days Go By offers a trip-hop atmosphere blending funk and house pulses, while Doesn’t Just Happen delivers a very convincing hip-hop performance, featuring British rapper Dave. Among the rare guests on the record, singer Monica Martin, former member of the band Phox, already featured on Show Me in 2021, is featured on the haunting Didn’t Come To Argue…
Blending spectral soul and electronic textures, Trying Times thus emerges as a pivotal album. It may even be James Blake’s most personal yet. And, according to him, his most authentic. “With each new album, you feel like you’re getting better… But this one is truly the most honest I’ve ever made,” he concludes with a wry smile.
Trying Times (2026) by James Blake, available now.
