Cloak (2016), the self-released album of vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Jordan Rakei, was a dream debut that was picked up worldwide immediately. In 2017, he signed with the Ninja Tune label for his follow-up album Wallflower. New Zealand-born Rakei was raised in Australia and is now based in London where he is a major player on the vibrant new-soul and jazz scenes. He is also highly respected on the other side of the ocean: when Rakei left the stage of the jazz festival in Capetown Robert Glasper and producer Terrace Martin, standing in the wings, congratulated him on his show. The latter, who has worked with Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg and Herbie Hancock, invited Rakei to join him in his studio in Los Angeles. Then came the pandemic, which caused a period of introspection by Rakei as it did with many. On his latest album What We Call Life he shows himself from his most vulnerable side.
