Jacob Collier: A one-man musical phenomenon
In his videos and performances, Jacob Collier sings every part, plays every instrument and visualizes every component with a captivating vision. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
and walkin' it one step at a time.
and sing you a song,
for a kind of shelter.
walking down the line."
You feeling good?
singing with me for just one second?
Could you sing a D?
That's beautiful. Thank you.
as part of that motion,
is an absolutely extraordinary one.
one's emotional frameworks,
to put things into words,
as with many other languages,
you know about a language.
how many words you can say,
you make with this language.
this idea as a community,
may grow us towards
searching for all along.
I'm on my way to my hideaway.
do it right, don't look back,
all the places I've been
that you're making me guess
that I wanted to know all along.
that makes me complete,
that I want you to know I belong.
JC: OK.
visualizations we just saw,
or something, if that's a word,
that you saw grow,
that it takes low long notes
and then it grows thin, small branches.
JC: Yes, indeed.
all of that by yourself.
and how did this all evolve?
which is, like, over there.
I mean, this is my family home.
filled with musical instruments,
to invest in my own imagination,
were good things to be building
and I think that's such an important idea.
my paradise, essentially,
which is called "In My Room,"
the room on the road,
working on for a couple of years,
to be inside the circle.
like the setup in your room, here.
It's similar to the room
generate things on the spot
and all of the best ideas are all about.
in your room by yourself.
We couldn't have done that,
five years ago even.
in the hands of the creator,
record company executive
to you guys who know this already,
who can sow that seed.
the torch into the world.
completely on my own
make an album on your own."
and I didn't mind what people thought,
JC: Thanks, Kelly. Thanks so much.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Jacob Collier - Musician, artistIn his videos and performances, Jacob Collier sings every part, plays every instrument and visualizes every component with a captivating vision.
Why you should listen
Jacob Collier is nothing short of prodigious. A two-time Grammy-winning singer, arranger, composer and multi-instrumentalist, he combines everything from jazz and a cappella to folk, electronic and classical music. In 2014, he was discovered by the legendary producer Quincy Jones. Shortly after, Collier began working on his audio-visual live performance vehicle designed and built by Ben Bloomberg at the MIT Media Lab.
Since his first video in 2011, Collier has amassed hundreds of thousands of international followers and more than 15 million YouTube views, which includes his astounding cover of Stevie Wonder's "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing." In July 2016, Collier released his chart-topping debut album, In My Room, which he solely recorded, performed and produced by himself. Most recently, he has toured his unique one-man show to more than 150 locations around the world; helped to score the newest Dreamworks release with Hans Zimmer; is currently collaborating on Herbie Hancock's upcoming album; and shares his vast knowledge of music theory with everyone from Wired Magazine to universities across the globe.
Jacob Collier | Speaker | TED.com