Better known in the US, the relatively obscure
British pop star is set for wider recognition as he takes on
Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa and more for the top
Grammys prize
He has been compared to Mozart by Chris Martin and likened to Bernstein by
BBC Proms director David Pickard. Until this week, however, Jacob Collier was not a household name, at least not in his native
UK. That changed on Tuesday when the 26-year-old was unexpectedly nominated for the Grammy award for album of the year – one of pop’s most prestigious prizes – alongside Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, and Coldplay (whose album Everyday Life he also contributed to).
Two days later, Collier is still reeling. “I think I’ve about 28% absorbed the news at this point,” he says over Zoom from his family home in north
London, where he recorded the album in question – Djesse Vol 3 – during the first months of the pandemic. Even given the ongoing second lockdown, Collier’s celebrations were on the modest side. “I had a nice tall glass of water,” he says. “It’s such a 2020 project so I guess it merits a 2020-style introverted celebration.”