Jake Isaac

Jake Isaac’s new album is called Benjamin for a simple reason: it is his middle name. He hasn’t told many people that before. This album, however, is all about revelation

“Complete transparency: my musical journey has been long-winded,” says Jake Isaac, who was playing drums in church aged three, became a session artist and songwriter for everyone from Blue to Gabrielle by his late teens, worked as the musical director for Duffy, and held down a day job as a marketing manager in his early 20s before becoming an artist in his own right. 2021’s Honesty and 2022’s For When It Hurts put Isaac at the forefront of a British soul renaissance, along his journey playing Glastonbury Festival and endorsements from such luminaries as Sting and Elton John. Benjamin is the album it has all been leading up to.

“I’ve been figuring out what I’m into and who I am and this record reflects that,” says Jake, a cheerful South Londoner who, when he isn’t crafting modern soul epics, deals with the busy life of being a husband and father of three young children. “My background is in doing live arrangements for artists I work with so I thought: let’s go all out with a live recording, and I’ll call it Benjamin because I’ll display the sides of me no one sees, leaning into the spirituality that has always been a part of my life.”