GRAMMY® Award-winning UK singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer James Blake has announced his new album, Friends That Break Your Heart, due out September 10, 2021 – Available for pre-order here, via Republic Records. Blake joined Annie Mac on BBC Radio 1 for “Hottest Record in the World” to premiere the album’s first single, “Say What You Will”. The single was accompanied by the release of the official music video starring Finneas alongside James Blake – Watch here. Today, the artist additionally announced his 2021 Fall tour dates. Produced by Live Nation, the 15-show tour will kick off on September 16th in San Diego at The Observatory North Park, making stops at The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, New York’s Radio City Music Hall, and more before wrapping up in Atlanta’s Tabernacle on October 15th. Tickets go on-sale to the general public starting Friday, July 30th at 10am local time on James Blake Music.
Of the single, James says, “The song is about finding peace with who you are and where you’re at regardless of how well other people seem to be doing. Comparison really is the thief of joy.”
Friends That Break Your Heart, follows the recently released Covers EP. A collection of Blake’s favorite covers, including his critically acclaimed cover of Frank Ocean’s “Godspeed,” which generated over 5 million views on TikTok.
This is James Blakes’ first new full-length album in three years. With Blake calling Friends That Break Your Heart a “concept album.”
James worked closely with artist Miles Johnston to design a cover reflective of the album. The result is a visual encapsulation of the emotions brought forth throughout the body of work.
FRIENDS THAT BREAK YOUR HEART Track List
1. Famous Last Words
2. Life Is Not The Same
3. Coming Back (feat. SZA)
4. Funeral
5. Frozen (feat. JID & SwaVay)
6. I’m So Blessed You’re Mine
7. Foot Forward
8. Show Me (feat. Monica Martin)
9. Say What You Will
10. Lost Angel Nights
11. Friends That Break Your Heart
12. If I’m Insecure
On Sale: Friday, July 30th at 10am local on time James Blake Music.
Tour Dates:
Thursday, September 16, 2021 – San Diego, CA – The Observatory North Park
Sunday, September 19, 2021 – San Francisco, CA – Greek Theatre*
Tuesday, September 21, 2021 – Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
Wednesday, September 22, 2021 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
Saturday, September 25, 2021 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl*
Tuesday, September 28, 2021 – Denver, CO – The Fillmore
Thursday, September 30, 2021 – Minneapolis, MN – The State Theatre
Saturday, October 2, 2021 – Detroit, MI – Fillmore Auditorium
Sunday, October 3, 2021 – Chicago, IL – Chicago Theatre
Wednesday, October 6, 2021 – Boston, MA – Boch Center Wang Theatre
Friday, October 8, 2021 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore Philadelphia
Saturday, October 9, 2021 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall
Tuesday, October 12, 2021 – Washington, DC – The Anthem
Wednesday, October 13, 2021 – Charlotte, NC – Belk Theater at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
Friday, October 15, 2021 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
*Not a Live Nation Date
About James Blake
The GRAMMY® Award-winning UK singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer unassumingly operates as the enigmatic engine behind some of the most influential albums of the 21st century. He produced choice cuts on Frank Ocean’s Blonde and Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. as well as JAY-Z’s 4:44 and Beyoncé’s Lemonade—to which he also lent his voice in both cases. Feature appearances span “Stop Trying to Be God” with Stevie Wonder and Kid Cudi on Travis Scott’s epic ASTROWORLD and “King’s Dead” with Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, and Future from the chart-dominating Black Panther: The Album. The latter not only went triple-platinum, but it also earned Blake his first GRAMMY® Award in the category of “Best Rap Performance.” Simultaneously, he emerged as pop’s most celebrated outlier with his dynamic solo output. He introduced a singular sound on 2011’s James Blake. Awarding the record a rare 9.0-out-of-10 score, Pitchfork crowned it one of “Top 100 Albums of the Decade So Far (2010-2014).” On its heels, the 2013 Overgrown illustrated his rare magnetic ability to align the likes of Brian Eno and RZA on the same project. It notably received the 2013 Mercury Prize and secured Blake’s “Best New Artist” nomination at the GRAMMY® Awards. After 2016’s The Colour In Anything, he reached new critical and commercial peaks with Assume Form during 2019. It bowed at #21 on the Billboard Top 200, marking his highest entry to date. Beyond clocking 300 million cumulative streams in under a year, it garnered the GRAMMY® nomination for “Best Alternative Album” and graced “Best of 2019” lists for outlets including Time Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, Stereogum, Consequence of Sound, Billboard, DJ Booth, and Esquire. Additionally, he oversees 1-800 Dinosaur, which spans a club night, record label, and radio show. As he prepares his fifth album, James Blake’s shadow over popular music only continues to grow.
About Live Nation Entertainment
Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world’s leading live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, and Live Nation Sponsorship. For additional information, visit Live Nation Entertainment.
About Republic Records
A division of Universal Music Group, the world’s leading music company, Republic Records is home to an all-star roster of multi-platinum, award-winning legends and superstar artists such as Ariana Grande, Black Thought, Drake, Florence + the Machine, Greta Van Fleet, Hailee Steinfeld, Jack Johnson, James Blake, James Bay, Jessie J, John Mellencamp, Jonas Brothers, Julia Michaels, Kid Cudi, Lil Wayne, Lorde, Metro Boomin, NAV, Nicki Minaj, Of Monsters and Men, Pearl Jam, Post Malone, Seth MacFarlane, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift, The Weeknd and more. Founded by brothers and chief executives Monte and Avery Lipman, it is also comprised of innovative business ventures, including American Recordings, Boominati Worldwide, Brushfire, Casablanca Records, Cash Money, Lava Records, XO, Young Money, among others. Republic also maintains a long-standing strategic alliance with Universal Music Latin Entertainment (J Balvin and Karol G). In addition, Republic has expanded to release high-profile soundtracks for Universal Pictures (Fifty Shades of Grey), Sony Pictures (Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse) and NBC TV (The Voice), as well as other notable film and television franchises. Extending further into the worlds of film, television, and content, Republic launched Federal Films in order to produce movies and series powered by the label’s catalog and artists. Its first production was the Jonas Brothers documentary Chasing Happiness for Amazon Prime Video.
