Jacob Collier: The Rebellious Prodigy

Billy Stammer

As a growing jazz pianist and musician, I am always looking for ways to enrich my understanding of music and its influence of society. Whether it be studying intense music theory for hours on end or just listening to Steely Dan during car rides, I try to immerse myself in the world of music every day. This led me to find out about a young musician who has taken the world of harmony and flipped it upside down, a multi-grammy-award-winning musician and is even nominated for best album this year, he has been considered by many esteemed musicians to be a modern mozart. His name is Jacob Collier.

As soon as I started listening to his music in early January, I was absolutely amazed at the amount of extreme reharmonization and unconventional rhythms. I often need a break from listening to his overwhelmingly complex compositions as my mind is filled with the flash of color his music brings. Despite being only 26 years old, he has gained the attention of many prolific musicians such as the legendary producer Quincy Jones and one of the some of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century, Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea. He has collaborated with many pop artists such as Tori Kelly and Charlie Puth on his most recent albums. As of 2021, he has released 3 albums of his 4-album suite, titled “Djesse”, the third of which is nominated for a grammy, “album of the year”.

While Jacob Collier is an undeniable genius, many musicians have a difficult time categorizing his music, as it can range from funk, to jazz, to a cappella, to r&b, to pop. His unique voice and incredible versatility with instruments and sound editing programs such as Logic allow Jacob to create unprecedented sounds, often utilizing vocals that extend far into his high and low register. Since being discovered in the early 2010s, Jacob Collier has taken the music industry by storm by going against all previously set rules of what music theory is. He has redefined what harmony is and will continue to reshape 21st century music as we know it.