James Blake has admitted Frank Ocean was a "huge influence’"on his songwriting.
The 27-year-old electronic music legend may have worked with Beyonce on her new album ‘Lemonade’ but he has admitted he was more influenced when he collaborated with the American rapper on his upcoming second LP.
In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, James said: "His music was a huge influence on the way I was writing the record, the way I was writing melodies. I was more of a fan of him when I heard his newer music. It’s better. You grow, you improve, you nail a new message to the board. He’s had time to mature. It’s really cool to watch. I think that this album has shown me how strong I actually am."
Blake started working on ‘The Colour in Anything’ soon after releasing ‘Overgrown’ in 2013 but he initially struggled to cope with the fame that came with being a musician.
He said: "I felt like I lived a double life. Me doing festivals, me being on TV, meeting Pharrell, and then me with my old-school friends: the person that was prone to getting into a rut, the person that could easily switch off and just not see anyone for ages. I had four years of my life where I just worked on my own music. I prefer not to look back on that. I love the music that came out of it, but I don’t want to work in that kind of pressure cooker again. You’re a little bit mad."
James Blake: Frank Ocean was a ‘huge influence’ on songwriting
