Musician Jacob Collier has made history by becoming the first British artist to win Grammys for his first four albums

The Sunday Times called him ‘the most successful musician you have never heard of’, but after making history at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, Jacob Collier’s name is now headline news.

The 2021 Grammys – somewhat subdued by Covid but no-less glamourous – was held in and around the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles on 14 March.

Social distancing, bling masks and a clever use of space punctuated what was a pretty successful night for the Brits, with Harry Styles and Dua Lipa taking home an award each – but it was Jacob Collier, a talented young musician from Finchley, north London, making the real waves.

The trailblazing 26-year-old singer and multi-instrumentalist won Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals for He Won’t Hold You (feat Rapsody), the fourth single from his fourth album, Djesse Vol. 3 (listen to the album here on Spotify), making him the first British artist to win Grammys for each of his first four albums.

The gong run is a feat that even the most prolific of UK Grammy winners didn’t manage, including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, David Bowie, Coldplay, Adele and Amy Winehouse.

‘The trailblazing 26-year-old singer and multi-instrumentalist is the first British artist to win Grammys for each of his first four albums’

Collier now boasts a total of five Grammy wins from seven nominations across his first four albums. The landmark achievement caps what has been a momentous year for Collier, who possesses an almost unrivalled level of musicianship, technical virtuosity and creativity, and has just announced a 100-date world tour.

Djesse Vol 3 is the third instalment of Collier’s ground-breaking Djesse album series, which features guest appearances from Daniel Caesar, Jessie Reyez, Kiana Ledé, Kimbra, Mahalia, T-Pain, Rapsody, Tank and The Bangas, Tori Kelly and Ty Dolla $ign.

The series, released on Hajanga/Decca/Interscope, was written, performed, recorded, arranged, produced and mixed almost entirely by Collier himself in the music room of his childhood home in Finchley, where he still lives with his family.

In fact, Collier’s debut album, In My Room, released in 2016, was entirely recorded, arranged, performed and produced in that room – hence the title.

‘Home can be a real safety net,’ the artist told The Sunday Times. ‘There’s something so spectacular about a venue where you can be exactly who you are at any moment.’

On picking up his latest Grammy, Collier said: ‘Thank you so much to Rapsody for being a stupendous part of this song and bringing a beautiful poetic nature. This is an incredibly exciting time to be an artist and I’m super thrilled to accept this award.’