Jamie xx

In 2007, Jamie Smith joined The xx, a band founded by some London schoolmates two years before. Besides adopting the group's title for his own stage name, the musician, DJ, and producer—born in London in 1988—helped shape The xx's quietly visionary mix of pop, folk, experimental, and electronic music over the course of three hugely acclaimed and influential albums. Equally adept at delicate soundscapes and more club-friendly combinations of melody and groove, Smith proved to be just as innovative in his work as a producer—which includes steering Drake in a more electronic direction on 2011's Take Care—and as a remixer on songs and projects like his 2011 Gil Scott-Heron collaboration We're New Here. Smith's excursions beyond his band's activities culminated in 2015's In Colour, a solo album that’s just as innovative and dazzling as his ongoing work both in The xx and on his school friends' own solo endeavors, including singer Romy's Mid Air in 2023.