James Blake Litherland is an English singer, songwriter, and record producer. He first gained recognition following the release of three extended plays (EPs)—
The Bells Sketch,
CMYK and
Klavierwerke—in 2010. He signed with A&M Records to release his self-titled debut album (2011) the following year, which was met with critical praise and peaked within the top ten of the UK Albums Chart. He departed the label in favour of Republic Records, through which he released his second album,
Overgrown (2013) to further critical and commercial success; it likewise peaked within the chart's top ten and moderately entered the US
Billboard 200. His third album
The Colour in Anything (2016) was followed by his fourth,
Assume Form (2019), which became his highest-charting release on both charts. His fifth and sixth albums,
Friends That Break Your Heart (2021) and
Playing Robots Into Heaven (2023) followed thereafter.