Benjamin Gerard Coyle-Larner (born 6 October 1994), known professionally as Loyle Carner, is an English hip hop musician. After supporting various rappers during their tours, he released his debut album, Yesterday's Gone, in 2017, which garnered a nomination for the 2017 Mercury Prize. He released his second album, Not Waving, but Drowning, in April 2019, and his third, hugo, in October 2022. Carner has been nominated for three Brit Awards.
Loyle Carner | |
---|---|
Carner performing at Haldern Pop in 2019 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Benjamin Gerard Coyle-Larner |
Born | Lambeth, South London, England | 6 October 1994
Genres | Hip hop[1] |
Instruments | Vocals |
Years active | 2012–present |
Labels |
|
Website | loylecarner |
Early life
editBenjamin Gerard Coyle-Larner[2][3] was born on 6 October 1994 in Lambeth, South London.[4][5] He and his younger brother, Ryan, were raised in South Croydon by his mother, Jean, a teacher of children with learning difficulties, and his stepfather, Nik.[6][7] He has had minimal contact with his father, who is of Guyanese descent.[7] Carner is mixed race.[8] His stage name is a spoonerism of his double-barrelled surname as well as a reference to his childhood struggle with his ADHD and dyslexia diagnoses.[9][10][11]
At the age of 13, Carner had a small role in the 2008 film 10,000 BC.[12] He started his secondary education at Whitgift School in South Croydon, having secured a scholarship, and moved on to study at the Brit School, and began studying for an acting degree at the Drama Centre.[8][13] In 2014, he dropped out of the Drama Centre after his stepfather died of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), deciding to focus on his music.[7]
Music career
editCarner played his first official gig at The Button Factory in Dublin, Ireland in October 2012 supporting rapper MF Doom.[14] He released his first extended play in September 2014, titled A Little Late, which was well received by music critics.[7] Loyle Carner supported American rapper Joey Badass on his UK tour and went on to play the 2015 UK festival season, including Glastonbury Festival.[15][16] He played on Huw Stephens' BBC Radio 1 show as part of their Piano Sessions series in October of that year.[17] Carner was included in the BBC's Sound of 2016 list.[18] In August 2016, he supported American rapper Nas in his show at the O2 Academy Bristol.[19] Later in the year, he collaborated with poet Kae Tempest for a performance.[20]
Carner's debut album, entitled Yesterday's Gone, was released on 20 January 2017.[21] It garnered acclaim from music critics,[2][22] with The Independent naming it the album of the year.[23] The album was nominated for the 2017 Mercury Prize, which was won by Sampha for Process.[24] In 2018, he received two respective Brit Award nominations for British Breakthrough Act and British Male Solo Artist.[25] He was scheduled to perform on BBC Radio 1 in February 2018 but cancelled due to a disagreement over cover song choices.[23] Loyle Carner's second album, Not Waving, but Drowning, was released on 19 April 2019.[26] On 30 June, he performed as part of the year's Glastonbury Festival on its Other Stage, marking his second appearance after playing the John Peel Stage the year before.[27] The song "Angel" was listed as part of the FIFA 20 soundtrack playlist.[28] In 2020, Carner and his brother co-directed a music video for the song "Eugene" by Arlo Parks.[29]
Artistry
editCarner employs a "languid" style of rapping.[8] His sound has been described as "confessional hip-hop", "introspective", "jazz-infused", as well as "sensitive and eloquent".[7][15][14] He cites American hip hop and grime music as musical influences.[30][31] He also regards American poet Langston Hughes and British writer Benjamin Zephaniah as inspirations.[31][32]
Personal life
editAs of January 2017, Carner lived in Croydon, South London with his mother and brother.[9] He has one son, born in late 2020.[33] He loves to cook and also runs a cooking school for children with ADHD called Chilli Con Carner.[34][35] He has titled songs after chefs Yotam Ottolenghi and Antonio Carluccio.[13] Carner has nut and sesame allergies.[11] In 2018, he appeared in a film for a project by the charity organisation Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), which aims to prevent male suicide.[36] The following year, he curated an art exhibition and donated its proceeds to CALM.[1]
Carner is a supporter of Liverpool F.C.[37] As a tribute to his stepfather, who idolised Eric Cantona and was a passionate Manchester United F.C. supporter, Carner released a song titled "Cantona".[8] He also named his 2016 tour after Cantona, and has worn his stepfather's Cantona shirt during concerts.[7][38] Carner used samples of songs written and performed by his stepfather alongside Misure La VerT for Yesterday's Gone's hidden title track, which concludes the album.[39]
Discography
editStudio albums
editTitle | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK [40] |
BEL (FL) [41] |
FRA [42] |
GER [43] |
IRE [44] |
NLD [45] |
SWI [46] | |||
Yesterday's Gone |
|
14 | 135 | 171 | 86 | — | — | 69 | |
Not Waving, but Drowning |
|
3 | 31 | 109 | 66 | 26 | 51 | 33 |
|
Hugo |
|
3 | 27 | — | 65 | 13 | 42 | 44 |
|
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Extended plays
edit- A Little Late (2014)[7]
Singles
editAs a lead artist
editTitle | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album |
---|---|---|---|---|
UK [40] | ||||
"Tierney Terrace / Florence"[48] | 2015 | — | Non-album single | |
"Ain't Nothing Changed"[49] | — |
|
Yesterday's Gone | |
"Stars & Shards"[50] | 2016 | — | ||
"No CD"[51] (featuring Rebel Kleff) |
— | |||
"The Isle of Arran"[52] | — | |||
"Ottolenghi"[53] (with Jordan Rakei) |
2018 | 74 |
|
Not Waving, but Drowning |
"You Don't Know"[54] (with Rebel Kleff & Kiko Bun) |
2019 | — | ||
"Loose Ends"[55] (with Jorja Smith) |
62 |
| ||
"Yesterday"[56] | 2020 | — | Non-album singles | |
"Let It Go"[57] (with Erick the Architect & FARR) |
— | |||
"Hate"[58] | 2022 | — | Hugo | |
"Georgetown"[59] (featuring John Agard) |
— | |||
"Nobody Knows (Ladas Road)"[60] | — | |||
"Take It Slow"[61] (with ENNY) |
2023 | — | We Go Again | |
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
As a featured artist
editTitle | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"Nightgowns"[62] (Tom Misch featuring Loyle Carner) |
2015 | Beat Tape 2 |
"When Will I Stop Dreaming"[63] (Cadenza featuring Loyle Carner & Kiko Bun) |
Non-album single | |
"Crazy Dream"[64] (Tom Misch featuring Loyle Carner) |
2016 | Reverie EP |
"Water Baby"[65] (Tom Misch featuring Loyle Carner) |
2018 | Geography |
"Good to Be Home"[66] (Barney Artist featuring Tom Misch, Loyle Carner & Rebel Kleff) |
Non-album single | |
"What Am I to Do?"[67] (Ezra Collective featuring Loyle Carner) |
2019 | You Can't Steal My Joy |
"It’s Ok to Cry"[68] (Kofi Stone featuring Loyle Carner) |
2019 | Nobody Cares Till Everybody Does |
"I Wonder Why"[69] (Joesef featuring Loyle Carner) |
2020 | Does It Make You Feel Good? EP |
"Hocus Pocus"[70] (Unknown T featuring Loyle Carner) |
2024 | Blood Diamond |
Other certified songs
editTitle | Year | Certification | Album |
---|---|---|---|
"Damselfly" (featuring Tom Misch) |
2017 |
|
Yesterday's Gone |
Guest appearances
editTitle | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
---|---|---|---|
"1992"[71] | 2013 | Rejjie Snow | Rejovich — EP |
"Guts"[72] | 2016 | Kae Tempest | Speedy Wunderground – Year 2 |
"Shadows"[73] | 2017 | MANIK MC | Midnight Express — EP |
"Taxin' (Long Version)"[74] | 2019 | DJ Shadow | Our Pathetic Age |
Accolades
editYear | Organisation/Event | Award | Work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017 | Mercury Prize | Album of the Year | Yesterday's Gone | Nominated | [75] |
2018 | NME Awards | Best British Solo Artist supported by VO5 | Himself | Won | [76] |
Best Album supported by Orange Amplification | Yesterday's Gone | Nominated | [77] | ||
Brit Awards | British Breakthrough Act | Himself | [78] | ||
British Male Solo Artist | |||||
2019 | Q Awards | Best Solo Act | [79] | ||
2022 | BBC Radio 1 | Hottest Record of the Year | "Nobody Knows (Ladas Road)" | [80] | |
2023 | Mercury Prize | Album of the Year | Hugo | [81] |
References
edit- ^ a b "The hip-hop artist tackling male suicide". BBC News. 24 April 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
- ^ a b Conrad, Anna (10 December 2018). "Loyle Carner talks Ottolenghi on GQ's first digital cover". British GQ. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
- ^ Lewis, Tim (21 April 2019). "Loyle Carner: 'I was raised by women – they talked about feelings every day'". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ "Loyle Carner: How the London rapper totally owned 2017". NME. 1 December 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ "Loyle Carner will play a free London gig to launch his new album". Evening Standard. 4 April 2019.
- ^ Nayler, Sophie (19 April 2016). "Croydon rapper Loyle Carner – following in the footsteps of Bastille and Clean Bandit at LeeFest". Croydon Guardian. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g Famurewa, Jimi (5 January 2017). "Loyle Carner: It was drilled into me from a young age that music had to have a story". Evening Standard. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
- ^ a b c d Smith, Patrick (7 September 2017). "Loyle Carner interview: the Mercury Award-nominated rapper who dreams about Shakespeare". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ a b Cooper, Leonie (18 January 2017). "Loyle Carner: Why the South London rapper's album may have you in tears". NME. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
- ^ Bassil, Ryan (20 May 2016). "ADHD Isn't My Disorder, It's More Like My Superpower". Noisey. Vice. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
- ^ a b Hind, John (17 November 2018). "Loyle Carner: 'I grew up with ADHD, and for me cooking is close to meditation'". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
- ^ "How you already knew Saturday's stellar lineup from film and TV". BBC Music. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ a b Brown, Helen (13 April 2019). "Loyle Carner interview: 'I'd rather have a real life than lots of girls and drugs'". The Independent. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ a b "Loyle Carner Interviewed: 'Grime Changed my Life'". NME. 7 January 2015. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
- ^ a b Mokoena, Tshepo (3 September 2015). "Loyle Carner shares his family strife to create awkwardly confessional hip-hop". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
- ^ Hillyard, Kim (3 December 2015). "Twenty-year-old Ben Coyle-Larner has been rapping and freestyling since he was ten; re-christened Loyle Carner, he's set to lead a new wave of inventive and self-aware British hip hop forward". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
- ^ "Loyle Carner – Heard 'Em Say (Radio 1 Piano Session, 17 Oct 2015)". BBC Radio 1. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
- ^ Garvan, Sinead (30 November 2015). "Sound Of 2016: All about the music stars you'll be loving in 2016". BBC. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- ^ Murray, Robin (5 October 2017). "Review: Loyle Carner shows why he's so highly regarded at Bristol's O2 Academy". Bristol Post.
- ^ "Personality Clash: [Kae] Tempest x Loyle Carner". Clash. 5 October 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
- ^ Bingham, Jaguar (19 November 2016). "Loyle Carner is dropping his debut album". Mixmag. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- ^ Maher, Amelia (19 April 2019). "Loyle Carner: To Thine Own Self Be True". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
- ^ a b Shepherd, Jack (15 February 2018). "Loyle Carner pulls out of BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge performance". The Independent. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ Cliff, Aimee (14 September 2017). "Sampha Has Won The 2017 Mercury Prize". The Fader. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
- ^ Nerssessian, Joe (13 January 2018). "Loyle Carner celebrates Brit nominations by taking his mother to the football". Irish Independent. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ Hilton, Robin; Madden, Sidney; Thompson, Stephen (19 April 2019). "New Music Friday: Our Top 6 Albums Out April 19". NPR. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ O'Connor, Roisin (30 June 2019). "Loyle Carner wears 'I Hate Boris' T-shirt for Glastonbury performance". The Independent. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ "FIFA 20 Soundtrack, featuring Major Lazer, Diplo, Skepta". EA Sports. 13 September 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ Renshaw, David (12 February 2020). "Arlo Parks battles complicated feelings and a broken bed in her 'Eugene' video". The Fader. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- ^ Renshaw, David (29 May 2018). "Loyle Carner: 'Because I Was Dyslexic, I Was Always Told I Shouldn't Write'". The Fader. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
- ^ a b Weiss, Haley (17 May 2017). "Loyle Carner". Interview. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
- ^ Amin, Ruhi Parman (1 April 2019). "Loyle Carner on food, fame and rewriting the rhetoric of rap". INDIE Magazine. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
- ^ Mistlin, Alex (19 July 2022). "Loyle Carner: 'There's a whole other side to me that's darker'". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
- ^ Garvan, Sinead (26 August 2018). "Meet rapper Loyle Carner, who helps teenagers with ADHD through cookery classes". BBC Online. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ Cumming, Ed (21 August 2016). "Rapper's delight: how musician Loyle Carner is teaching kids to cook". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ Day, Laurence (12 March 2018). "Loyle Carner stars in new film for CALM's Best Man Project". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
- ^ Barrie, Thomas (20 June 2020). "Liverpool fan Loyle Carner on the title run-in: 'Until it happens, I can't think about celebrating'". British GQ. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ Egere-Cooper, Matilda (20 February 2017). "Loyle Carner, review: Charming hero of hip hop lets his music do the talking". Evening Standard.
- ^ Petridis, Alexis (19 January 2017). "Loyle Carner: Yesterday's Gone review – melancholy vignettes for rainy afternoons". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ a b Peak positions in the United Kingdom:
- For all except where noted: "LOYLE CARNER – Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
- For "Ottolenghi": "LOYLE CARNER & JORDAN RAKEI – Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
- ^ "Discografie Loyle Carner". ultratop.be. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
- ^ "Discographie Loyle Carner". lescharts.com. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
- ^ "Discographie von Loyle Carner". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
- ^ "Discography Loyle Carner". irish-charts.com. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
- ^ "Discografie Loyle Carner". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 29 October 2022.
- ^ "Discographie Loyle Carner". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g "British certifications – Loyle Carner". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 31 May 2024. Type Loyle Carner in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ^ "Tierney Terrace / Florence – Single by Loyle Carner". iTunes. 14 August 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
- ^ "Ain't Nothing Changed by Loyle Carner". Spotify. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ Cliff, Aimee (26 April 2016). "Loyle Carner: 'Because I Was Dyslexic, I Was Always Told I Shouldn't Write'". The Fader. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ^ "Loyle Carner tackles that OCD with 'No CD'". Nation of Billions. 18 August 2016. Archived from the original on 1 March 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ^ Hunt, El (30 November 2016). "Loyle Carner celebrates young dads with 'The Isle of Arran'". DIY. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ^ "Ottolenghi by Loyle Carner & Jordan Rakei". iTunes. 11 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
- ^ "You Don't Know – Single by Loyle Carner". iTunes. 16 January 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
- ^ "Loose Ends – Single by Loyle Carner & Jorja Smith". iTunes. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
- ^ "Yesterday – Single by Loyle Carner". Apple Music. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ Kenneally, Cerys (7 December 2020). "Flatbush Zombies' Erick the Architect links with Loyle Carner and FARR for new single 'Let It Go'". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on 7 December 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- ^ "Hate – Single by Loyle Carner". Apple Music. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
- ^ "Georgetown (feat. John Agard) – Single by Loyle Carner". Apple Music. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
- ^ "Loyle Carner releases new single 'Nobody Knows (Ladas Road'". DIY. 14 September 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
- ^ "Take It Slow - Single by ENNY, Loyle Carner". Apple Music. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
- ^ "Nightgowns / Tom Misch". Tidal. 21 August 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ^ "When Will I Stop Dreaming (feat. Loyle Carner & Kiko Bun) – Single by Cadenza". iTunes (UK). 30 March 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ^ "Crazy Dream (feat. Loyle Carner) – Single by Tom Misch". iTunes (UK). 8 June 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
- ^ "Water Baby / Tom Misch". Tidal. 22 January 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ^ "Good to Be Home (feat. Tom Misch, Loyle Carner & Rebel Kleff) – Single by Barney Artist". iTunes (UK). 3 October 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ^ "Ezra Collective have teamed up with Loyle Carner for their new single, 'What Am I To Do?'". Dork. 3 April 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
- ^ "It's Ok to Cry". Spotify. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- ^ Kenneally, Cerys (17 July 2020). "Joesef and Loyle Carner join forces for new track 'I Wonder Why'". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ "Unknown T delivers magic with "Hocus Pocus" visuals". GRM Daily. 11 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
- ^ "Rejovich – EP by Rejjie Snow". iTunes (UK). 24 June 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ^ "Speedy Wunderground – Year 2 by Various Artists". iTunes (UK). 17 June 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ^ "Midnight Express – EP by MANIK MC". iTunes (UK). 15 September 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ^ "Taxin' (Long Version)". Genius. 17 November 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
- ^ "Mercury Prize 2017 shortlist". The Independent. 13 September 2017.
- ^ "Winners – NME Awards 2018". NME. 14 February 2018.
- ^ "Nominees – NME Awards 2018". NME. 17 January 2018.
- ^ "Nominees – Brits 2018". BBC News. 13 January 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ Embley, Jochan (13 September 2019). "Stormzy, Dave and Little Simz among Londoners nominated for 2019 Q Awards". Evening Standard. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
- ^ "Radio 1's Hottest Record of the Year 2022 - Vote for your favourite!". BBC Radio 1. 28 November 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
- ^ Savage, Mark (27 July 2023). "Mercury Prize 2023: Arctic Monkeys, Jessie Ware and Fred Again lead shortlist". BBC. Retrieved 27 July 2023.