Reuben James

In the organizer's words:

Reuben James

Presented by Emerged Agency
02.11.2025 Cologne, Yuca
Admission: 19:00 | Start: 20:00

Reuben James, the genre-busting pianist, singer-songwriter and composer, announces the release of his third album Big People Music, out May 16, 2025 via his label Rufio Records. Following the acclaimed release of his soul album Champagne Kisses (2023), Reuben presents an ambitious work that spans the world of vibrant funk, jazz improvisation, classic soul and pop songwriting, featuring international talent such as Jamie Cullum, Jungle, Honne, Emeli Sandé, Joe Armon-Jones, Theo Croker, Keyon Harrold, Kofi Stone and more.

Across 16 tracks, Reuben creates a haunting soundscape of intricate and infectious grooves, soaring vocal harmonies and ear-catching melodies - the culmination of his ten years' experience at the forefront of the British jazz, soul and singer-songwriter scene. Tracks like "Own Thing" build on an upbeat, interwoven piano riff to create a slick, funky rhythm and a bouncy, sing-along vocal melody, while "So Lucky" channels Reuben's languorous vocal delivery, to create two edgy, slap-bass-driven minutes of dancefloor focus, and "Feel It Coming" uses sweeping string lines to create a cinematic soundscape for London rapper Jay Prince's scattered verses.

Numbers like "Teach Me," also at home in a downtempo groove, tell of a sultry night of love with a dub-influenced reggae rhythm and a reverberating melody, while "You're Mine" showcases Reuben's keyboard skills and is a piano-heavy masterclass in contemporary R&B.

"Growing up, I heard a lot of songs that were considered 'music for big people' - tunes that you only understand if you've lived a life," says Reuben. "With this album, I wanted to embrace that mature and hypnotic sound for those with refined tastes, but also make sure it was accessible to everyone. It's a mix of Chic and Herbie Hancock for the next generation - all tied together by rich live instrumentation."

Reuben first honed his musical skills on the jazz circuit in his hometown of Birmingham in the mid-noughties, before moving to London where he performed at the iconic Ronnie Scott's. Reuben has firmly established himself as a musician, collaborating with everyone from Stormzy to Disclosure, Liam Payne, Sam Smith, James Bay, Little Mix and Lang Lang to Marcus Mumford on the hit Apple TV+ show Ted Lasso. In his work as a bandleader, Reuben has developed an intuitive and accessible sound that draws on classic funk and soul as well as contemporary pop and R&B. Following the release of his debut EP Slow Down in 2020, he produced the stunning jazz references of the albums Tunnel Vision (2022) and Champagne Kisses (2023), which achieved over 50 million streams on DSPs.

Big People Music is his most expansive and immediate album to date, equally at home on stage as it is on the dancefloor and mainstream radio playlists. Recorded with live instruments alongside producers Ben Jones and Karma Kid at the Limusic writing camp in the South of France, Reuben combines classic songwriting with a fresh harmonic approach. To reflect his range of musical moods and experiences on the album, Reuben has enlisted a star-studded cast of collaborators to help him realize his creative vision. Intellectual Stephen Fry sings Reuben's praises in the intro, while British dancehall legend DJ Big John New Thousand demonstrates his instrumental skills on "Ambulance". The title track features a transatlantic jazz fusion with British Ezra Collective member Joe Armon-Jones and US trumpeter Theo Croker, while British jazz star Jamie Cullum can be heard on the 60s soul references of "Show Me Your Love", the stunning voice of Emeli Sandé graces "You're Mine", Erykah Badu's longtime collaborator Keyon Harrold soars on "Keyon's Reprise", and hometown rap hero Kofi Stone graces "Brum Town" - a tribute to Reuben's Midlands birthplace. Rounding out this remarkable caliber of collaborators are electronic-oriented dancefloor hitmakers Jungle on the doo-wop shuffle of "Shotgun" and dance duo Honne on the laid-back funk groove of "No One Else".

Leading the pack of musical stars on the album is Reuben himself, who gives space to Sandé's powerful vocal runs, interweaves with Armon-Jones' piano phrases and lends harmony to Cullum's melody. His signature ennobles and envelops this set of the hottest names in modern music. "This album is a kind of coming of age for me," says Reuben. "I'm making the music I've always dreamed of - timeless tracks for the big people!"

Independently released on his own Rufio imprint, Big People Music is ultimately a testament to the rise of Reuben James - the darling of the artist who makes music for everyone.