When I was seven years old: I’d come in here without thinking I need to do this, or I hope to gain something from this, it was just to be the music that you’re playing.
Jacob Collier
To Be the Music
Topic: Creativity, Culture, & the Arts
One thing about this last year is that I had the feeling of making music without there being a point to making it. That’s what drew me in in the first place, when I was seven years old: I’d come in here without thinking I need to do this, or I hope to gain something from this, it was just to be the music that you’re playing.
Jacob Collier, born Jacob Moriarty on August 2, 1994, in London, England, was raised in a musically gifted family. His mother, Suzie Collier, is a violinist and educator at the Royal Academy of Music's Junior Academy, and his maternal grandfather, Derek Collier, was a noted violinist. From an early age, Collier was immersed in classical and choral music, performing in operas such as Mozart’s The Magic Flute and Britten’s The Turn of the Screw. These early experiences shaped his harmonic understanding. He attended Mill Hill County High School, then the Purcell School for Young Musicians, and briefly studied jazz piano at the Royal Academy of Music. His multicultural heritage, including Chinese ancestry through his maternal grandmother, reflects a background of musical and cultural diversity.
Collier gained international attention through YouTube videos beginning in 2011, with multi-instrumental arrangements like Stevie Wonder’s “Don’t You Worry ’bout a Thing.” These works showcased his approach to harmony and rhythm, drawing the attention of producer Quincy Jones. In 2016, he released his debut album, In My Room, recorded entirely in his family home. His solo performances incorporated looping stations and real-time harmonization tools developed with the MIT Media Lab. Collier's skill as an arranger was recognized with Grammy Awards for pieces such as “You and I” and “Flintstones,” starting a streak of awards across each of his first five albums.
In 2018, Collier launched the Djesse series, a four-volume, 50-song project exploring a wide range of musical styles, with contributions from artists and ensembles around the world. Each volume reflects a distinct musical approach, culminating in the release of Djesse Vol. 4 in 2024. Throughout, Collier has emphasized the importance of exploration and the creative process, both in interviews and live performances. His work blends jazz, classical, R&B, and experimental elements, offering both technical range and an openness to collaboration that continues to influence many younger musicians.
Holmes, Dave. “Jacob Collier Is Discovering the World Outside His Music Room.” Esquire, 10 Mar. 2021, https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/music/a35786467/jacob-collier-grammys-2021-interview/.
Jacob Collier
Theme: The Musical Arts
About This Jacob Collier Quotation [Commentary]
Jacob Collier recalls that at seven years old, he would sit down to play music “without thinking I need to do this, or I hope to gain something from this.” He describes simply entering the space “just to be the music that you’re playing.” This return to origin—where making music has no fixed point or outcome—reveals something essential about creativity. It begins not with ambition, but with presence. In remembering this early impulse, Collier points to a kind of expression rooted in freedom rather than expectation.
His reflection touches on a core value within the musical arts: the act of creating for its own sake. Collier shares that during the past year, he rediscovered what first drew him to music—making it “without there being a point.” This way of working does not reject discipline or skill but centers attention on the act itself. When music is played with no agenda, it becomes a space of listening and response. Collier’s openness to exploration reflects a relationship with music that is curious rather than directed.
Seen through this lens, Collier’s wide-ranging collaborations and genre-crossing compositions do not appear as calculated steps, but as an extension of his early practice: engaging with sound for the joy of discovery. He often describes creative choices in terms of paths not yet walked, saying he’ll take the one he doesn’t know “today.” This willingness to follow what feels real in the moment—without needing to gain something—remains a steady thread in his work.
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