With over 70 million streams to date, Blakey has built a quietly formidable profile as a songwriter and vocalist. Now, he turns a corner. Ta Ta Ta is his most electronic release to date – a subtle, synth-driven cut with a catchy-as-hell hook that retains the emotional pull of his earlier work while drawing more directly from the UK’s electronic undercurrent.
Leaning into minimal rhythm and soft-focus texture, the track sits between the booth and the bedroom – part club pressure, part late-night introspection. The voice remains central, but it’s more tightly woven into the production now, surrounded by flickering synth lines and sharp percussive edits. There’s clarity, but also restraint – the kind that rewards repeated listens.
The hook on Ta Ta Ta lands with quiet precision – a looping vocal phrase that lodges itself without forcing it. Blakey’s delivery is sharp but unfussy, letting repetition and phrasing do the work. It’s the kind of earworm that sneaks up slowly, all the more effective for its restraint.
You’ve spoken about Ta Ta Ta as a shift towards more electronic textures. What drew you in that direction, and how conscious was the move away from more traditional songwriting structures?
I am just changing. It’s okay to change right. I just listen to so much electronic music and love the scene and the culture and met most my friends in it. It was strange how I wasn’t actually making it actually. So when I tried with Ta Ta Ta it just came out pretty naturally and quickly. The extended mix is coming out soon and that will show more as well I feel the single release was just super short and concise. In terms of structure it just kinda came out that way – tried adding other bits like a verse and stuff and realised it actually all about that hook. The short middle 8 bit is a nice counter but it really all is about that riff.
The track feels minimal but emotionally loaded – there’s tension in the space between beats and the way your vocal sits in the mix. How did you approach the production differently this time compared to your earlier releases?
Yeah I mean I wrote the melody first and the vocal and then the rest of the track around that. so in that sense still quite traditional…its like when you use a bezel affect on a font – thats how I feel the music is before the lyrics and vocals. I think that tension might come from the repeated held note syncopated thing that you often get in that afro house thing. Like it’s going somewhere but never quite know where it’s going to end up. Production wise I spent more time on the percussive elements and love that log bass sample which is used in a lot of Ama sounds. This was the first tune I’ve done in Ableton which is a massive game changer – I was a logic kid before. But I think the refreshing way to be creative in Ableton maybe made this happen like this – I probably couldn’t have written this in Logic.
You’ve built a sizeable audience off the back of intimate, melodic songwriting. Was there any hesitation in evolving your sound, or did it feel like a natural next step?
Very natural, I was sick to the back teeth with my old stuff. Felt dreary to me and winey – I appreciate lots of people like that stuff and one day I will like it again – but I need a break from it and this is just so much more fun making dance music!
Growing up in Hackney, how much have your surroundings shaped the tone and rhythm of your music – especially in terms of electronic influence?
I have been in hackney for 15 years and yeah I mean I spend so much of my time going to nights and engaging in the London music culture. After parties, club nights, festivals or even just around mates listening to music. I suppose all that has played into it. I have always felt a bit of an outsider in hackney though. But strangely I think ta ta ta might fit in much more.
There’s something club-adjacent about Ta Ta Ta, but it still feels built for headphones as much as a system. Were you aiming for that in-between space from the outset, or did it emerge during the process?
Emerged during the process. I did spend a lot of time working on the low end and bass sounding fat – it will sound sick in clubs – tbh I’m still waiting for the first DJ to give it a spin. One of my biggest wishes is for it to be spun on a sick sound system and watching everyone dance their hearts out to it. I can’t wait.
You’ve had tracks land on everything from Love Island to Ginny & Georgia, and you’ve seen serious streaming traction. How do you balance that kind of commercial visibility with the need to stay creatively grounded?
You get to a point where you literally don’t give a fuck or second guess yourself. I always used to. Now I just roll with what feels good to me. If I grin a bunch whilst I’m making it then I know it’s good. It’s literally that simple. But that might come off the back of years of trial and error – I think those days are over and I instinctually know what I want to do.
You’ve got a strong visual and sonic identity, but you’ve also straddled quite a few genres. Do you see yourself increasingly stepping into the role of producer, or will songwriting always be the centre of what you dot
This is a great question. yeah potentially more producer. Definitely less singer. I want to work with other singers, rappers artists etc. I want that to be the end goal for this.
With Ta Ta Ta marking a clear stylistic pivot, how are you thinking about the next phase? Is this a one-off exploration, or the beginning of a longer arc into electronic territory?
Defo the beginning on a longer arc into this world. 1000pc. I honestly feel like a new person. I love it.
Blakey – Ta Ta Ta is out now