Jacob Collier | Berklee Commencement Address 2026

Jacob Collier delivers Berklee's 2026 commencement address. Learn more: https://www.berklee.edu/berklee-now/n... Beloved by audiences, musicians, and critics the world over, and heralded as one of the most groundbreaking artists of the 21st century, Jacob Collier has taken the music industry by storm as a singer-songwriter, producer, arranger, multi-instrumentalist, and world builder. With unquestionable depth and imaginative range, he plays, writes, and communicates with a human warmth, openness, and inclusivity that melt hearts, expand minds, and inspire millions. Collier’s radically joyous and genre-bridging discography has led to seven Grammy wins and 16 nominations, making him the first British artist in history to win at least one Grammy for each of his first five studio albums. His fearless approach to music has attracted more than 100 collaborators, including Coldplay, SZA, Shawn Mendes, John Mayer, Stormzy, Kirk Franklin, Tori Kelly, Anoushka Shankar, Quincy Jones, Oumou Sangaré, Hans Zimmer, and Joni Mitchell. Collier’s latest album, The Light for Days, finds him at his most present and immediate, centered on a single instrument: the guitar. Recorded and produced in four days, the album reflects a core pillar of Collier’s artistry, offering a sonic counterpart to the moments in his live shows when everything falls away to just him and the music he loves. Whether writing songs in keys that do not exist, breaking track-count limits in DAWs, or bringing 100,000 people together in improvised song, he continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible, with a mission to unite and inspire people across every continent in a language beyond words. All the while, he is brewing his next adventure.