presented by CUTE CONCERTS Jordan Rakei is feeling more free than ever before. A decade since the release of his debut album Cloak, the New Zealand-born and British-based singer-songwriter is entering a new chapter of unfettered creativity. Channeling the liberating bedroom beat-making mentality of his teenage years, he brings listeners his most expansive and vulnerable album yet, A Safe Place To Be Wild. “I’ve been creating with no rules, just exploring and leaning into the uncomfortable side of the unknown,” he says. “This record is unfiltered and it expresses all of me. I’m always pushing myself as an artist and now it’s birthed a new phase that’s borderline unhinged.”A self-confessed “accommodating people pleaser,” Rakei embodies a new energy on A Safe Place To Be Wild. “There’s songs on here written from these perspectives of being badass and uncompromising, or alternatively very silly. These are all parts of me that the public never sees,” he says. “Since every album I write has a new sound and outlook, it only felt natural to go deeper with this one, even though it can feel a little scary being so open to the world.”Over the past 10 years, multi-instrumentalist and producer Rakei has built a loyal global fanbase thanks to his distinctively searching musical voice. Across six albums he has delved into everything from neo-soul warmth to jazz-influenced improvisation, earworming pop melodics, sweeping orchestral arrangements and storytelling songwriting. Collaborating with the likes of South London rapper Loyle Carner, singer-songwriter Tom Misch and producer Bonobo, Rakei has been nominated for Best Album at the 2025 Ivor Novello Awards following the release of his acclaimed fifth record, The Loop, as well as receiving a nomination for an AIR Award and the Australian Music Prize. Onstage, meanwhile, his joyous and masterfully-arranged live shows have had crowds bouncing everywhere from Glastonbury to two sold-out performances at th