Jacob Banks: The Pain, The Voice, The Truth - His Most Honest Interview Yet
From On the Record with Poppy Reid by Curious Media
December 9, 2025 · 56 min · Season 1 · Episode 11
About this episode
Jacob Banks discusses his debut album 'Village' and the personal experiences that shaped his music.
Jacob Banks makes music that feels ancient and futuristic all at once. His baritone carries the weight of gospel fire, while his production moves between West African rhythms, UK garage, blues grit, and cinematic soul. Born in Nigeria, raised in the UK, andoriginally trained as a civil engineer, Jacob didn’t pursue music seriously until 21 — but every chapter of his life has shaped the artist he is today. In this episode, we will visit Village , the 2018 debut album that explored identity, survival, heartbreak, and belonging. A record that has now crossed 300M+ streams world wide, Village marked Jacob’s rise from early SoundCloud uploads tosold-out international tours, FIFA soundtracks, major sync placements in Lucifer , Suits , and Netflix dramas, and a reputation as one of the most distinctive storytellers of his generation. Across two albums, an EP, and a three-part anthology, Jacob has continued reinventing his sound — but today, we go deep into the creation of Village : the emotional palette,the risks he took, the stories behind the songs, and why the album still resonates seven years later. ------------ Follow Poppy : Instagram.com/itspoppyreid/ Follow Jacob Banks…
People in this episode
Guest: Jacob Banks
Topics covered
- music
- identity
- survival
- heartbreak
- belonging
Keywords
- gospel
- West African rhythms
- UK garage
- blues
- cinematic soul
Mentioned in this episode
Products: Village
Books & works: The Pain, The Voice, The Truth, Village, Lucifer, Suits
Places: UK, Nigeria
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