A. K. Paul | |
|---|---|
| Born | Anup Kumar Paul 1986 (age 39–40) |
| Origin | Rayners Lane, London, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupations | Singer, songwriter, record producer, instrumentalist, bass player, recording engineer |
| Instruments | Bass, synthesizer, guitar |
| Years active | 2011-present |
| Labels | Paul Institute |
Anup Kumar Paul (born 1986) is an English singer, songwriter and producer from London. Paul came to prominence in 2011 as a contributor to his brother Jai Paul's debut single "BTSTU (Edit)".[1] The following year, he co-wrote the demo of Jai's single "Jasmine", as well as Big Boi's song "Higher Res".[2]
Paul is the recipient of two Ivor Novello Awards, which he received in 2013 for his work on Emeli Sandé's single "Next to Me".[3][4][5][6] A. K, Jai and Muz Azar then launched the Paul Institute, a record label and musical incubator; its first release was Paul's 2016 debut single, "Landcruisin'". In 2023, Paul performed live as a part of Jai's debut performances at Coachella and subsequent tour.[7][8][9][10][11]
Early life
A. K. Paul grew up in Rayners Lane, London, with his younger brother Jai Paul, also an acclaimed producer and songwriter. He is credited as a collaborator on Jai's early singles, and said that when Jai initially sent "BTSTU" to him, it "changed the way" he thought about music.[12][13]
Career
A. K. Paul was first credited as a co-writer on his brother Jai's debut and second single, which were released in 2011 and 2012. A. K. has worked with numerous artists as a musician, songwriter and producer. These include Nao, Sam Smith, Miguel, Foals, Big Boi, HIRA, Maverick Sabre, Jessie Ware, JONES, Daniel Avery, Wesley Joseph, Reinen, Ruthven and Emeli Sandé.[14] Paul is a multi-instrumentalist and has often contributed bass parts to tracks, alongside production and songwriting credits. One of A. K.'s collaborators, NAO, said of the Paul brothers: "They've been sonic pioneers and broken all the rules about how you write, arrange and mix, but not at the expense of musicality. I think most artists working within alternative funk, R&B or indie music have tried to work out how they do it, but it's not anything you can recreate."[15]
2010s
Paul is credited as providing additional vocals and sound design on Jai Paul's demo recording "BTSTU", as well as mastering the track.[16] The demo received widespread blog coverage throughout 2010, leading to significant UK national radio play. In 2011, Jai Paul's record label XL Recordings gave the demo an official release as "BTSTU (Edit)" to favourable reviews. He provided bass guitar and sound design for Jai Paul's 2012 release, "Jasmine (demo)", and also mastered the track, as with Jai Paul's debut release.[17] "Jasmine (demo)" received critical acclaim in the media, with Pitchfork featuring the song as a "Best New Track"[18] within an hour of its appearance on SoundCloud, The New York Times praising its "Prince era sensuality"[19] and The Guardian describing the production as "amazing".[20] The song appears on the soundtrack to the 2013 video game, Grand Theft Auto V.
Paul collaborated with Hackney vocalist Nao on a song called "So Good" in 2014. This was the first time Paul applied the moniker A. K. Paul.[21] That November, singer Jones collaborated with A. K. on a song called "You".[22] In 2015, A. K. provided production on Miguel's album Wildheart for the song "Flesh".[23] He also co-wrote three songs on Maverick Sabre's second studio album Innerstanding.
In March 2016, A. K., Jai Paul and Muz Azar announced the Paul Institute, a record label and musical incubator.[24] This was accompanied by the release of the single "Landcruisin'", a song by A. K. Paul, via text messages and a website.[25] "Landcruisin'" was the Paul Institute's first release. The song premiered on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 radio show before receiving digital, streaming, and 7-inch vinyl releases. Most music critics gave the song favorable reviews, comparing it to the works of Prince, D'Angelo, and Miguel. It managed to enter the Billboard Twitter Emerging Artists chart. James Vincent McMorrow reached out to A. K. Paul after listening to "Landcruisin'", calling it "a huge record".[26] James asked Anup to put his own twist on the lead single from We Move, "Rising Water". The result was something extraordinary, James wrote in a statement to Complex. "He said to me after it was done that he's never done something like this before, lifted an entire vocal from an already written and produced song and then flipped the chord structure and premise of the song."[27]
Paul collaborated with Guernsey born DJ Mura Masa with the track "Who Is It Gonna B" on Mura Masa's debut album.[28] A. K. Paul also reached out to British R&B artist HIRA - working on production on the single "Eve" alongside Craze and Hoax.[29] 2017 also saw the introduction of a new A. K. Paul demo track entitled "Be Honest" which was aired on an Apple Beats 1 broadcast of a live Mura Masa performance and DJ set.
2020s
After a period of inactivity attributed to a legal fight, Paul released the final version of "Be Honest" in July 2020.[30] He also worked on releases of Paul Institute artists Reinen and Ruthven, and appeared on two tracks from the album Friday Forever by Everything is Recorded, the musical project from XL Recordings label head, Richard Russell: "05:10 AM / Dream I Never Had", and "10:02 AM / Burnt Toast".
A.K. uploaded a single on SoundCloud called "Cheers Mate" on 12 April 2021, which included a note that said: "additional voices from Reinen, K. Ustinov and 'Ohhh... yeah!' vox was recorded circa 1990, my dad on production."[31]
He was credited as a producer (and additional producer) on four tracks from English rock band Foals' seventh album Life Is Yours, which released on 17 June 2022, via Warner/Transgressive/ADA.[32] A.K. co-produced the track "Monsoon" on British artist Wesley Joseph's album GLOW, and was also featured in its music video.[33][34] Paul Institute member Ruthven released his debut album Rough & Ready on 25 October 2025, for which Paul contributed writing and production for most songs.[35]
Paul released a single "Watchin' U" on 22 May 2025, which had previously been teased in another Mura Masa Beats 1 Radio show in 2016.[36] He co-wrote and co-produced the song "Ghostly" for another Transgressive Records artist, Miso Extra, which was released 19 February 2025.[37]
Discography
| Song | Artist | Credit | Album | Release Date | UK Singles Chart | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "BTSTU" | Jai Paul | Writing/Production/Background Vocals | Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones) | April 2011 | - | - |
| "Jasmine" | Jai Paul | Writing/Production | Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones) | March 2012 | - | - |
| "Higher Res" | Big Boi | Bass/Recording | Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors | December 2012 | - | - |
| "Next To Me" | Emeli Sandé | Co-writing/Bass | Our Version of Events | February 2012 | 2 | Platinum |
| Jessie Ware | Guitars/Bass | Devotion | April 2013 | 105 | ||
| "Nirvana" | Sam Smith | Writing | Nirvana (EP) | January 2014 | - | - |
| "So Good" | Nao | Writing/Production/Vocals | So Good E.P. | December 2014 | - | - |
| "You" | JONES | Writing/Production | Indulge (EP) | June 2015 | - | - |
| "FLESH" | Miguel | Writing/Production | Wildheart | June 2015 | - | - |
| "Give It Up", "So Free" and "Mother" | Maverick Sabre | Writing | Innerstanding | October 2015 | - | - |
| "Landcruisin'" | A.K. Paul | Writing/Production/Mixing/Mastering | Landcruisin' | March 2016 | - | - |
| "Trophy" | Nao | Writing/Production/Vocals | For All We Know | July 2016 | - | - |
| "Rising Water (A. K. Paul Remix)" | James Vincent McMorrow | Production/Additional Vocals | We Move | 29 September 2016 | - | - |
| "Eve" | HIRA | Production | Eve/Rarri | 12 May 2017 | - | - |
| "Who Is It Gonna B" | Mura Masa | Writing/Vocals | Mura Masa | 14 July 2017 | - | - |
| "Evil" | Ruthven | Production | Evil | 16 November 2017 | - | - |
| "Mystery" | Fabiana Palladino | Production | Mystery | 16 November 2017 | - | - |
| "Hypothalamus" | Ruthven | Production | Hypothalamus | 25 July 2018 | - | - |
| "Shimmer" | Fabiana Palladino | Production | Shimmer | 25 July 2018 | - | - |
| "Be Honest" | A.K. Paul | Writing/Production/Mixing/Mastering/Vocals | Paul Institute - Summer 2020 | 28 July 2020 | - | - |
| "Shadow Knight" | Reinen | Writing/Production | Paul Institute - Summer 2020 | 29 July 2020 | - | - |
| "Have You Decided?" | Ruthven | Writing/Production/Mixing/Mastering | Paul Institute - Summer 2020 | 30 July 2020 | - | - |
| "Cheers Mate" | A.K. Paul | Writing/Production/Mixing/Mastering/Vocals | SoundCloud release | 12 April 2021 | - | - |
| "Wake Me Up", "2001", "Summer Sky" and "Looking High" | Foals | Production | Life Is Yours | 17 June 2022 | - | - |
| "Monsoon" | Wesley Joseph | Production | Secretly Canadian/EEVILTWINN | 20 April 2023 | - | - |
| "Ghostly" | Miso Extra | Writing/Production | Earcandy | 19 February 2025 | - | - |
| "Watchin' U" | A.K. Paul | Writing/Production/Mixing/Mastering/Vocals | - | 22 May 2025 | - | - |
| "We Get What We Deserve" | A.K. Paul | Writing/Production/Mixing/Mastering/Vocals | - | 5 November 2025 | - | - |
References
- ^ "Various - XL Recordings Sampler 2011". Discogs. 9 August 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
- ^ Big Boi - Vicious Lies And Dangerous Rumors, retrieved 3 May 2023
- ^ "Ivor Novellos 2013: Winners in full". Digital Spy. 16 May 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ "Emeli Sandé's unstoppable rise compounded by two Ivor Novello awards". The Independent. 17 May 2013. Archived from the original on 11 July 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
- ^ "Anup Paul | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
- ^ "Archive | The Ivors | The Ivors Academy | Champions of Music Creators". The Ivors Academy. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
- ^ "12 years after his first single, Jai Paul plays his first hometown show". Crack Magazine. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
- ^ Dazed (3 August 2018). "Meet the artists of the Paul Institute". Dazed. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ © 2016 Paul Institute, SoundCloud of A.K. Paul. Retrieved on 27 July 2016.
- ^ Staff, BrooklynVegan (27 April 2023). "Jai Paul played his first headline shows ever at Knockdown Center & Brooklyn Steel (pics, setlist, video)". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ "Jai Paul performs first-ever live show at Coachella 2023". DJMag.com. 17 April 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ A.K., Paul. "14 years ago my brother sent me a demo that changed the way I thought about music. I was studying music at uni at the time.. But there were and still are so many lessons in BTSTU". Instagram.
- ^ "Jai Paul's Brother Is Producing For This Promising New London Singer". The FADER. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
- ^ "A.K. Paul". Discogs. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ Dazed (12 September 2017). "How Jai Paul changed the sound of pop with just two songs". Dazed. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ "Jai Paul - BTSTU". YouTube. 21 April 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
- ^ Jai Paul (3 April 2012), Jai Paul - Jasmine (Demo), retrieved 6 August 2017
- ^ "Jai Paul: "Jasmine"". Pitchfork. 30 March 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
- ^ "New Releases". The New York Times. 13 April 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
- ^ "New Music: Jai Paul – Jasmine (demo)". The Guardian. 13 April 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
- ^ "Listen: Nao vs. A. K. Paul - So Good". ClashMusic.com. 24 June 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ^ "A.K. Paul & Jones x "You"". ProductOfSociety.org. 18 November 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ^ "Miguel - Flesh (Produced by AK Paul)". DetailsofmyLife.net. 13 July 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ^ Gordon, Jeremy (21 March 2016). "Jai Paul and Brother A.K. Paul Launch New Project Paul Institute". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
- ^ Bowe, Miles (24 March 2016). "A. K. Paul reveals first Paul Institute release: 'Landcruisin''". Fact Magazine. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ "Premiere: James Vincent McMorrow Teams Up With AK Paul To Remix "Rising Water"". Complex. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ "Premiere: James Vincent McMorrow Teams Up With AK Paul To Remix "Rising Water"". Complex.com. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
- ^ "Mura Masa's Album Will Be a Plethora of Delights, Including AK Paul, Bonzai and A$AP Rocky". Vice.com. 26 April 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
- ^ "Eve by HIRA | HIRA | Free Listening on SoundCloud". Archived from the original on 19 December 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
- ^ "Listen to A.K. Paul's new song "Be Honest"". Thefader.com. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
- ^ Cheers Mate, retrieved 3 May 2023
- ^ "Foals detail new album Life Is Yours". Consequence. 1 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
- ^ Wesley Joseph - MONSOON (Official Video), 17 November 2022, retrieved 16 May 2023
- ^ Wesley Joseph - Glow, 20 April 2023, retrieved 16 May 2023
- ^ Bloom, Madison (22 August 2024). "Ruthven Announces Debut Album Rough & Ready, Shares Video for New Song". Pitchfork. Conde Nast. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
- ^ ">"New A. K. Paul - Watchin' U". Crack in the Road. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
- ^ ""Ghostly" by Miso Extra". ASCAP ACE Repertory. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
