Jamie xx

Career

Jamie Smith, better known as Jamie xx, was born in London on October 28, 1988. He started his music career in 2006 by joining the band the xx, playing alongside former classmates from the Elliott School in London: Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim, and Baria Qureshi. The school is also known for producing acts like Hot Chip, Burial, and Four Tet. For his 18th birthday, Smith received an MPC sampler, which he put to use in the band.

He joined the xx a year after the group first formed. The stage name Jamie xx debuted in July 2009 on a promotional mix for the band's debut album, xx, which was part of the FACT magazine mix series.

Smith compiled that mixtape, which included four tracks under the Jamie xx name: one original production and three remixes. The xx album later achieved platinum status in the UK. Following this, Smith created remixes for artists such as Florence + The Machine, Adele, Jack Peñate, and Glasser.

2010–present

In late 2010, a Jamie xx remix of "NY Is Killing Me," a track from Gil Scott-Heron's final album I'm New Here, began playing on radio stations across the UK and Europe. Another remix, "I'll Take Care of U," followed in January 2011. Both singles attracted attention from the public and critics, paving the way for a full remix album, We're New Here. This 13-track project was entirely produced by Jamie xx and credited to both Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx.

It was released on February 21, 2011, through XL Recordings, with a full preview available on The Guardian's website as early as February 14. The album received critical praise, with BBC's Ele Beattie calling it "a cohesive, considered masterpiece in its own right." On June 6, 2011, Smith released the self-produced double A-side single "Far Nearer / Beat For." Pitchfork selected "Far Nearer" as Best New Track, and the single reached number 128 on the UK Singles Chart.

Later that year, Smith produced the title track for Drake's second album, Take Care, which featured Rihanna. He also contributed several reworks of Radiohead's song "Bloom" for the remix album TKOL RMX 1234567, and co-produced the track "When It's All Over" with Alicia Keys for her album Girl on Fire. In 2014, Smith announced a planned collaboration with John Talabot on Tim Sweeney's Beats in Space radio show. That same year, he released the singles "Girl/Sleep Sound" and "All Under One Roof Raving."

Personal life

Jamie xx has said his love for dance music came from his two uncles, both DJs. His mother was a fan of Stax Records, and his father played drums in a folk-rock band during the 1970s. Over the years, he has backed various charitable causes, often by playing fundraising shows. In 2016, he was the headliner for a benefit put on by One for the Boys, a male cancer charity co-founded by Sofia David and Samuel L. Jackson.

In 2019, he performed a charity gig at The Cause to support the mental health charities Mind in Haringey and CALM. In January 2025, he did a special matinee concert at The Shrine Expo Hall to raise money for California wildfire relief. The proceeds went to ClientEarth, the California Fire Foundation, and Extreme Weather Survivors. In September 2025, he played at the Together for Palestine benefit concert at Wembley Arena, which was organized by Brian Eno.

Jamie xx opened the show with a back-to-back set alongside Samaʼ Abdulhadi, a Palestinian techno DJ. The event sold out and reportedly raised more than £1.4 million, not counting money raised after it ended. The funds were given to Palestinian-led groups providing frontline aid: Taawon, the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, and the Palestinian Medical Relief Society.