Devonté Hynes—also known under the moniker Blood Orange—will serve as a spring semester artist-in-residence at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU Tisch School of the Arts
Devonté Hynes—also known under the moniker Blood Orange—will serve as a spring semester artist-in-residence at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, kicking off his residency with a freewheeling conversation and Q&A exploring his artistry, vision, and music-making philosophies on Monday, February 22 at 9:00 p.m. ET. This online event will be moderated by Chair of the Clive Davis Institute, Jason King, and is free and open to the public.
Hynes will work with students in myriad ways this spring semester, including hosting conversation events and workshops breaking down soundtracks and compositions—drawing on his work scoring the HBO series We Are Who We Are, Queen and Slim, and other film and television projects—and will participate in an event in collaboration with Pop Conference 2021 and the Clive Davis Institute in April.
“I’m excited to meet students, witness their creative process, and see how I can be of assistance to them. It’s going to be as much of a learning experience for me as it is for them and I’m really looking forward to it,” said Hynes.
Hynes brings enormous experience and artistic vision to his residency at The Clive Davis Institute, which marks his first time mentoring students at a university. Raised in England by Guyanese and Sierra Leonean immigrant parents, Dev Hynes started out as a teenage punk in the UK band Test Icicles before releasing two orchestral acoustic pop records as Lightspeed Champion. In 2011, he released Coastal Grooves, the first so far of five solo albums under the moniker Blood Orange. His 2016 album, Freetown Sound, was released to critical acclaim, and saw Hynes defined as one of the foremost musical voices of his time, receiving comparisons to the likes of Kendrick Lamar and D’Angelo for his own searing and soothing personal document of life as a black man in America. His 2018 album, Negro Swan, was released to equally rapturous response, exploring elements of black depression and identity. His most recent release, the 2019 mixtape Angel's Pulse, described by Hynes as an epilogue to Negro Swan, further explores and builds upon those themes. He has collaborated with Solange Knowles, FKA twigs, A$AP Rocky, Puff Daddy, Mariah Carey Janet Mock, and many more, and was recently one of four artists invited to the Kennedy Center to perform alongside Philip Glass. In addition to his production work, Hynes scored Palo Alto, directed by Gia Coppola, and Queen and Slim, directed by Melina Matsoukas.
Watch Dev Hynes discuss joining the Clive Davis Institute at NYU
“Dev Hynes is one of the great polymaths in contemporary recorded music. He's not only a gifted musician - he's a performer, producer, songwriter, film composer and visual innovator, among his many talents. Given our mission to train creative music entrepreneurs who are well-rounded and holistic in their approach to the industry, there's nobody more suited to the task of mentoring students to embrace the full range of their artistic talents,” said Jason King, Chair of the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
To RSVP to the online kick-off event on Monday, February 22 at 9:00 p.m. ET, please visit Eventbrite. This event is co-sponsored by NYU’s Institute of African American Affairs and the Center for Black Visual Culture.
Future events in Hynes’ residency will be announced at a later date.
About the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music
The Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts is the premier educational training ground for future leaders in the music industry. The Clive Davis Institute—founded by chief patron and music impresario Clive Davis himself—has developed a reputation for recruiting and developing the most compelling new talent in the business. Graduates include the dynamic production and songwriting duo Take a Daytrip (David Biral and Denzel Baptiste), pop phenom FLETCHER, visionary producer and performer Arca, chart-topping songwriters Emily Warren and Madison Love, Capitol Records' recording artist Maggie Rogers, music industry executive Hannah Babitt, and co-founder of Mason Jar Music (named the world's 6th most innovative music company by Fast Company Magazine) and Nomandique Jon Seale. The Institute, which officially launched in 2003 and has been the home of instructors like ?uestlove, Q-Tip and Bob Power, boasts a steady stream of talented graduates barnstorming other industry areas like business, journalism, tech, and production.
Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music
@clivedavisinst
https://tisch.nyu.edu/clive-davis-institute