A. K. Paul

Anup Kumar Paul (born 1986) is an English singer-songwriter and producer from London. A. K. Paul came to prominence in 2011 as a contributor to brother Jai Paul's debut single "BTSTU (Edit)".[1] The following year Paul also worked on Jai Paul's "Jasmine (demo)" and "Higher Res" as well as co-writing for artists Sam Smith and Emeli Sandé, resulting in winning an Ivor Novello Award in 2013.[2][3]

A. K. Paul
Birth nameAnup Kumar Paul
Born1986 (age 34–35)
OriginRayners Lane, London, England
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, record producer, instrumentalist
LabelsPaul Institute
Associated actsJai Paul, Nao
Websitewww.facebook.com/A-K-Paul-Official-710601358996181/, paul.institute

A. K. Paul, Jai Paul, and Muz Azar announced a new project called Paul Institute in 2016. Paul released "Landcruisin'", his first solo record, via the platform.[4]

Music career

2007–2011

Paul is credited as providing additional vocals and sound design on brother Jai Paul's demo recording "BTSTU", as well as mastering the track.[5] 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.

2012

Paul is credited as providing bass guitar and sound design for Jai Paul's 2012 release, "Jasmine (demo)". He also mastered the track, as with Jai Paul's debut release.[6] "Jasmine (demo)" received critical acclaim in the media, with Pitchfork featuring the song as a "Best New Track"[7] within an hour of its appearance on SoundCloud, The New York Times praising its "Prince era sensuality"[8] and The Guardian describing the production as "amazing."[9] The song appears on the soundtrack to the 2013 video game, Grand Theft Auto V.

2014

Paul collaborated with Hackney vocalist Nao on a song called "So Good". This was the first time Paul applied the moniker A. K. Paul.[10]

In November, Miguel posted a photo of himself with A. K. Paul and his brother Jai Paul on Instagram, marking a rare appearance from both artists.[11]

Also in November, singer Jones collaborated with A. K. on a song called "You".[12] "It’s significantly more dialed-down and intimate when compared to “So Good”, but every bit as captivating. Jones’ voice is both airy and striking, flowing over Paul's warm backdrop of crystalline synths and steady percussions".

2015

A. K. returned with another production credit. This time on Miguel's album Wildheart for the song "Flesh".[13]

2016

In March 2016, A. K. and his brother Jai, along with Muz Azar announced the founding of the Paul Institute.[14] This was accompanied by the release of the single "Landcruisin'", a song by A. K. Paul, via text messages and a website.

"Landcruisin'" is the first release from Paul Institute. 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, saying it matched expectations. 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". 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." [15]

2017

Paul collaborated with Guernsey born DJ Mura Masa with the track "Who Is It Gonna B" on Mura Masa's debut album.[16] A. K. Paul also reached out to British R&B artist HIRA - working on production on the single "Eve" alongside Craze and Hoax.[17] 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.

2020

After a period of inactivity attributed to a legal fight, Paul released the final version of 'Be Honest' in July 2020.[18]

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 Writing/Production Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors December 2012 - -
"Next To Me" Emeli Sandé Writing Our Version of Events February 2012 2 Platinum
"Imagine It Was Us" Jessie Ware Guitar & 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 - -
"FLESH" Miguel Writing/Production Wildheart June 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 - -

References
  1. "Various - XL Recordings Sampler 2011". Discogs. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  2. "Emeli Sandé's unstoppable rise compounded by two Ivor Novello awards". The Independent. 17 May 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  3. "Anup Paul | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  4. © 2016 Paul Institute, Soundcloud of A.K. Paul. Retrieved on 27 July 2016.
  5. "Jai Paul - BTSTU". YouTube. 21 April 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  6. Jai Paul (3 April 2012), Jai Paul - Jasmine (Demo), retrieved 6 August 2017
  7. "Jai Paul: "Jasmine"". Pitchfork. 30 March 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
  8. "New Releases". The New York Times. 13 April 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  9. "New Music: Jai Paul – Jasmine (demo)". The Guardian. 13 April 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  10. "Listen: Nao vs. A. K. Paul - So Good". ClashMusic.com. 24 June 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  11. "A.K. Paul Surfaces on Miguel's Instagram". Pitchfork.com. 13 November 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  12. "A.K. Paul & Jones x "You"". ProductOfSociety.org. 18 November 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  13. "Miguel - Flesh (Produced by AK Paul)". DetailsofmyLife.net. 13 July 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  14. Gordon, Jeremy. "Jai Paul and Brother A.K. Paul Launch New Project Paul Institute". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  15. "Premiere: James Vincent McMorrow Teams Up With AK Paul To Remix "Rising Water"". Complex.com. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  16. "Mura Masa's Album Will Be a Plethora of Delights, Including AK Paul, Bonzai and A$AP Rocky". Vice.com. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  18. "Listen to A.K. Paul's new song "Be Honest"". Thefader.com. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
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