Acclaimed singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist ELLIOTT SKINNER releases his debut solo EP ‘How Far We’ve Come’ via Ninja Tune. along with the EP’s focus track “Carols of My Mind” ft. Victoria Canal and Radamiz. Skinner is also currently on tour across North American supporting anaiis and will headline TakeTwo: Songs in the Key of Life in NYC on September 25th – a concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of Stevie Wonder’s landmark album (more info here). He has also been announced as a guest performer at the special forthcoming show from The Cinematic Orchestra at London’s iconic St. Paul’s Cathedral on October 29th.
The compositions from the thoughtful artist with an ethereal approach to folk and soul music, are a beautiful example of what comes from the lineage of powerful and intentional Black expression. They include lead single “DON’T BE A RUNNER,” which Rolling Stone named a “Song You Need to Know” and “THAT KID” featuring Jensen McRae whose video features movement by Skinner’s frequent collaborator, artist and scholar, Dr. Jehbreal Muhammad Jackson – both of which feature visuals directed by Simon Morrison and styling by Paco Lampecinado. Look for a short film directed by Morrison highlighting the EP’s tracks in the coming weeks.
Texas-raised Skinner is now stepping out on his own with the release of the new project, after working alongside acclaimed artists including Jon Batiste, Zayne Malik, Chance the Rapper, Saya Gray, Eryn Allen Kane, Leon Bridges, Samora Pinderhughes, Amos Lee, and more over the last decade. His sound is both intimate and layered, marked by a deep focus on storytelling and the continuing of the Black Radical Music Tradition. Skinner spent a decade in New York City learning what community, practice, and art mean to him. Through a dedication to creating music that is an influential force for people to understand other people, Skinner aims for a freeing of the mind, digging into everything that love sits under, and a breakdown of the constructs that divide us.
How Far We’ve Come encompasses themes of life and effort and the power of reflection – the doubt that can fill your mind and make you question your worth; the feeling of getting older and returning to the wonder in childhood; trying and observing the ways we can make this life more meaningful. The six song set from the Texas-raised musician is his first body of work released under his own name and follows his acclaimed 2025 singles “RECALLING” and “I Linger On.” The project comes twenty years after he wrote his first song and, he notes, “All of that time and experience was needed for me to understand the artist I have become and am becoming. This is an introduction to the world that I’ve been building.”
Of the project, Skinner continues: “There is no other way to describe my music other than Black. Following in the footsteps of my ancestors and inspirations – the sonic experimentation, the self realisation, the expression as a necessary tool for survival – to not only pursue to understand oneself, but to understand others. That’s what black music has done since my people were singing from porch to porch and from pew to pew. It shortened the space between us all. My sound is part of this lineage. It’s something we need more of. Something that feels from the earth – organic. Made by people for people.”
