James Blake highlights the uncredited work of romantic partners in art

James Blake has opened up about the often unspoken and uncredited role that romantic partners can play in a musician’s creativity.

After Billboard posted a video interview with James Blake with a caption about how Blake’s partner, actor Jameela Jamil, “inspired” his latest album Assume Form, Blake responded on Twitter with a few thoughts about the use of the term.

“Not just inspired it – she actually worked on it. I even said it in the interview, but people focus on ‘inspired’ because the idea of the ‘muse’ is so romantic and pervasive,” Blake said. “Women who help their partners with their album, being a sounding board and often their only emotional support during the process, almost invariably go uncredited, while majority male producers come in and make a tiny change to a track and they’re Mr. Golden Balls.”

“Shout out to all the partners who selflessly placated a musician during a very self absorbed process like creating an album, who got the title ‘muse’ afterwards which basically amounts to being an object of affection while the musician exercises their ‘genius’,” he added.

Check out the tweets below, and revisit our interview with Blake about Assume Form.