Emma-Jean Thackray

Emma-Jean Thackray was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, in 1989 or 1990. She received classical training, studying jazz performance at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama under Keith Tippett, and later completing a Masters in orchestral jazz composition at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. Her early career demonstrated a focus on genre-blending musical styles. She self-released her debut EP, “Walrus,” in 2016. In the same year, Thackray was selected as a participant for the Red Bull Music Academy, an international music workshop program. Her 2018 EP, “Ley Lines,” featured her writing, playing all instruments, and also handling the recording, producing, and mixing. In 2018, she was recognized by Clash magazine as one of the women advancing UK jazz.

In 2019, Thackray collaborated with drummer Makaya McCraven on “Too Shy” / “Run Dem,” released by International Anthem. That same year, she was commissioned by BBC Radio 1 to create an arrangement of Dua Lipa’s “New Rules,” played solely with brass instruments and car horns, for the Greg James Breakfast Show. The year 2020 saw Thackray establish her own record label, Movementt, in collaboration with Warp Records, as a platform for her original music and re-releases of earlier EPs. She released the EP “Um Yang” with Night Dreamer Records.

Thackray’s debut album, “Yellow,” was self-released in July 2021. The album achieved commercial success, reaching number one on the UK Jazz Albums Chart and number three on the UK Independent Albums Chart. Following an appearance on “Later… With Jools Holland” in June 2021, she secured a publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music. In 2022, she released the four-track improvised EP “Talking Therapy” with her Talking Therapy Ensemble. She also composed the soundtrack for “Erax,” a short film produced for Netflix. In 2025, Thackray released her second album, “Weirdo,” where she was responsible for producing, performing, and mixing all aspects of the record.