Labrinth

Timothy Lee McKenzie (born 4 January 1989), better known by his stage name Labrinth, is an English singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer.

Labrinth started his career by producing the track "Dead End" for recording artist Master Shortie from the album A.D.H.D. (2009).

The track generated interest in McKenzie as a producer and songwriter.

Guy Moot of EMI Music Publishing offered the artist a publishing deal.

Labrinth signed as a recording artist with Simon Cowell’s record label Syco Music in 2010, initially collaborating with the English rapper Tinie Tempah.

He appeared as a featured artist: uncredited on the single "Pass Out", but later officially on "Frisky"; then he released his first solo single, "Let the Sun Shine" in September.

All three songs peaked in the top five on the UK Singles Chart.

From 2010 to 2011, Labrinth mentored the Urban Development Vocal Collective (UDVC) alongside his sister, ShezAr.

He also produced multiple tracks for the collective, contributing towards a nine-track project titled Urban Development.

The vocalists also provided backing vocals for Labrinth's original tracks.

McKenzie appeared as an uncredited guest artist on British rapper Tinie Tempah's debut single, "Pass Out", released on 28 February 2010.

He had also produced and co-written the track.

The single debuted at number-one on the UK Singles Chart, number six on the Irish Singles Chart, and number seventy in Australia.

Throughout 2010, McKenzie continued writing material for a number of high-profile artists, including Professor Green for the track "Oh My God" (Alive Till I'm Dead), Ola Svensson for the track "Let It Hit You" (Ola), and Loick Essien for "Love Drunk" (Identity).

Following chart success as a writer and producer, McKenzie was approached in June 2010 and signed to Simon Cowell's record label, Syco.

The signing marked a milestone for the label, with McKenzie becoming the first signing in six years who had not gained exposure on one of Cowell's reality talent shows.

Having spent two weeks at the summit in the United Kingdom, "Pass Out" was awarded Best British Single at the 2011 Brit Awards and Best Contemporary Song at the 2011 Ivor Novello Awards.

It achieved platinum certification from the British Phonographic Industry for surpassing sales of 600,000 copies.

Several months later the two artists collaborated for a second time in the release of Tempah's second single, "Frisky", also co-written and produced by McKenzie.

The single debuted at number two in the United Kingdom, beaten only by the charity single "Shout" by Dizzee Rascal and James Corden.

The track had chart success in Scotland, where it became the duo's second consecutive number one single, also peaking at number three in Ireland.

His debut album, Electronic Earth (2012), peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart and spawned four top five singles there.

The single "Beneath Your Beautiful" became his first song to reach the top 40 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and peaked at number one in the United Kingdom, also receiving a nomination for Best British Single at the Brit Awards.

In November 2014, he released the single "Jealous", which was later certified Platinum in the UK.

In 2018, Labrinth formed the supergroup LSD with Australian singer Sia and American DJ and producer Diplo.

The group released their self-titled debut album the following year.

Also in 2019, in October, he composed the Season 1 Official Score for the HBO drama series Euphoria; it received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning one for the single "All for Us".

His second album, Imagination & the Misfit Kid, followed in November.

Labrinth continued composing for Euphoria in 2022, and the Season 2 Official Score was released in April.

The score earned him an additional two Primetime Emmy nominations, for the songs "I'm Tired" and "Elliot's Song", both written alongside Zendaya.

He has been referred to as “one of the most important British musicians of his generation.” Labrinth has worked with numerous artists as a songwriter and producer including Beyoncé, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Eminem, Kanye West, and the Weeknd.

His production work on the Weeknd's album Beauty Behind the Madness earned him a Grammy Award for Album of the Year nomination.

He also co-produced the soundtrack The Lion King: The Gift, and co-wrote the single "Spirit", alongside Beyoncé and Ilya Salmanzadeh, for which he received nominations at the Grammy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and the Critics' Choice Movie Awards.

McKenzie was born and raised in Hackney, London, and is of Jamaican descent.

He comes from a family of musicians and has eight siblings.

Their home was filled with the sound of black gospel music, which their parents loved.

When young, he and his eight siblings formed a band called Mac 9.

He attended Stoke Newington School and began to pursue a musical career during his school years.

His brother, Mac, who is also a music producer, introduced McKenzie at the age of 15 to the art of creating music in his studio.

His cousin is the Irish boxer Tommy McCarthy.