Timothy Lee McKenzie, better known as “Labrinth” bursts into the UK’s music scene with the help of the ever-popular talent show judge, Simon Cowell. He signed Labrinth into his label Syco Entertainment in June of 2010, following Labrinth’s chart success as a writer and producer. This news came as a shocker to the country as Timothy has never appeared in any talent show, making him the first ever singer Simon Cowell signed without ever making an appearance on any talent show. This was a big step for Timothy, who went to have a chart-topping single a couple month prior with the son “Pass Out” by Tinie Tempah, which Labrinth wrote and produced for. After that release, Labrinth went straight to work for his debut album that took him a year and a half to produce. In March of 2012, his debut album, “Electronic Earth” was released. Unfortunately, the debut album got nowhere near the success of his debut single, the only highlight being one of his song, Last Time, went as high as number 4 on UK’s RnB Chart. Despite not doing well with his debut album, Labrinth managed to snatch the ears of the general public on November 2012 with the hit song Beneath Your Beautiful, featuring the talented Emeli Sandé, This chart-topping song kickstarted the attention of the public to Labrinth’s talent as a musician. The crowd even went as far as calling him a “Musical Mastermind”. In an interview with The Guardian UK, he admitted that he is some sort of a perfectionist for his creations. “But I’m a worrier I overthink. …but if you love what you’re doing, you can’t stop, it’s obsessive.” said Labrinth. It was a completely crazy couple of years, going from a no-name artist to the centre of attention.

The chaotic yet fruitful couple years for Labrinth did not seem to hinder his spirit, as during a whole three years he went to have 2 different chart-topping single while also working on his sophomore album. It would take him another seven years before it was even released, which we now know as the soundtrack of the popular HBO series, “Euphoria”, a series about a 17-year-old girl’s journey in finding her identity and her journey through rehabilitation. Coincidentally, the soundtrack that was chosen fits perfectly with series, as his sophomore album was named ‘Imagination & The Misfit Kid’. Labrinth later on went to receive two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his music on “Euphoria”, one being “Outstanding Music Composition For A Series” and the other being “Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics”, in which he was able to take the trophy home.

Even though the album was in the works for seven years, Labrinth was not completely absent from the music scene. During that time frame, He was busy collaborating with A-list musicians, such as producing Mike Posner’s ‘At Night, Alone” album, and also collaborating with Sia on the Wonder Woman’s Soundtrack, ‘To Be Human’. This collaboration went on to help him strike a new partnership, which ended with Sia and Labrinth teaming up with Diplo to form the group LSD. LSD was the supergroup that was formed in 2018, consisting of talented musicians such as the Australian Singer and Songwriter Sia, the melody mastermind American DJ Diplo, and the musical mastermind Labrinth himself. Their first album, which was self-named as “LSD”, was released in the same year to a somewhat lukewarm reception. Commercially, the album was a success as it was able to gain more than a billion plays on Spotify. However, that only counts if you define success by the numbers. With the critics however, this album was an average creation, only receiving an average rating of 60. However, fans of LSD should not fret about the critics’ review. It has been clearly shown that the trio has more to offer in the music scene, something new and extraordinary. We just have to sit tight and pay attention for now, as someday we would finally be able to hear the full potential of the trio of musical genii.

So, what’s next for Timothy? We might not know for sure, but we should keep our eyes peeled for his future releases. As the legendary Mike Posner wrote about Labrinth, “He is still the most talented musical soul I’ve ever encountered”. A pretty big sentence to hear, especially from someone as talented and regarded in the music industry. One thing is for sure, Labrinth is not your average artist who releases a new album every year, he takes control over his whole production process. He makes his music all by himself; every single instrument and vocals recorded, mixing, producing. A one-man team, some might say, or you could call him as what he is. A musical genius who is also a perfectionist, producing music at a level where even other professionals are unable to reach. I, myself, likes to see him as the calm before a storm. It might seem that he currently is not doing much. However, in the times to come, a storm of intricate and beautifully sewn music will crash the music industry, sweeping anyone that comes close to its center.

 

Article by : M. Bintang