In Conversation: Fraser T Smith (aka Future Utopia)

with Yvonne Ile (DPhil Music (Musicology)

Thursday 20 June 2024, 5.30pm
Oakeshott Room, Lincoln College, Turl St, Oxford, OX1 3DR
button book here

Free entry, registration required.

The conversation will begin at 6pm in the Oakeshott Room (Lincoln College), with a drinks reception before the event starting from 5:30pm in the Langford Room. The event will end at approximately 7:30pm

Fraser T Smith (aka Future Utopia) is a Grammy award winning music producer, songwriter, and musician. Some of the singles he has collaborated on include Adele’s ‘Set Fire to the Rain’, James Morrisons’s ‘Broken Strings’, and Taio Cruz’s ‘Break Your Heart’. As well as winning a Grammy in 2011 for his work with Adele, Smith has won multiple Ivor Novello Awards and Brit Awards, as well as being shortlisted for the 2016 Mercury prize. In 2020 he released his debut album, ’12 Questions’ as part of the ‘Future Utopia’ project. The record is based on a series of 12 questions all born of Smith’s own anxieties about the world, discussing issues such as faith, freedom, race, gender, wealth, equality, and ecology. Since this, Future Utopia has released an EP called ‘We Were We Still Are’, which featured collaborations with Kae Tempest, Biig Piig, and TOMI. 

‘In Conversation: Fraser T Smith’ will give the audience an opportunity to hear about Fraser’s career, collaborations, and upcoming projects. Fraser, also known as Future Utopia, will discuss his work with the likes of Adele, Stormzy, Sam Smith, and Dave, and offer a deep dive into his involvement in their chart-topping singles and how they came into being. Fraser will also offer insights into his transition to being an artist and the ‘Future Utopia’ project. He will take us through the creation of the ’12 Questions’ album, and how it was inspired by philosophical introspection and discourse. At the end of this discussion and presentation the audience will have a chance to ask questions about Fraser’s career and the music production process, as well as hear about his current project, a psychedelic record called ‘Django’s High’.

Please register for the event and the drinks reception using the link provided.