Jacknife Lee

Producer/ Mixer/ Songwriter/ Artist

Clients include: Taylor Swift, U2, R.E.M, Snow Patrol, Two Door Cinema Club, Neil Diamond, Catfish and the Bottlemen

Jacknife Lee has become one of the most sought after and highly influential writer producers currently at work. Lee’s career covers work with some of the biggest and most influential artists on both sides of the Atlantic, not least The Killers, U2, Snow Patrol, Taylor Swift, R.E.M, Kasabian, Weezer and Neil Diamond. He has multiple Grammy Awards (U2 & Taylor Swift), was awarded Producer of the Year at the 2018 MPG Awards, and also has an 2023 Emmy nomination to his name (Bono & Edge).

Jacknife Lee is also a successful artist in his own right, having released multiple artist projects throughout the years, starting with “The Jacknife Lee” for Island Records back in 1999 through to Telefís with Cathal Coughlan in 2022, and last years artist collaboration “Los Angeles” with Lol Tolhurst and Budgie (PIAS). The latest incantation of the Jacknife Lee project came out on AWAL in 2020 and features collaborations with Beth Ditto, Open Mike Eagle, Bibi Bourelly, Earl St. Claire, Aloe Black and fellow Echo Beach artist Davide Rossi.

Lee’s production work throughout the 00’s defined the sound of the British independent alternative scene. Throughout this decade he was the go-to producer for bands. He produced five albums for Snow Patrol including “Final Straw,” which has sold well in excess of two million copies, “Eyes Open,” which is the 15th bestselling album of the 2000s in the UK, “A Hundred Million Suns” (2008), “Fallen Empires” (2011), and “Wildness” (2018). His production work with Bloc Party, on “A Weekend In The City” proved to be their breakthrough in North America. Lee guided the band’s change of direction on the following year’s Intimacy. Another major British collaboration came in 2007 with Editors’ #1 platinum-selling “An End Has A Start.” He also has a long and successful association with Two Door Cinema Club, having co-written and produced multiple best selling albums including the genre-defining “Beacon” and “False Alarm”.

Other notable British bands to have benefited from his artist vision include: Aqualung, Catfish and The Bottlemen, Twin Atlantic, Kasabian, and Crystal Castles.

It wasn’t long before this success brought him to the attention of America. Prior to moving across in 2008, he began working with some iconic artists in the shape of: Weezer, producing tracks on the award-winning eponymous 2008 release; collaborating with Regina Spektor on the stunning album “Far” (2009) ; and The Cars’ final album “Move Like This” which debuted at #7 on the Billboard album charts. It was around this time that Jacknife Lee came into the orbit of R.E.M. Between 2008 and 2011, he produced produced “Accelerate” (2008) and “Collapse Into Now” (2011).

Jacknife Lee is a rare breed. One of the few producers to have achieved the feat of having written and produced a song on the biggest selling albums in both America and UK in 2012. “The Last Time” for Taylor Swift’s “Red” album and “Something Great” for One Direction’s all-conquering “Midnight Memories” album. 

2014 was another big year. Lee was honoured to be asked to co-produce Neil Diamond’s “Melody Road” album alongside the tremendously talented Don Was. “Melody Road” debuted at #3 in America and #4 in the UK as it received universal critical acclaim.

One collaboration that extends across both sides of the Atlantic is Jacknife’s creative partnership with U2. This connection commenced in 2004 when he started working on material for what would become U2’s multi-million selling album “How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.” Lee has production credits on seven tracks on the album including “City Of Blinding Lights,” which won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. His relationship with U2 continues to this day, across multiple albums and tours. He has been musical director for Bono’s ‘Stories Of Surrender’ 2023 theatre tour with sold out performances across Europe and on Broadway. Most recently he was a music consultant and mix engineer for ‘Bono & Edge: A Sort Of Homecoming with David Letterman’ which has recently been nominated for an Emmy for ‘Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety Series or Special’.

Recently, Jacknife has gone back to his roots collaborating with artists with truly unique artistic visions. Most notably with Lonnie Holley, for whom he produced the critically acclaimed 2023 album “Oh Me Oh My” featuring collaborators Bon Iver, Sharon Van Etten, and Michael Stipe. He also has a passion for African music and over the last few years has explored this with artists such as Rokia Koné and the mighty Les Amazones d’Afrique.

For more information, please contact: hello@echobeachmanagement.com