Blood Orange

Devonté Hynes, the English singer, songwriter, producer, composer and director known as Blood Orange, first came up in the mid-2000s as a member of Test Icicles. In that band, he played guitar and synth and occasionally sang; Test Icicles released one full-length album during Hynes’ 2004 to 2006 tenure. Born David Joseph Michael Hynes on 23 December 1985 in Ilford, he is now based in New York City.

After Test Icicles, Hynes began a solo career under the name Lightspeed Champion, releasing two studio albums. He later adopted the Blood Orange name, under which he released five studio albums between 2008 and 2025. Blood Orange’s work moves through art pop, R&B, soul, funk, electronic music, indie pop and singer-songwriter forms. The 2011 album Coastal Grooves marked the project’s debut, followed by Cupid Deluxe in 2013 and Freetown Sound in 2016.

Hynes has also built an extensive body of work beyond his own recordings, writing, playing and producing for other artists. His collaborators include Solange Knowles, Tinashe, Sky Ferreira, FKA Twigs, Haim, Caroline Polachek, Florence and the Machine, Carly Rae Jepsen, Lorde, A$AP Rocky, Mariah Carey and Daniel Caesar. His credits also extend to projects involving Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue, the Chemical Brothers, Blondie, Jazmine Sullivan, Sugababes, Turnstile, Mac Miller, Connan Mockasin and Tei Shi, reflecting a career that has moved between pop, alternative, electronic and R&B settings.