Where I'm Meant to Be (2022)

Where I'm Meant to Be is the second studio album by the London jazz quintet Ezra Collective, released on 4 November 2022 by Partisan Records. The album was produced by the band and Riccardo Damian, and features musicians including Sampa the Great, Kojey Radical, Emeli Sandé, and Nao, as well as the filmmaker Steve McQueen.

The album received a positive reception from critics. It won the Mercury Prize in 2023 and was nominated for Best Jazz Record at the 2023 Libera Awards. It debuted at number one on the UK's Jazz & Blues chart, spending six non-consecutive weeks at the top spot.

Background and release

On 7 June 2022, Partisan Records announced they had signed the group and released their first single with the label, "Victory Dance", which came with the group's first official music video directed by Femi Ladi. The album was announced on 24 August for a 4 November release date, along with the release of the second single, "Life Goes On" featuring Sampa the Great. "Life Goes On" came with a music video directed by Nathan Miller which was shot in London and Lusaka. The third single, "Ego Killah", was released on 22 September with an official visualiser. The fourth single, "No Confusion" featuring Kojey Radical, was released on 1 November with a music video directed by Douglas Bernardt.

The album's cover art is a photograph of a studio in South London. The image is filled with items including musical instruments and things the band take inspiration from. It also includes a selection of personally important items, such as a Kazakhstani flag representing a time they performed a concert in the country, and a Fela Kuti record. The image was inspired by the cover of Thelonious Monk's Underground.

On 11 November, the album debuted at the top of the Official Charts Company's UK Jazz & Blues Albums Chart and at 24 on the UK Albums Chart. The album spent six non-consecutive weeks at number one on the jazz chart.

Reception

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Where I'm Meant to Be received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 84 out of 100 from 8 critic scores.