
Feature Photo: Frolzart, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Ezra Collective formed in London in 2012 through friendships developed at Tomorrow’s Warriors, the youth music organization that has played a central role in Britain’s contemporary jazz movement. The group’s established lineup features drummer Femi Koleoso, bassist TJ Koleoso, keyboardist Joe Armon-Jones, saxophonist James Mollison, and trumpeter Ife Ogunjobi. Together, they connect jazz improvisation with Afrobeat, reggae, hip-hop, grime, salsa, gospel, and the communal energy of dance music.
The band’s first widely available recording, “May the Funk Be with You,” appeared in 2013. The five-track Chapter 7 EP followed in 2016 with “Enter the Jungle,” “Chasing the Square,” “Colonial Mentality,” and collaborations with Ty and Zara McFarlane. Those recordings established the rhythmic drive and open, celebratory performance style that would remain at the heart of the group’s work.
Ezra Collective released Juan Pablo: The Philosopher in 2018. Recorded at Abbey Road and mixed with contributions from Floating Points and Matt Mysko, the seven-track EP included “Juan Pablo,” “The Philosopher,” “People in Trouble,” and “Space Is the Place.” Nubya Garcia and Theon Cross also appeared on the project, reinforcing the close connections among musicians in London’s jazz community.
The group’s first full-length album, You Can’t Steal My Joy, arrived in 2019. Jorja Smith, Loyle Carner, and KOKOROKO joined the band on a record that moved easily between reflective passages and dance-floor momentum. “Quest for Coin,” “Reason in Disguise,” “What Am I to Do?,” “São Paulo,” “Shakara,” and the title track helped bring Ezra Collective to a larger international audience.
After the 2020 single pairing “Dark Side Riddim” and “Samuel L. Riddim,” Ezra Collective released Where I’m Meant To Be in 2022. The album featured Sampa the Great, Kojey Radical, Emeli Sandé, Nao, and spoken contributions from Steve McQueen and TJ Koleoso. It won the 2023 Mercury Prize, making Ezra Collective the first jazz act to receive the award.
The group transformed material from that album on Where I’m Meant To Be (Remixes) before releasing Dance, No One’s Watching in 2024. Built as a journey through a night of movement and connection, the 19-track album featured Yazmin Lacey, Olivia Dean, M.anifest, and Moonchild Sanelly. Ezra Collective’s growing reach continued in 2025 when the band won the BRIT Award for Group of the Year.
The year 2025 also brought “Body Language” with Sasha Keable, an Ezra Collective remix of “Beto’s Horns,” a new remix of “God Gave Me Feet for Dancing,” and the three-track holiday release Joy To The World. These recordings extended the band’s music into salsa, house, seasonal standards, and large-scale collaborations without separating it from the improvisational character of the core quintet.
Complete List Of Ezra Collective Songs From A to Z
0–E
- “Ajala” – Dance, No One’s Watching (2024)
- “Belonging” – Where I’m Meant To Be (2022)
- “Beto’s Horns (Ezra Collective Remix) [London, 25th June]” – Fred again.., CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso with Ezra Collective; single (2025)
- “Body Language (featuring Sasha Keable)” – single (2025)
- “Chapter 7 (featuring Ty)” – Chapter 7 EP (2016)
- “Chapter 7 (Live at NPR’s Tiny Desk)” – Chapter 7 (10th Anniversary Edition) (2026)
- “Chasing the Square” – Chapter 7 EP (2016)
- “Chris and Jane” – You Can’t Steal My Joy (2019)
- “cloakroom link up. (Act 1)” – Dance, No One’s Watching (2024)
- “Colonial Mentality” – Chapter 7 EP (2016)
- “Dark Side Riddim” – Dark Side Riddim / Samuel L. Riddim single (2020)
- “Dylan’s Dilemma” – Juan Pablo: The Philosopher EP (2018)
- “Ego Killah” – Where I’m Meant To Be (2022)
- “Ego Killah (Channel One Sound System Remix)” – Where I’m Meant To Be (Remixes) (2024)
- “Enter the Jungle” – Chapter 7 EP (2016)
- “Enter the Jungle (Diptyque x A COLORS ENCORE)” – single (2026)
- “Everybody” – Dance, No One’s Watching (2024)
- “Expensive” – Dance, No One’s Watching (2024)
F–J
- “God Gave Me Feet for Dancing (featuring Yazmin Lacey)” – Dance, No One’s Watching (2024)
- “God Gave Me Feet for Dancing (Tasty Or Not Remix)” – with Yazmin Lacey and Tasty Or Not; single (2025)
- “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” – Joy To The World EP (2025)
- “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” – Joy To The World EP (2025)
- “Have Patience” – Dance, No One’s Watching (2024)
- “Hear My Cry” – Dance, No One’s Watching (2024)
- “Helicopters” – with Greentea Peng; HELP(2) (2026)
- “I Have a God (featuring Zara McFarlane)” – Chapter 7 EP (2016)
- “I Have a God (featuring Zara McFarlane) (Live at the Royal Albert Hall)” – Chapter 7 (10th Anniversary Edition) (2026)
- “in the dance. (Act 2)” – Dance, No One’s Watching (2024)
- “Intro” – Juan Pablo: The Philosopher EP (2018)
- “Intro” – Dance, No One’s Watching (2024)
- “James Speaks to the Galaxy” – Juan Pablo: The Philosopher EP (2018)
- “JOY (Life Goes On)” – Where I’m Meant To Be (Remixes) (2024)
- “JOY (This One)” – Joy Anonymous, Ezra Collective, and Stush; single (2026)
- “Joy to the World” – Joy To The World EP (2025)
- “Juan Pablo” – Juan Pablo: The Philosopher EP (2018)
K–O
- “King of the Jungle” – You Can’t Steal My Joy (2019)
- “Life Goes On (featuring Sampa the Great)” – Where I’m Meant To Be (2022)
- “lights on. (Act 4)” – Dance, No One’s Watching (2024)
- “Live Strong” – Where I’m Meant To Be (2022)
- “Love in Outer Space (featuring Nao)” – Where I’m Meant To Be (2022)
- “May the Funk Be with You” – single (2013; reissued 2022)
- “N29” – Dance, No One’s Watching (2024)
- “N29 to Berlin – A COLORS SHOW” – single (2024)
- “Never the Same Again” – Where I’m Meant To Be (2022)
- “No Confusion (featuring Kojey Radical)” – Where I’m Meant To Be (2022)
- “No One’s Watching Me (featuring Olivia Dean)” – Dance, No One’s Watching (2024)
- “Only Love (featuring Pa Salieu)” – Here Because of Hope single (2026)
- “our element. (Act 3)” – Dance, No One’s Watching (2024)
P–T
- “Palm Wine” – Dance, No One’s Watching (2024)
- “People in Trouble” – Juan Pablo: The Philosopher EP (2018)
- “People Saved” – You Can’t Steal My Joy (2019)
- “Philosopher II” – You Can’t Steal My Joy (2019)
- “Quest for Coin” – You Can’t Steal My Joy (2019)
- “Reason in Disguise (featuring Jorja Smith)” – You Can’t Steal My Joy (2019)
- “Red Whine” – You Can’t Steal My Joy (2019)
- “Samuel L. Riddim” – Dark Side Riddim / Samuel L. Riddim single (2020)
- “SĂŁo Paulo” – You Can’t Steal My Joy (2019)
- “Shakara (featuring KOKOROKO)” – You Can’t Steal My Joy (2019)
- “Shaking Body” – Dance, No One’s Watching (2024)
- “Siesta (featuring Emeli SandĂ©)” – Where I’m Meant To Be (2022)
- “Siesta (B-Side)” – Where I’m Meant To Be (Remixes) (2024)
- “Smile” – Where I’m Meant To Be (2022)
- “Smile (Children of Zeus Remix)” – Where I’m Meant To Be (Remixes) (2024)
- “Space Is the Place” – Juan Pablo: The Philosopher EP (2018)
- “Space Is the Place (Reprise)” – You Can’t Steal My Joy (2019)
- “Streets Is Calling (featuring M.anifest and Moonchild Sanelly)” – Dance, No One’s Watching (2024)
- “The Herald” – Dance, No One’s Watching (2024)
- “The Philosopher” – Juan Pablo: The Philosopher EP (2018)
- “The Traveller” – Dance, No One’s Watching (2024)
- “Togetherness” – Where I’m Meant To Be (2022)
U–Z
- “Victory Dance” – Where I’m Meant To Be (2022)
- “Welcome to My World” – Where I’m Meant To Be (2022)
- “Welcome to My World (KingCrowney Goes Deep Mix)” – Where I’m Meant To Be (Remixes) (2024)
- “Well Organised (featuring Lila Iké)” – Here Because of Hope single (2026)
- “What Am I to Do? (featuring Loyle Carner)” – You Can’t Steal My Joy (2019)
- “Why I Smile” – Dance, No One’s Watching (2024)
- “Why You Mad?” – You Can’t Steal My Joy (2019)
- “Words by Steve” – Where I’m Meant To Be (2022)
- “Words by TJ” – Where I’m Meant To Be (2022)
- “You Can’t Steal My Joy” – You Can’t Steal My Joy (2019)
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Ezra Collective Albums, EPs, Singles, and Major Releases
May the Funk Be with You single (2013; reissued 2022)
Chapter 7 EP (2016)
Juan Pablo: The Philosopher EP (2018)
You Can’t Steal My Joy (2019)
Dark Side Riddim / Samuel L. Riddim single (2020)
Where I’m Meant To Be (2022)
Where I’m Meant To Be (Remixes) (2024)
Dance, No One’s Watching (2024)
N29 to Berlin – A COLORS SHOW single (2024)
Body Language featuring Sasha Keable (2025)
God Gave Me Feet for Dancing (Tasty Or Not Remix) (2025)
Beto’s Horns (Ezra Collective Remix) (2025)
Joy To The World EP (2025)
Chapter 7 (10th Anniversary Edition) (2026)
Enter the Jungle – Diptyque x A COLORS ENCORE single (2026)
Helicopters with Greentea Peng (2026)
JOY (This One) with Joy Anonymous and Stush (2026)
Only Love featuring Pa Salieu (2026)
Well Organised featuring Lila Iké (2026)
Here Because of Hope (scheduled for September 18, 2026)
Updated July 30, 2026.
Complete List Of Ezra Collective Songs From A to Z article published on ClassicRockHistory.com © 2026
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