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Inflo

{{short description|British record producer}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Inflo

| image =

| caption =

| birth_name = Dean Josiah Cover

| alias = Inflo 1st

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1988|06|04|df=y}}

| birth_place = London, England

| genre = {{hlist|R&B|hip hop|pop}}

| occupation = {{hlist|Record producer|songwriter|multi-instrumentalist|entrepreneur}}

| instrument = Drums, bass, piano, synthesiser, guitar, vocals

| years_active = 2009–present

| label = Forever Living Originals

| current_member_of= Sault

| website = {{URL|foreverlivingoriginals.com}}

}}

Dean Josiah Cover (born 4 June 1988{{cite web |title=Certificate of incorporation of a Private Limited Company, Forever Living Original Ltd (Company number 08130665) |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/08130665/filing-history/MzA2MDI1MTU0OWFkaXF6a2N4/document?format=pdf&download=0 |access-date=7 January 2024}}), professionally known as Inflo, is a British producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He helms the R&B music collective project Sault, which foregrounds black-centric issues.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2020/music/reviews/saults-untitled-rise-album-review-1234775193/|title=Sault's 'Untitled (Rise)' Seduces Listeners With Sumptuous R&B, Then Startles With Powerful Messaging: Album Review|work=Variety|date=18 September 2020|accessdate=2 November 2021|first=Jem|last=Aswad}}

Career

In 2014, British rock band the Kooks worked with Inflo on their fourth studio album Listen after frontman Luke Pritchard discovered him via SoundCloud. Pritchard described Inflo as a "young Quincy Jones" noting Inflo's bravery and conceptuality in his production.{{cite web|url=http://soundofboston.com/interview-the-kooks-talk-listen/|title=Interview: The Kooks Talk "Listen"|work=Sound of Boston|date=24 July 2014|accessdate=2 November 2021|first=Knar|last=Bedian}} In 2016, Inflo worked with Max Jury,{{cite web|url=https://www.clashmusic.com/news/premiere-max-jury-love-that-grows-old|title=Premiere: Max Jury - 'Love That Grows Old'|work=Clash|first=Robin|last=Murray|date=20 June 2016|accessdate=2 November 2021}} Tom Odell,{{cite web|url=https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2016/05/05/session-tom-odell-somehow/|title=In-Session: Tom Odell - "Somehow"|work=Wonderland|first=Shane|last=Hawkins|date=5 May 2016|accessdate=2 November 2021}} and Michael Kiwanuka,{{cite web |last=Pareles |first=Jon |date=13 July 2016 |title=Michael Kiwanuka's 'Love & Hate' Plunges Into Despair, With a Retro Feel |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/14/arts/music/michael-kiwanuka-love-and-hate-review.html |accessdate=2 November 2021 |work=The New York Times}} working with the latter on his critically acclaimed sophomore album, Love & Hate, for which he won the Best Song Musically and Lyrically at the Ivor Novello Awards for co-writing "Black Man in a White World".{{cite web|url=https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2017/05/michael-kiwanuka-coldplay-pulp-win-2017-ivor-novello-awards/|title=Michael Kiwanuka, Coldplay, Pulp win 2017 Ivor Novello awards|date=19 May 2017|accessdate=2 November 2021|work=Live4ever}}

In 2020, Inflo was a songwriter and producer (along with Danger Mouse) on Michael Kiwanuka's third studio album Kiwanuka, which received the 2020 Mercury Prize while earning him a nomination (as a producer) for Best Rock Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-54284975|title=Michael Kiwanuka wins the 2020 Mercury Prize|work=BBC|date=24 September 2020|accessdate=2 November 2021|first=Mark|last=Savage}} He also won the Best Album at the Ivor Novello Awards the same year for his work on the album Grey Area by Little Simz.{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/little-simz-and-dave-among-winners-of-ivor-novello-awards-2020-2743540|title=Little Simz and Dave among winners at Ivor Novello Awards 2020|work=NME|date=2 September 2020|accessdate=2 November 2021|first=Tom|last=Skinner}}

In 2021, Inflo produced Little Simz' Sometimes I Might Be Introvert and Cleo Sol's Mother, in addition to his work on Sault's fifth effort, Nine and contributing to three songs on Adele's fourth studio album 30,{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/adele-worked-with-max-martin-and-little-simz-producer-inflo-on-new-album-3066152|title=Adele worked with Max Martin and Little Simz' producer Inflo on new album|work=NME|date=8 October 2021|accessdate=2 November 2021|first=Charlotte|last=Krol}} earning him a second Grammy nomination for Album of the Year (as a songwriter and producer). On 30 September 2021, Inflo was announced as the winner of the acclaimed MPG (Music Producers Guild) UK "Producer of the Year" award. On 8 February 2022, he was announced as the "Producer of the Year" at the 2022 Brit Awards, becoming the first Black person to receive this honour since the inception of the Brits in 1977. {{Cite web |last=Grein |first=Paul |date=2022-01-28 |title=Inflo Becomes First Black Producer to Win Brit Award for Producer of the Year |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/brit-awards-2022-inflo-producer-of-the-year-first-black-producer-winner-1235024408/ |access-date=2023-09-29 |website=Billboard |language=en-US}}

Legal issues

In January 2025, collaborator Little Simz sued Inflo for failing to repay a £1.7m loan. The loan was to be put towards recordings costs, as well as a one-off Sault event.{{Cite news |last=Snapes |first=Laura |date=2025-03-17 |title=Little Simz sues former producer Inflo over unpaid debts |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/mar/17/little-simz-sues-former-producer-inflo-over-unpaid-debts |access-date=2025-06-06 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}

Personal life

Inflo is married to singer and bandmate Cleo Sol. They welcomed their first child in 2021. {{Cite web |last=Heron |first=Tamera |date=2022-07-16 |title=How Cleo Sol emerged as the UK's most (reluctantly) coveted Neo-Soul / R&B new-age icon |url=https://thebluesproject.co/2022/07/cleo-sol-uk-rnb-neo-soul-music-icon/ |access-date=2023-06-26 |website=The Blues Project |language=en-GB}}

Discography

=Singles=

  • "No Fear" (2018)

Production discography

=Albums=

=Tracks=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
Title

!Year

!Artist

!Album

scope="row"|"Died in Your Eyes"

| 2009

| Kristinia DeBarge

| Exposed

scope="row"|"The World I Knew"

| 2011

| Jordin Sparks

| African Cats

scope="row"|"Numb"

|rowspan="5"|2016

|rowspan="3"|Max Jury

|rowspan="3"|Max Jury

scope="row"|"Princess"
scope="row"|"Ella's Moonshine"
scope="row"|"Concrete"

|rowspan="2"| Tom Odell

|rowspan="2"| Wrong Crowd

scope="row"|"Somehow"
scope="row"|"Show Me the Sun"

|rowspan="2"|2018

|rowspan="2"|Belle and Sebastian

|rowspan="2"|How to Solve Our Human Problems

scope="row"|"Poor Boy"
scope="row" |"Long Way Back"

| rowspan="5" |2019

|Kid Sister

|{{N/A|Non-album single}}

scope="row" |"All Your Friends"

|The Snuts

|Mixtape
W.L.

scope="row" |"Prayer"

|rowspan="2"|Jack Peñate

|rowspan="2"|After You

scope="row" |"Murder"
scope="row"|"Juan Belmonte"

| rowspan="4" |The Snuts

|W.L.

scope="row" |"Coffee & Cigarettes"

| rowspan="2" |2020

| rowspan="2" |Mixtape
W.L.

scope="row"|"Boardwalk"
scope="row"|"Microwave"

| rowspan="7" |2021

|W.L.

scope="row" |"Dry Your Tears"

| rowspan="3" |Jungle

| rowspan="3" |Loving in Stereo

scope="row"|"Bonnie Hill"
scope="row"|"Talk About It"
scope="row"|"Woman like Me"

| rowspan="3"|Adele

| rowspan="3"|30

scope="row"|"Hold On"
scope="row"|"Love Is a Game"
scope="row"|"Love on the Run"

|rowspan="3"| 2022

| Broken Bells

| Into the Blue

scope="row"|"The Darkest Part"
{{small|(featuring Raekwon and Kid Sister)}}

| rowspan="2"|Danger Mouse and Black Thought

| rowspan="2"|Cheat Codes

scope="row"|"Aquamarine"
{{small|(featuring Michael Kiwanuka)}}

References

{{reflist}}

{{Sault}}

{{Brit British Producer}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:English male songwriters

Category:Ivor Novello Award winners

Category:English record producers

Category:British hip-hop record producers

Category:Musicians from London

Category:Black British musicians

Category:1988 births

Category:Living people