Dev Hynes, better known by his stage name Blood Orange, has a little something for everybody. The multi-hyphenate musician has made waves in the last two decades under various aliases and genres. From alternative rock to experimental funk and R&B, Hynes has tried it all. He released his first full-length album, Coastal Grooves, in August 2011, after a few years as Blood Orange. The final track, “Champagne Coast,” later made waves on social media as a viral track, racking up over 600 million streams.
In the years since, Hynes has solidified his status as a gem in the music world. Across albums, collaborations, music production, instrumentation, and more, the name Blood Orange has become one to keep an eye on. Whether you’re a casual fan, a dedicated listener, or just getting into his music, here are seven things to know about this jack of all trades.
One Face, Many Names
Blood Orange isn’t the first musical alias of Dev Hynes. In fact, it’s not even his second. Dev Hynes, short for Devonté Hynes, was born in East London on December 23, 1985. Hynes surrounded himself with music throughout his childhood, citing 80s pop musicians like Janet Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, and F.R. David as musical influences from his childhood.
In 2004, Hynes joined Test Icicles, a London rock band drawing inspiration from genres like post-hardcore and dance-punk. He played multiple instruments and contributed background vocals. The band released one full album, For Screening Purposes Only, before splitting up in 2006. Soon after, Hynes moved across the pond to the United States. Although he landed in New York City, where he’s now based, Hynes developed a new musical project in the Midwest first. He recorded his debut album as Lightspeed Champion in Omaha, Nebraska.
A sharp contrast to the punk tones of Test Icicles, Lightspeed Champion brought a more folksy sound to Hynes’ artistry. Hynes drew on local musicians, instrumentalists, and folk ambiance for two full-length albums and four EPs over three years. In August 2011, Hynes released Coastal Grooves, his first album under the Blood Orange moniker. Like Lightspeed Champion, Blood Orange was a foray into a new sound for Hynes. With this new debut, Hynes explored R&B, new wave, synth-pop, and other alternative genres.
Classical Influences
While Hynes has spent much of his multi-decade career proving himself to be a music chameleon, his work in classical music takes his skill to the next level. Hynes has loved classical composition since his teen years when he discovered American composer and pianist Philip Glass. In 2017, Hynes had the opportunity to speak with Glass during an NPR Music interview. The two chatted in Hynes’ own New York City loft apartment. Only a year later, he performed Glass’s “20 Etudes” for the piano alongside the composer himself at The Kennedy Center.
Hynes composed his first classical album in 2019, titled Fields, performed and arranged by Chicago-based percussion group Third Coast Percussion. “It’s the first time I’ve written music that I’ve never played, and I love that,” he said in a press release about the project. The dreamy, textured album earned two GRAMMY nominations in 2020 for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance and Best Engineered Album, Classical.
Hynes premiered his first original concerto for piano and strings in 2021, titled Happenings. He later brought his compositions to life on stage with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Symphony in 2022 and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in 2024.
Sounds And Colors
For Hynes, music is more than just sound. The musician has synesthesia, a neurological condition that triggers multiple senses when only one sense is stimulated. For some, this creates links between colors, sounds, tastes, and other stimuli. For Blood Orange, audio input triggers visual output in various images and shades. The colors he sees shift depending on tone, pitch, instrument, volume, and more.
In an interview, Hynes described using his synesthesia in his music-writing for the first time under the Blood Orange name. “If you think about it, there are certain color combinations that are universally recognized as being pleasing to the eye,” he described. “With Blood Orange, I thought it would be interesting to try and write music which produced the most visually attractive color patterns for me.”
In The Studio
Although Hynes’ work as Blood Orange may be some of his best-known, he has produced for many big-name musical artists. His portfolio includes writing and producing credits for artists such as FKA Twigs, Kylie Minogue, Turnstile, and Blondie. In 2012, He produced GRAMMY Award-winning singer Solange’s True EP.
He has also collaborated with many artists on his own Blood Orange projects. Singer and producer Caroline Polachek has featured on multiple tracks throughout Hynes’ career, from Cupid Deluxe (2013) to Essex Honey (2025). Many artists Hynes has produced for also feature on his many projects, such as A$AP Rocky (“Chewing Gum”), Tinashe (“Tuesday Feeling (Choose To Stay)”), and Carly Rae Jepsen (“Better Than Me”).
The Soundtrack of Life
Since 2014, Devonté Hynes has also broken into the world of film as a composer. He drew from his early Blood Orange sound to compose the ambient, percussive score for Gia Coppola’s 2014 film Palo Alto. Melina Matsoukas enlisted him for the more orchestral score of Queen & Slim (2019). In 2022, he performed his composition of the lead theme of Passing, directed by Rebecca Hall, with the LA Philharmonic Symphony. “I spent a day creating ideas and melodies that floated through my head in [response] to the completed film and made an album out of that,” Hynes described the process before the live performance.
Notably, Hynes composed the score to A24’s The Invite, directed by Olivia Wilde. After only watching the first ten minutes of the film, Hynes suggested creating the score entirely on the cello — an instrument he started learning at nine years old. “Something I really enjoy about scoring, the end always feels the same for me, which is a bit of [a] ‘wow’ moment,” Hynes said. “I can’t believe this exists, I can’t believe we actually made a thing.”
Essex Honey Roots
With his latest studio album, Essex Honey, Dev Hynes returned to his hometown to reflect on love, grief, and his relationship with music. Hynes grew up in Essex in a house full of classical tunes, where he learned piano and cello as a child. He returned home from New York City when his mother fell ill and passed away in 2023. This prompted a period of grief and reflection for Hynes. “Turning thirty-nine, my mother passing, and being back home… all of these factors, I couldn’t help but be a bit more reflective,” Hynes described in an interview with Tom Power.
Essex Honey is equal parts a reflection of his life and a love letter to music. Hynes recounted the moment he first heard Sufjan Stevens’ “Fourth of July,” which he found in the midst of his grieving process. “Fourth of July” confronts Stevens’ own grief with the passing of his mother — something Hynes empathized with so strongly that he felt like Stevens was speaking in his head. The song provided such comfort and deep relatability that Hynes concluded that “I’m a fool, an idiot, if I don’t make music.” From there, Hynes started working on Essex Honey.
Live On Stage
Not long after the album’s release on August 29, 2025, Hynes embarked on a concert circuit to bring it to the stage. He joined Lorde’s “Ultrasound World Tour” and Turnstile’s “NEVER ENOUGH TOUR” as a supporting artist, both of whom featured on Essex Honey. In early 2026, he took to the stage in Los Angeles as a repeat performer at the Artists For Aid charity concert to support humanitarian efforts in Palestine and Sudan. Hynes also participated in the previous iteration of the lineup in London in July 2024.
These fun facts are only the tip of the iceberg of Hynes’ twenty-plus-year career. Looking to hear one of his performances live? You can catch Blood Orange on his “Essex Honey Tour Part 3” or at Austin City Limits Music Festival this fall. Not ready to buy a ticket? Try out his latest album, Essex Honey, and look for the next soundtrack to take you through the end of summer. Keep up with what’s next for Blood Orange by following him on Instagram and TikTok.
Want to learn more about your favorite alternative artists? Brush up on your knowledge of singer-songwriter Omar Apollo!
