Surrey producer wins fourth Grammy on Kendrick track

A University of Surrey graduate who engineered and mixed Kendrick Lamar's album GNX has won his fourth Grammy Award.

Oli Jacobs, who graduated from Surrey's Music and Sound Recording (Tonmeister) degree in 2014, won Record of the Year at this year's Grammy Awards for his work on Kendrick Lamar and SZA's Luther.

Jacobs has had 11 Grammy nominations and previously won Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical in 2025 for Peter Gabriel's i/o and two Grammys in 2023 for Harry Styles' Harry's House.

Dr Russell Mason, Tonmeister programme director at the Guildford campus, said: "To win a Grammy for the second consecutive year puts him among an elite group in Grammy history."

"His success also reflects the distinctive approach of the Tonmeister degree," Mason said. "It shows what's possible when you combine technical excellence with genuine musical artistry, which has been the foundation of our course since 1970."

The university said the music course had produced numerous Grammy, Oscar, Bafta and Emmy winners since its first cohort graduated in 1974.

Alongside his win, Jacobs was also nominated this year for Record of the Year for Luther, Record of the Year for Sabrina Carpenter's Manchild, and Album of the Year for Carpenter's Man's Best Friend.

Now based in Los Angeles, Jacobs has become one of the most sought-after engineers in the music industry, working with artists including Taylor Swift, Doja Cat, and Sam Fender.

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