Yussef Dayes Biography: Tour, Wife, Net Worth, Age, Parents, Kids, Songs, Albums, Height
Yussef Dayes is a British jazz drummer, composer, and record producer born on December 12, 1992, in South East London, England.
He is the youngest of four brothers, all of whom were raised in a musically rich household. His mother worked as a primary school teacher and yoga instructor, while his father, of Jamaican Rastafarian descent, played the bass guitar.
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Dayes received his first drum kit at the age of four, and the eclectic mix of country, pop, reggae, and jazz vinyl playing around the family home wove into his rhythmic sensibility. At ten years old, he studied under fusion icon Billy Cobham, an experience that solidified his pursuit of professional musicianship.
As a teenager, he formed the group United Vibrations with his brothers Ahmad Dayes and Kareem Dayes, joined by saxophonist Wayne Francis. The group released Galaxies Not Ghettos in 2011 and The Myth of the Golden Radio in 2016.
His meteoric rise came through the short-lived duo Yussef Kamaal, formed with keyboardist Kamaal Williams. Their sole studio album, Black Focus (2016, Brownswood Recordings), instantly became a blueprint for a generation of music lovers. The project earned them the Jazz FM Award for Best Breakthrough Act in 2017.
He subsequently collaborated with Alfa Mist and Mansur Brown on “Love Is the Message” (2018) and with Rocco Palladino and Charlie Stacey on “Duality” (2019) before joining forces with guitarist and singer Tom Misch for the collaborative album What Kinda Music (2020). The project reached the Top 5 of the UK Album Charts, bringing Dayes to an entirely new mainstream audience.
In 2023, he released his debut solo album, Black Classical Music, featuring collaborators including Shabaka Hutchings, Chronixx, Masego, Elijah Fox, and Malik Venna. The record debuted at number four on the US Billboard jazz chart. In 2025, he teamed up with French producer FKJ for the album Live from the Greenhouse, released in limited-edition vinyl format.
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| Wiki Facts & About Data | |
| Name: | Yussef Dayes |
| Born: | December 12, 1992 (age 33 years old) |
| Place of Birth: | South East London, England |
| State Of Origin: | London, England |
| Nationality: | British |
| Ethnicity: | Mixed (Jamaican-Black and White British) |
| Height: | 5 feet 9 inches (175 cm) |
| Religion: | Rastafari |
| Parents: | Mr. and Mrs. Dayes |
| Siblings: | Ahmad Dayes, Jamal Dayes, Kareem Dayes |
| Relationship: | Not publicly confirmed |
| Children: | Bahia Dayes |
| Occupation: | Drummer, Composer, Record Producer |
| Net Worth: | $1 million-$2 million |
Early Life
Yussef Dayes was born on December 12, 1992, in South East London, England.
His date of birth places him under the Sagittarius zodiac sign, a sign long associated with creative restlessness, a hunger for exploration, and an instinct to push beyond boundaries. Those qualities would prove fitting for a musician who spent his entire career refusing to be boxed in.
He was raised in Lewisham in one of 13 experimental council houses designed by architect Walter Segal, located near woodland areas that lent the property a semi-rural character despite sitting within the rhythms of urban South London. It was an unconventional setting that Dayes has spoken about warmly, describing the space and greenery as a quiet but meaningful influence on the music he would eventually make.
Yussef Dayes is of mixed heritage. His father is of Jamaican Rastafarian descent, while his mother hails from Somerset in the English countryside.
His ethnicity reflects a blend of Black Caribbean and white British ancestry. Given his father’s deep Rastafarian roots, Dayes was raised in a household shaped by the spiritual and cultural values of that tradition, including its reverence for African heritage, natural living, and the power of music as a vehicle for truth.
His father, a Jamaican Rastafarian immigrant and former bassist, earned his living selling imported Caribbean fruits and vegetables. He exposed the family to jazz and reggae records, filling the home with music from his extensive collection.
His mother, with roots in Somerset, worked as a primary school teacher and yoga instructor, maintained a large vinyl collection spanning country music, 1960s pop, and artists like Nina Simone, and was a gifted singer herself. The names of both Mr. and Mrs. Dayes have not been made public.
The household was one where music was not optional. As Dayes recalled: “My parents were strict. If I was gonna do this, I had to take it seriously.” Both parents enforced rigorous discipline around musical pursuits, requiring full dedication from their children and organising regular jam sessions. That culture of discipline and shared creativity shaped every sibling in the family.
Yussef Dayes is the youngest of four brothers: Ahmad Dayes, Jamal Dayes, and Kareem Dayes, all of whom were taught piano. Music was a collective practice rather than an individual hobby. Yussef and his bassist brother Kareem would play along to their father’s records for hours at a time.
Brother Ahmad Dayes went on to produce jungle music, and the siblings performed together at street parties and school talent shows long before they formalized their musical partnership.
No specific schools or higher education institutions attended by Yussef Dayes have been publicly confirmed. His most consequential education came through music and mentorship. At school, many of his peers were aspiring MCs, and he has credited grime and hip-hop as heavily influential to his output, noting: “That same energy and those different flows, I put into my drums.”
At the age of ten, he was given the opportunity to study under fusion icon Billy Cobham, and it was that experience which secured his commitment to professional musicianship. Yussef Dayes considers those sessions with Billy Cobham to have been the most impactful turning point in his entire development as a musician.
Between his father’s jazz and reggae records, his mother’s country and pop vinyl, his brothers’ experiments in jungle and bass music, and the grime energy of his South London schoolmates, Dayes absorbed an unusually wide range of influences from childhood, all of which would surface unmistakably in the music he went on to make.
Career
Yussef Dayes launched his career as a founding member of United Vibrations, the Afrocentric quartet he formed with his brothers Ahmad Dayes and Kareem Dayes and saxophonist Wayne Francis. The band blended Afrobeat with jazz and rock elements, releasing their debut album Galaxies Not Ghettos in 2011. Their 2016 follow-up, The Myth of the Golden Ratio, earned them wider critical recognition across the South London jazz scene.
Dayes and keyboardist Kamaal Williams had first crossed paths in 2007 as teenagers playing pub gigs around Peckham and Camberwell. The project that became Yussef Kamaal was first created almost by chance after Kamaal invited Yussef to appear on Boiler Room alongside him and perform some of the music of Henry Wu live. Their approach was built on spontaneity.
As Dayes put it: “It’s not so much about complete arrangement, it’s more about flow. A lot of the tracks are just made spontaneously.”
Yussef Kamaal sculpted the milestone record Black Focus for Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood imprint in 2016, helping to define the sound of London’s contemporary jazz scene. The album received universal acclaim and earned the duo the Breakthrough Award at the 2017 Jazz FM Awards.
The momentum was cut short when Dayes’ visa was revoked under the Trump administration hours before a scheduled SXSW appearance. All involved suspected the denial was rooted in discrimination based on religion and race. Weeks later, Yussef Kamaal announced its split.
Dayes met keyboardist Alfa Mist in 2017, and within a year the two collaborated on singles “Blacked Out” and “Love Is the Message,” recorded live at Abbey Road Studios with guitarist Mansur Brown and bassist Rocco Palladino. He also worked with Charlie Stacey on the 2019 release “Duality.”
Dayes crossed paths with Tom Misch at a recording session for Loyle Carner’s single “Angel,” and the pair stayed on in the studio to jam and record. The result was What Kinda Music, released in 2020 through Blue Note Records, which reached the Top 5 of the UK album charts.
Beyond his own projects, Dayes contributed to Wizkid’s Made in Lagos album, produced for Kali Uchis and Kehlani, and maintained a creative relationship with the late Virgil Abloh, who hand-picked him to soundtrack a Louis Vuitton dinner show for Paris Men’s Fashion Week and invited him to perform at the Louis Vuitton Museum in Paris.
In 2021, Dayes formed the Yussef Dayes Trio with Rocco Palladino and Charlie Stacey, releasing the live album Welcome to the Hills, followed by the EP The Yussef Dayes Experience: Live at Joshua Tree in 2022.
His debut solo studio album, Black Classical Music, arrived in September 2023 through Brownswood Recordings and Nonesuch Records. The 19-track record featured Shabaka Hutchings, Tom Misch, Chronixx, Masego, Elijah Fox, Rocco Palladino, and Leon Thomas, among others. It debuted at number four on the US Billboard jazz chart. In 2025, he joined French multi-instrumentalist FKJ for Live from the Greenhouse, an intentionally unplanned live session recorded near London, released in limited-edition vinyl format.
Social Media
- Wikipedia: Yussef Dayes
- Facebook: Yussef Dayes (@yussefdayes)
- Instagram: 𝓨𝓾𝓼𝓼𝓮𝓯 🐚 (@yussefdayes)
- YouTube: Yussef Dayes
Personal Life
Yussef Dayes was born on December 12, 1992, making him 33 years old.
He has not publicly confirmed his marital status, and no record of a marriage exists in the public domain. There is no confirmed dating history either, as Dayes has kept his romantic life largely away from the press.
During a 2020 interview, Dayes mentioned he was quarantined with his girlfriend and their daughter, who was two months old at the time. The identity of his girlfriend has not been publicly confirmed.
His daughter’s name is Bahia Dayes, and he shared photos of her on Instagram in February 2021 for her first birthday. Bahia Dayes later appeared as a featured artist on the track “The Light” from his 2023 solo album Black Classical Music. He has one child.
Yussef Dayes stands at approximately 5 feet 9 inches (175 cm) tall. His weight has not been publicly disclosed.
Net Worth
Yussef Dayes has built his wealth through album sales, live performances, record production, brand collaborations, and his own imprint, Cashmere Thoughts Recordings.
His income streams span royalties from critically acclaimed projects such as Black Focus, What Kinda Music, and Black Classical Music, as well as production credits for artists including Wizkid, Kehlani, and Kali Uchis, and high-profile fashion partnerships with the late Virgil Abloh and Louis Vuitton.
Yussef Dayes’ net worth is estimated at $1 million to $2 million. His profile has grown significantly since the release of Black Classical Music in 2023, and his ongoing touring activity and collaborative output continue to add to his earnings.
Discography
Albums
- Black Focus (2016) as Yussef Kamaal (with Kamaal Williams) — Brownswood Recordings
- What Kinda Music (2020) with Tom Misch — Blue Note Records
- Black Classical Music (2023) — Brownswood Recordings / Nonesuch Records
- Live from the Greenhouse (2025) with FKJ — Secondtrack
EPs
- The Yussef Dayes Experience: Live at Joshua Tree (2022) — Brownswood Recordings
- What Kinda Music (Bonus Tracks) (2020) with Tom Misch
Live Albums
- Welcome to the Hills (2020) with Rocco Palladino and Charlie Stacey
- The Yussef Dayes Experience: Live at Malibu (2024)
- Live from Mt. Fuji (2026) — featuring Minami Kizuki, Venna, Rocco Palladino, and Elijah Fox
Singles
- “Blacked Out” (2018) with Alfa Mist
- “Love Is the Message” (2018) with Alfa Mist
- “Love Is the Message (Live at Abbey Road Studios)” (2018) with Alfa Mist, Mansur Brown, and Rocco Palladino
- “Duality” (2019) — AA single featuring “For My Ladies” and “Othello”
- “Nightrider” (2020) with Tom Misch (feat. Freddie Gibbs)
- “What Kinda Music” (2020) with Tom Misch
- “Sicily’ Box” (2022) with Venna
- “Black Classical Music” (2023) feat. Venna and Charlie Stacey
- “Rust” (2023) feat. Tom Misch
- “The Light” (2023) feat. Bahia Dayes
- “Pon di Plaza” (2023) feat. Chronixx
- “Marching Band / Tioga Pass” (2023)
- “Chasing the Drum” (2023)
- “The Colour Purple” (2024)
- “Amami” (2025) feat. Minami Kizuki
As United Vibrations (with brothers Ahmad Dayes and Kareem Dayes)
- Galaxies Not Ghettos (2011)
- The Myth of the Golden Ratio (2016)
What People Ask
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