In the UK, James Ford recorded an album while being treated for leukemia
In London, United Kingdom, music producer James Ford recorded the solo album Lost In Another World from a hospital bed while undergoing chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia. He created the record in two weeks and released it under his full name, James Ellis Ford.
As ABC News Australia reports, Ford had felt unwell since Christmas 2024, and the following April he was hospitalized to undergo chemotherapy. Between treatment courses, as his strength gradually returned, he worked on music.
Music in a hospital room
Ford's wife brought him a minimal set of equipment to the hospital, which he used to write and record compositions. During treatment, the musician was kept in isolation to protect his immune system. According to Ford, medical staff watched his work between procedures with surprise, but were interested in it and supported him.
Ford sent song drafts to his father and friends, including Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner and singer-songwriter Bill Ryder-Jones, to receive feedback. He explained that working on the material helped him distract himself from the circumstances of treatment and bring music back into everyday life.
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The album includes 12 tracks featuring analog synthesizers, programmed beats, and elements of experimental pop. Ford said he wanted to make dance music to improve his mood and focus on the positive. After leaving the hospital, he returned to the recorded material but decided not to interfere with it too much and handed the mixing over to another person in order to preserve the atmosphere of that period.
Work on a charity compilation
Ford also oversaw the preparation of the charity album HELP(2), created together with the organization War Child. The release included works by Depeche Mode, Pulp, Fontaines D.C., Foals, Wet Leg, Beabadoobee, Black Country, New Road, and other performers.
After chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, on the eve of a major session at London's Abbey Road studio, his condition worsened again. The producer ended up in intensive care and later returned to the same room at St Bartholomew's Hospital. There, he mixed the Arctic Monkeys track Opening Night and worked remotely with The Last Dinner Party and Olivia Rodrigo.
