diff --git a/emmental/__init__.py b/emmental/__init__.py
index ca1e73c..ae87671 100644
--- a/emmental/__init__.py
+++ b/emmental/__init__.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 # Copyright 2022 (c) Anna Schumaker.
 """Set up our Application."""
+import musicbrainzngs
 import pathlib
 from . import gsetup
 from . import audio
@@ -147,6 +148,8 @@ class Application(Adw.Application):
         self.player = audio.Player()
 
         gsetup.add_style()
+        musicbrainzngs.set_useragent(f"emmental{gsetup.DEBUG_STR}",
+                                     f"{MAJOR_VERSION}.{MINOR_VERSION}")
         self.db.load()
 
         self.win = self.build_window()
diff --git a/emmental/db/tagger.py b/emmental/db/tagger.py
index 5a3e912..81212f5 100644
--- a/emmental/db/tagger.py
+++ b/emmental/db/tagger.py
@@ -1,9 +1,14 @@
 # Copyright 2022 (c) Anna Schumaker
 """A wrapper around Mutagen to help us read tags."""
+import emmental.audio.tagger
+import musicbrainzngs
+import pathlib
+import threading
 from gi.repository import GObject
 from .. import audio
 from . import albums
 from . import artists
+from . import connection
 from . import decades
 from . import media
 from . import genres
@@ -97,3 +102,84 @@ class Tags:
         if raw_year:
             year = self.db.years.lookup(raw_year)
             return year if year else self.db.years.create(raw_year)
+
+
+class Thread(threading.Thread):
+    """A thread for tagging files without blocking the UI."""
+
+    def __init__(self):
+        """Initialize the Tagger Thread."""
+        super().__init__()
+        self.ready = threading.Event()
+
+        self._connection = None
+        self._condition = threading.Condition()
+        self._file = None
+        self._tags = None
+        self.start()
+
+    def __close_connection(self) -> None:
+        if self._connection:
+            self._connection.close()
+        self._connection = None
+
+    def __get_connection(self) -> connection.Connection:
+        if not self._connection:
+            self._connection = connection.Connection()
+        return self._connection
+
+    def __check_artist(self, artist: audio.tagger._Artist) -> None:
+        if artist.name is None and len(artist.mbid) > 0:
+            sql = self.__get_connection()
+            cur = sql("SELECT name FROM artists WHERE mbid=?", artist.mbid)
+            if row := cur.fetchone():
+                artist.name = row["name"]
+            else:
+                mb_res = musicbrainzngs.get_artist_by_id(artist.mbid)
+                artist.name = mb_res["artist"]["name"]
+
+    def get_result(self, db: GObject.TYPE_PYOBJECT) \
+            -> tuple[pathlib.Path | None, Tags | None]:
+        """Return the resulting Tags structure."""
+        with self._condition:
+            if not self.ready.is_set():
+                return (None, None)
+
+            tags = Tags(db, self._tags) if self._tags else None
+            res = (self._file, tags)
+            self._file = None
+            self._tags = None
+            return res
+
+    def run(self) -> None:
+        """Sleep until we have work to do."""
+        with self._condition:
+            self.ready.set()
+
+            while self._condition.wait():
+                if self._file is None:
+                    break
+
+                if tags := emmental.audio.tagger.tag_file(self._file):
+                    for artist in tags.artists:
+                        self.__check_artist(artist)
+
+                self._tags = tags
+                self.ready.set()
+
+            self.__close_connection()
+
+    def stop(self) -> None:
+        """Stop the thread."""
+        with self._condition:
+            self._file = None
+            self._condition.notify()
+        self.join()
+
+    def tag_file(self, file: pathlib.Path) -> None:
+        """Tag a file."""
+        with self._condition:
+            self.ready.clear()
+            self._file = file
+            self._tags = None
+            self._condition.notify()
diff --git a/tests/db/test_tagger.py b/tests/db/test_tagger.py
index 034a1e6..dd5e68d 100644
--- a/tests/db/test_tagger.py
+++ b/tests/db/test_tagger.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 # Copyright 2022 (c) Anna Schumaker
 """Tests our Mutagen wrapper."""
 import pathlib
+import threading
 import unittest.mock
 import emmental.db.tagger
 import tests.util
@@ -144,3 +145,139 @@ class TestTags(tests.util.TestCase):
         self.assertEqual(tags.year.year, 1988)
 
         self.assertEqual(self.make_tags(raw_tags).year, tags.year)
+
+
+@unittest.mock.patch("emmental.audio.tagger.tag_file")
+class TestTaggerThread(tests.util.TestCase):
+    """Test the tagger thread behavior."""
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        """Set up common variables."""
+        super().setUp()
+        self.tagger = emmental.db.tagger.Thread()
+        self.tags = dict()
+
+    def tearDown(self):
+        """Clean up."""
+        super().tearDown()
+        self.tagger.stop()
+
+    def make_tags(self, tags: dict) -> emmental.db.tagger.Tags:
+        """Set up and return our Tags object."""
+        return emmental.audio.tagger._Tags(pathlib.Path("/a/b/c.ogg"), tags)
+
+    def test_init(self, mock_file: unittest.mock.Mock):
+        """Test that the tagger thread was initialized properly."""
+        self.assertIsInstance(self.tagger, threading.Thread)
+        self.assertIsInstance(self.tagger._condition, threading.Condition)
+        self.assertTrue(self.tagger.is_alive())
+
+    def test_stop(self, mock_file: unittest.mock.Mock):
+        """Test the stop function."""
+        mock_connection = unittest.mock.Mock()
+        mock_connection.close = unittest.mock.Mock()
+
+        self.tagger._file = "abcde"
+        self.tagger._connection = mock_connection
+
+        with unittest.mock.patch.object(self.tagger._condition, "notify",
+                                        wraps=self.tagger._condition.notify) \
+                as mock_notify:
+            self.tagger.stop()
+            self.assertIsNone(self.tagger._file)
+            mock_notify.assert_called()
+
+        self.assertFalse(self.tagger.is_alive())
+        self.assertIsNone(self.tagger._connection)
+        mock_connection.close.assert_called()
+
+    def test_tag_file(self, mock_file: unittest.mock.Mock):
+        """Test asking the thread to tag a file."""
+        self.assertIsInstance(self.tagger.ready, threading.Event)
+        self.assertIsNone(self.tagger._file)
+        self.assertIsNone(self.tagger._tags)
+        self.assertTrue(self.tagger.ready.is_set())
+
+        mock_file.return_value = None
+        self.tagger.ready.set()
+        self.tagger._tags = 12345
+        self.tagger.tag_file(pathlib.Path("/a/b/c.ogg"))
+        self.assertFalse(self.tagger.ready.is_set())
+        self.assertEqual(self.tagger._file, pathlib.Path("/a/b/c.ogg"))
+        self.assertIsNone(self.tagger._tags)
+
+        self.tagger.ready.wait()
+        self.assertIsNone(self.tagger._tags)
+        mock_file.assert_called_with(pathlib.Path("/a/b/c.ogg"))
+
+        mock_file.return_value = self.tags
+        self.tagger.tag_file(pathlib.Path("/a/b/c.ogg"))
+        self.tagger.ready.wait()
+        self.assertIsNotNone(self.tagger._tags)
+
+    def test_get_result(self, mock_file: unittest.mock.Mock):
+        """Test creating a Tags structure after tagging."""
+        mock_file.return_value = None
+        self.tagger.tag_file(pathlib.Path("/a/b/c.ogg"))
+        self.assertTupleEqual(self.tagger.get_result(self.sql), (None, None))
+
+        self.tagger.ready.wait()
+        self.assertTupleEqual(self.tagger.get_result(self.sql),
+                              (pathlib.Path("/a/b/c.ogg"), None))
+        self.assertIsNone(self.tagger._file)
+
+        mock_file.return_value = self.make_tags(dict())
+        self.tagger.tag_file(pathlib.Path("/a/b/c.ogg"))
+        self.tagger.ready.wait()
+        (file, tags) = self.tagger.get_result(self.sql)
+        self.assertEqual(file, pathlib.Path("/a/b/c.ogg"))
+        self.assertIsInstance(tags, emmental.db.tagger.Tags)
+        self.assertIsNone(self.tagger._file)
+        self.assertIsNone(self.tagger._tags)
+
+    @unittest.mock.patch("emmental.db.connection.Connection.__call__")
+    @unittest.mock.patch("musicbrainzngs.get_artist_by_id")
+    def test_tag_file_lookup_mbid(self, mock_get_artist: unittest.mock.Mock,
+                                  mock_connection: unittest.mock.Mock,
+                                  mock_file: unittest.mock.Mock):
+        """Test looking up artists with an MBID but no name after tagging."""
+        audio_tags = self.make_tags({"albumartist": ["No Artist"],
+                                     "musicbrainz_albumartistid":
+                                     ["ab-cd-ef", "gh-ij-kl"]})
+        mock_file.return_value = audio_tags
+        mock_get_artist.return_value = {"artist": {"name": "Some Artist"}}
+
+        mock_cursor = unittest.mock.Mock()
+        mock_cursor.fetchone = unittest.mock.Mock(return_value=None)
+        mock_connection.return_value = mock_cursor
+
+        self.tagger.tag_file(pathlib.Path("/a/b/c.ogg"))
+        self.tagger.ready.wait()
+        self.assertEqual(audio_tags.artists[0].name, "Some Artist")
+        self.assertEqual(audio_tags.artists[1].name, "Some Artist")
+
+    @unittest.mock.patch("emmental.db.connection.Connection.__call__")
+    @unittest.mock.patch("musicbrainzngs.get_artist_by_id")
+    def test_tag_file_lookup_sql(self, mock_get_artist: unittest.mock.Mock,
+                                 mock_connection: unittest.mock.Mock,
+                                 mock_file: unittest.mock.Mock):
+        """Test looking up unnamed artists in the database."""
+        audio_tags = self.make_tags({"albumartist": ["No Artist"],
+                                     "musicbrainz_albumartistid":
+                                     ["ab-cd-ef", "gh-ij-kl"]})
+        mock_file.return_value = audio_tags
+        mock_get_artist.return_value = {"artist": {"name": None}}
+
+        mock_row = {"name": "Some Artist"}
+        mock_cursor = unittest.mock.Mock()
+        mock_cursor.fetchone = unittest.mock.Mock(return_value=mock_row)
+        mock_connection.return_value = mock_cursor
+
+        self.assertIsNone(self.tagger._connection)
+
+        self.tagger.tag_file(pathlib.Path("/a/b/c.ogg"))
+        self.tagger.ready.wait()
+        self.assertIsInstance(self.tagger._connection,
+                              emmental.db.connection.Connection)
+        self.assertEqual(audio_tags.artists[0].name, "Some Artist")
+        self.assertEqual(audio_tags.artists[1].name, "Some Artist")
diff --git a/tests/test_emmental.py b/tests/test_emmental.py
index 4fd0c28..4291f3f 100644
--- a/tests/test_emmental.py
+++ b/tests/test_emmental.py
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ class TestEmmental(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertEqual(self.application.get_property("resource-base-path"),
                          "/com/nowheycreamery/emmental")
 
+    @unittest.mock.patch("musicbrainzngs.set_useragent")
     @unittest.mock.patch("sys.stdout")
     @unittest.mock.patch("gi.repository.Adw.Application.add_window")
     @unittest.mock.patch("emmental.db.Connection.load")
@@ -39,7 +40,8 @@ class TestEmmental(unittest.TestCase):
     def test_startup(self, mock_startup: unittest.mock.Mock,
                      mock_load: unittest.mock.Mock,
                      mock_add_window: unittest.mock.Mock,
-                     mock_stdout: unittest.mock.Mock):
+                     mock_stdout: unittest.mock.Mock,
+                     mock_set_useragent: unittest.mock.Mock):
         """Test that the startup signal works as expected."""
         self.assertIsNone(self.application.db)
         self.assertIsNone(self.application.mpris)
@@ -56,6 +58,7 @@ class TestEmmental(unittest.TestCase):
         mock_startup.assert_called()
         mock_load.assert_called()
         mock_add_window.assert_called_with(self.application.win)
+        mock_set_useragent.assert_called_with("emmental-debug", "3.0")
 
     @unittest.mock.patch("sys.stdout")
     @unittest.mock.patch("gi.repository.Adw.Application.add_window")