Biography
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Born In
Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan
Singer and songwriter Jonah Yano introduced a smooth, jazz-inflected soul-pop further tinged with hip-hop and electronic elements on his 2020 debut album, "souvenir". The lengthier follow-up, "2023's portrait of a dog", dived deeper into his love of jazz with help from producers, BADBADNOTGOOD.
Born in Hiroshima, Yano emigrated to Vancouver with his mother in 1998, when very young, after the separation of his parents. At the age of six, his grandmother introduced him to the piano; later, he picked up the guitar and started writing his own songs. In 2016, he began recording demos on his phone; moving to Toronto, he started putting songs online and immersed himself in the thriving local music scene, gradually honing his skills. His first recorded appearance was in 2018, when he was featured on indie pop-rap duo MONEYPHONE's track "On Lock". Shortly thereafter, he released his own debut single, "Rolex, the Ocean," on which his signature sound arrived fully formed: smooth, jazzy soul-pop set to hip-hop-style beats, topped with Yano's high-pitched, impassioned vocals. In 2019, he signed to Innovative Leisure, which released his debut EP, "Nervous". On it he collaborated with labelmates BADBADNOTGOOD and expanded his sound with more electronic elements. The following year saw the release of Yano's debut full-length, "souvenir". A deeply personal work, its centerpiece being "shoes", a song originally written and recorded by Yano's father, Tatsuya Muraoka, in the '90s and completed by Yano following their 2019 reconciliation.
Yano rejoined BADBADNOTGOOD in the studio to co-produce his next long-player, early 2023's "portrait of a dog". One part family archival project and one part a breakup album, it shifted his complex musical balance more conspicuously toward jazz and deliberate instrumental passages. Representing his still wide-ranging stylistic approach, guests included artist Slauson Malone of Standing on the Corner and Montreal indie musician Sea Oleena.
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