Jonah Yano
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, leaned harder into his love of jazz with help from producer 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 solo 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 was "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. Part a family archival project and partly 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 rapper Slauson Malone and Montreal indie musician Sea Oleena.
© John D. Buchanan & Marcy Donelson /TiVo
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Discography
21 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Key to Love (Is Understanding)
Badbadnotgood, Jonah Yano, Majestics
Soul - Released by Light in the Attic Records & Distribution on Dec. 6, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
it takes 2
Folk - Released by Innovative Leisure on Apr. 2, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
the little italy demos
Folk - Released by Innovative Leisure on Apr. 5, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
the speed of sound! (Yu Su's Off Speed Remix)
Electronic - Released by Innovative Leisure on Aug. 29, 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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poor me - A COLORS ENCORE
Alternative & Indie - Released by COLORSxSTUDIOS on Oct. 20, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
portrait of a dog
Alternative & Indie - Released by Peoples Champ on Jan. 27, 2023
Qobuzissime24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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This Time Around
Alternative & Indie - Released by Innovative Leisure on Nov. 17, 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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delicate - A COLORS SHOW
Alternative & Indie - Released by COLORSxSTUDIOS on Oct. 19, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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song about the family house
Folk - Released by Peoples Champ on Jan. 11, 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
always / the speed of sound!
Soul - Released by Peoples Champ on Sep. 7, 2022
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
the ordinary is ordinary because it ordinarily repeat
Jazz - Released by Peoples Champ on Jan. 23, 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo