Young Jonn has rightfully risen to become one of the frontrunning Afrobeats artists of today. His talents expand from award-winning production to singing and from chart-topping songwriting to instrument-playing: this selection of gifts has allowed him to curate the finest afrobeats offerings.
He originally made his name in production, becoming known in the industry as “The Wicked Producer”, before stepping to the forefront with his own music. His solo breakthrough came in the form of the acclaimed single, “Dada” from his first EP, Love Is Not Enough in 2022, which took the music scene by storm and was followed up with a hit remix featuring Davido. From then, the sky has been the limit.
His sophomore project, Love Is Not Enough Vol. 2 was another triumph and he has served up countless collaborations with an array of acclaimed artists including Olamide, King Promise, Tiwa Savage and Asake, to name a few.
Young Jonn’s official debut album, Jiggy Forever was released last month with resounding success, reaching the Top 10 in UK and US charts and number one in Nigeria, an outstanding feat in the current musical climate. Through this body of work, Young Jonn is doing more than just blessing our ears: “The album is a way of expressing myself, it’s a representation of my wild thoughts and all of the different things life has thrown at me.”
Young Jonn sits down with GRM to talk about the success of Jiggy Forever, his artistic journey and how the legacy of his late Mum lives on through his music and continued growth.
Big question to begin with: who is Young Jonn?
“Young Jonn is just a simple guy, a young guy trying to live out his dreams and be the best version of himself. I’m just doing my best to keep going regardless of the strifes of life.”
How was your recent album, Jiggy Forever born?
“I really didn’t know that I was creating an album when I was recording these songs… All of my music is spontaneous, I just love to record, I’m always recording wherever I am. So when it was time to release an album, I had all of these songs and I just put them in one place. We filtered and filtered and I picked the ones that had the emotion that I wanted to put into my debut album.”
What does the “jiggy era” mean to you?
“‘Jiggy’ means staying fresh, staying fly, staying above all of the noise… you just keep moving, you keep going. That’s what ‘jiggy’ is: it’s a lifestyle.”
In your devastatingly moving song, “Stronger”, you open up about losing your Mum. What was the story behind creating this track?
“I was in my feelings that day. I wasn’t planning on recording this type of song, I was initially feeling lovey dovey so I was actually going to do a love song. But then I started recording and this came into my head… It wasn’t something I was keen to share because they were emotions I had buried. But when I started recording, I knew that I had to see it through because it was bigger than me. What makes it even more memorable is that day, I was hanging out with someone who was with me throughout the whole recording process. But before I released the song, she passed away too. Neither she or my mum are here to listen to the song. The track is a special one.”
Wow, that’s heartbreaking. What kept you going through those tough times?
“Making music was my way out. I remember right before I lost my mum, I was at the peak of my production game. After I lost her I didn’t feel like producing much because it requires you to be around a lot of people and mix energies. I wasn’t really in the mood, I was so withdrawn. So in that period, I actually started recording a lot of music for myself. Normally I would share my ideas and give the music out to artists to record, but at that time I was spending so much time by myself. I ended up having so much music lying around and my friends were like, ‘Yo you have to start putting this music out’. So I think that’s what made me evolve into this solo version of myself… It turned out to be a period of growth. That’s why sometimes growth comes through pain. You just have to embrace it. “
You’ll be throwing a listening event for Cancer Research in Nigeria. How important was it to tie the album’s success to this part of your story?
“I lost my mum to breast cancer and I know there are so many women out there who are struggling with this. I feel like everybody knows someone who has lost somebody to breast cancer. So when we had the opportunity, I wanted to raise awareness.”
How young were you when you started making music? Where did it all begin?
“My Dad is a pastor and I grew up playing musical instruments in the church; the drums and the keyboard. I started playing drums at the age of 3. But I was in secondary school when I started making music professionally… My friend introduced me to this computer software and that was the beginning of everything. It wasn’t serious but I played with it so much that I became good at it… then as soon as I got into the studio, that was it. I was so glued, I didn’t want to stop. So I went back home and kept practising until I knew I was good at it. Then somehow I found my way to Lagos and I was working in the same studio that Olamide was recording his album in. That’s where the connection started but it was years before we made songs together… I’ve learnt a lot from Olamide, his work rate is crazy.”
You’ve also worked with a long list of others artists. What else have you learnt from working with others?
“Working with so many artists makes you realise that people are different. God made everybody uniquely so everybody has their own superpower… You have to find your superpower, you have to find your strengths. I’ve come across so many people and each individual has their own thing that they’re the best at. Everybody needs to find their strengths and individuality. “
So what is your superpower?
“My superpower is that I will never stop. Regardless of everything, I know how to keep going. Life has thrown so much at me that I should have given up by now. But I just keep going and keep going. I think that’s my superpower: I never back down. “
You’re already building your legacy. What mark do you want to leave on the world?
“I definitely want to have an impact, I want to have a positive impact. When people think about my life, I want them to be compelled to do the right things. And I want them to say I made great music!”
If you could share a message directly with your fans, what would you say?
“To my fans: you guys are the bedrock of everything. Without you, none of this would be happening. I really appreciate you guys, I appreciate your support, let’s keep it going. Let’s keep it jiggy forever!”
Make sure to enjoy Young Jonn’s debut album, Jiggy Forever, out now.