Young Jonn has global domination on the mind. And the Nigerian star is well on his way to achieving it.
Boasting a flavorsome sound honed by his work as a producer with the likes of Davido and Tiwa Savage, the star is shining in on his own accord as he sets sail on his artistic journey.
Immediately igniting flames with scorching jams such as ‘Aquafina’ and ‘Big Big Things,’ the multihyphenate music maestro cements his must-hear status with the arrival of his debut album ‘Jiggy Forever.’
A delicious collection of 16 seismic tracks, the LP takes listeners on a journey through various lyrical, emotional, and sonic soundscapes.
That Grape Juice caught up with Joung Jonn, who opened up in earnest about his journey, ‘Jiggy Forever,’ and dream collaborations with the likes of Chris Brown and Nicki Minaj.
Join us after the jump…
That Grape Juice (Sam): You define multi-hyphenate. Artist. Producer. Songwriter. You do it all. For those who don’t know, tell us a little about how you got into music.
Young Jonn: I didn’t plan it, but it was kind of inevitable because I grew up in the church, I was always playing drums and keyboard. So, I was basically always around music at almost every point. When I was in school, my friend showed me the Fruit Loops software and I was just messing around with it. It was a hobby, then I got good at it along the way, and that was how it all started.
That Grape Juice: And the rest, as they say, is history! Who are some of your key influences?
Young Jonn: Growing up, I used to listen to a lot of everything, because my uncle always used to bring in CDs when visiting. A mix of everything, both local music and international music.
That Grape Juice: Congratulations on the success of your album ‘Jiggy Forever’! A chart-topper with over 70 million streams and counting!
What was your intention when heading into the studio to craft this project? As a music lover, I hear an artist, but I also hear a producer…I’m hearing music for the club but I’m hearing guitar and violin solos and outros. What was your goal with this record?
Young Jonn: With this project, I was just expressing myself, just in a pure form. Because, apart from naturally being a producer, I love instrumentation. I love the violins, I love the guitar. Like, that’s why when you listen to the project, you can see a lot of places that allow the instruments to breathe, to do their own thing, even without vocals. So, creating the album, I just wanted people to be able to capture that feeling, that feeling of freedom, of being active, of just feeling jiggy, jiggy forever. Like, I just wanted the project to make you feel… jiggy.
That Grape Juice: Tracks like ‘Big Big Things,’ ‘Pot of Gold,’ ‘Showcase’ and more are faves of ours. What are your faves?
Young Jonn: Well, I don’t really have any favorites. Like, I love all the songs, but I love ‘Stronger,’ too. I love ‘Tony Montana.’ I have personal experiences to the songs, so, yes, they kind of resonate with me.
That Grape Juice: Do you want to open up a little bit more about what those personal experiences are?
Young Jonn: Well, ‘Stronger’ is a song about my mum and the times and how I wish she was still here and all of that. So, that is a personal favorite for me because of the way it touches me, the experience attached to it. ‘Tony Montana’ on the other hand is a prayer song. It’s a song of prayer, praying to God to open the ways for you, to shine the light on you just like that. And I feel, not just me, but everybody at some point in life has been in some point where they just look at God and just be, see me through this space. So, yeah, those songs are resonating with me too.
That Grape Juice: You have a number of heavy hitters on the record like Sean Paul, Kizz Daniel, and Blaqbonez. What was it like working with your collaborators on the project?
Young Jonn: Yeah, well, it was fun and I won’t even lie. It was seamless and stress-free because apart from Sean Paul, every other person that I had a song with on that project is someone I’ve worked with previously. We’ve had a [previous] working relationship apart from Sean Paul and Don Jazzy. It’s someone that I’d either be featured on their project before or produced for them before, but I have a relationship with these people. So, none of the collaborations were forced collaborations. It just happened seamlessly and up the vibe. We just freely were creating basically. Yeah.
That Grape Juice: You’ve worked with the likes of Tiwa Savage, Davido, and even Sean Paul (on this album). Are there any dream collaborations you have moving forward?
Young Jonn: Yes, definitely. I would love to collaborate with Chris Brown, Rod Wave, Ed Sheeran, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna. I mean, everybody can dream, right? So, I definitely want to have collaborations with people that I’ve always been listening to and have a huge influence too.
That Grape Juice: As someone who is making a mark in front of the scenes and behind, what has been the best advice you’ve received?
Young Jonn: You just have to keep going, regardless of what it is, because you don’t have a choice. Like, are you going to stop now? Like, it’s too late to stop now. Can’t stop, won’t stop. So, that’s my only advice. And I feel that’s what matters the most. Regardless of the speed at which you’re going, that doesn’t really matter. What matters most is that you keep going. Even on your weak days, keep going. On your strong days, keep going. When you feel lit, keep going. When you feel down, just keep going.
That Grape Juice: Wise words!
Young Jonn: Also, I believe there’s nobody that can’t make a mistake. So, I always have no regrets, because I feel like everybody will have personal experiences of life, but I don’t know. So, it’s always, you can’t really judge someone else’s mistake by your own. So, everybody will have their own different, unique encounters in life. Like, if you make a mistake, fine, just pick yourself up regardless. So, I don’t think there’s any need to be too careful in life. Because how careful can you actually be?
That Grape Juice: Rounding up, for those getting to know you, your sound, your artistry. What are three songs from Jiggy Forever that best exemplify who you are as an artist?
Young Jonn: I think I would say ‘Bahamas,’ I really like that one. Of course, ‘Big Big Things. ‘Bucket List.’ ‘Pot of Gold’ too.
That Grape Juice: We hear you’re gearing up to go on tour, what can people expect from your stage show?
Young Jonn: It’s just Jiggy vibes all through. Jiggy vibes, that’s all I can say. It’s going to be a party. We’re going to run through the album, run through songs from the past too also. Just have an experience, basically a Jiggy experience. And just celebrate the discography so far.
That Grape Juice: What’s next for Young Jonn?
Young Jonn: I’m going to be on the road a lot this year. I’m touring Europe, I’m touring Canada, and I’m also touring America. So, there’s going to be a lot of, I’m hoping to meet the fans, I’m hoping they come out, let’s have a personal experience, and that’s really what there’s going to be a lot of that for me this year. And then more music, definitely, definitely more music.
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