Jonah Yano's Homecoming

Jonah Yano is a Hiroshima-born, Montreal-based singer-songwriter, whose music journey began in 2016. He started gaining recognition in Toronto’s music scene when he began putting his music online, which led to collaborating with artists like MONEYPHONE and Joseph L'etranger on his debut solo single, "Rolex, the Ocean." He was introduced to his frequent collaborators, BADBADNOTGOOD, once he began writing his full EP. They are featured on that EP’s title track, “nervous” and have since then collaborated on a few tracks, Jonah’s debut LP titled “souvenir” which was released in 2020, and his sophomore LP titled "portrait of a dog," released in January 2023. "portrait of a dog” is produced entirely in collaboration with BADBADNOTGOOD and features guest work from Slauson Malone, Sea Oleena, with string arrangements by Eliza Niemi, Leland Whitty, and Yano himself.

In a heartfelt and candid interview, we caught up with Jonah after his sold out, acoustic performance at CITAN in Tokyo, Japan. As our jetlag-fueled conversation unfolded, we discussed the inspiration behind "portrait of a dog,” his latest album that explores his personal experiences, notably his past relationship, his Japanese-Canadian identity, and family dynamics. Jonah opened up about the album's unique artwork and shared his inspiration for the album’s overall sound. We also talked about the collaborative spirit of the recording process, the emotional weight of touring in Japan, and our experiences reuniting with family after years of absence. The interview wrapped up with a glimpse into Jonah's aspirations for future collaborations, including his dream of working with contemporary R&B songwriter Tirzah and producer Mica Levi. He also revealed his top three albums of 2023 so far.

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Yna

Hi Jonah, my name’s Yna. How’s it going?

Jonah

Hey, how’s it going?

Yna

My family and I were just in Manila, Philippines visiting relatives and we flew here today. It’s been a very long but fun journey. The show was so good!

Jonah

Hell yeah. Thank you. Thanks for coming straight from the airport to my show.

Yna

I really wanted to catch your show while we were out here. It was sold out and I didn't even think I'd get a photo pass really, but it all worked out.

Jonah

Hell yeah.

Yna

Can I ask you what the inspiration is behind the title and also the album artwork?

Jonah

Sure, yeah. So, the album artwork is like a painting that my ex-girlfriend did and the name of the album is the name of the painting. And the album's kind of about our separation and also about, like, the themes I was exploring at the time. So, yeah.

Yna

Cool, cool. Do you have any like direct inspiration or references for the sound of the album?

Jonah

For sure, yeah, like um, a big one is Feist, I love Feist. I really love the way she like, uses her voice like, so, dynamically. Her, for sure. I really love like, you know, a lot of jazz music, obviously. John Coltrane.

Yna

I listened to your first album, and it was so different from this one.

Jonah

Yeah, definitely. Very different, yeah.

Yna

I love the long instrumentals where the band would just play. When you guys were recording, was it just like an open area, or were you guys recording separately?

Jonah

No, we were all in the same room together.

Yna

Really? That's awesome.

Jonah

Except the vocals. Thank you so much. Except the vocals were done separately.

Yna

Oh yeah? That must've been so much fun. I feel like that was just like one big jam session. I've seen Dijon and the way he does his stuff.

Jonah

Oh yeah for sure.

Yna

How does it feel to play in Japan? Is it your first time playing here?

Jonah

Yeah, it's, I mean, it's honestly deeply overwhelming. Um, I still haven't like, fully recovered from the jet lag yet.

Yna

Yeah, your first show was yesterday?

Jonah

I got here on Monday. And, I don't know, it's like a lot of emotional and actual information to like, think about and deal with. And like, it's honestly a really great experience and I'm like very happy I'm doing it. It doesn't come without, um, some sort of like, yet-to-be-unraveled anxieties that I have, to be honest.

Yna

I see, I see. And you're still touring this week and next week, right?

Jonah

Yeah, till the 15th. 15th, right. Yeah.

Yna

That's really cool. Do you still have family that live out here, or no?

Jonah

Yeah, yeah, my dad lives here. So see him in a couple of days. I haven't seen him in like four years. So I think that's probably a part of how I'm feeling.

Yna

I went to Manila for the first time after like 20 years, and like seeing all my family after so long felt really weird.

Jonah

For sure.

Yna

Might be how you feel as well.

Jonah

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's like a it's a super weird, jarring feeling, hey? But it's obviously really nice once you're, once you're there.

Yna

And then you don't ever want to leave.

Jonah

Yeah, yeah. The warm, like, circle of family.

Yna

Is there anyone that you would like to collab with in the future or work with in the future?

Jonah

I'd really love to work with Tirzah. She's like a, I don't even know how to describe it, like contemporary songwriter R&B from London.

Yna

Okay, cool.

Jonah

And, yeah, she's made a bunch of, three really amazing records with Mica Levi, formerly known as Micachu, as the producer and I would love to work with the both of them at some point. That's like a dream one.

Yna

Awesome. And then, last one. What are your top three albums of 2023 so far? Do you keep a running list?

Jonah

Well, I just have, I just have to like look through. I was listening to the new Drake. Okay, this year...let's put the Tirzah one in there. Trip 9 Love. Oh, Natural Wonder Beauty Concept. This is a collaboration between um, Ana Roxanne and DJ Python. Oh, and this one's amazing. The Window Is The Dream by Jana Horn.

Yna

Okay, I'll check those out. Yours is in my top three actually, I listen to it almost every single day.

Jonah

Oh shit. Thank you.

Yna

Thank you so much, Jonah.

Jonah

Yeah, no problem.

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