Tobias Jesso Jr.

Canadian singer-songwriter Tobias Jesso Jr.'s plaintive, melodic songs drew comparisons to such '70s-era heavyweights as Randy Newman and led to collaborations with Adele and Sia, as well as his own critically acclaimed solo record, Goon, in 2015. Born Tobias MacDonald Jesso, Jr. in North Vancouver, Canada on July 11, 1985, he began his career backing other acts, including the indie rock band the Sessions. Jesso Jr. later followed several members of that group to Los Angeles, where they served as the group behind aspiring pop singer Melissa Cavatti. Her career failed to ignite, and Jesso Jr. attempted to refashion himself as a songwriter, but a series of unfortunate events, including a biking accident and news that his mother had been diagnosed with cancer, prompted him to return to Vancouver. There, he decided to try his hand as a solo performer, and composed "Just a Dream" on his family's piano. The single, a seemingly gentle lullaby sung by a father to his child after experiencing a dream about the end of the world, attracted widespread attention after Jesso Jr. posted the song on various social networks. He also sent a demo of the song to JR White, bassist for the then-recently defunct band Girls, who arranged to record more material with Jesso Jr. An all-star lineup of performers, including Patrick Carney of the Black Keys and Danielle Haim from Haim, collaborated on what would become Jesso Jr.'s debut solo album, Goon. As with "Just a Dream," Jesso Jr. released several of the songs from the album to the public via social media, which again drew praise from critics and listeners. Pop-soul singer Adele tweeted a link to the single "How Could You Babe," which provided him with even greater exposure. From her gesture, a creative collaboration was forged between Adele and Jesso Jr., which resulted in the songs "When We Were Young" and "Lay Me Down," which were featured on her 25 album, and "Alive," which was written with Sia and featured on her LP This Is Acting. Jesso Jr.'s own album, Goon, was released on True Panther Sounds Records in early 2015.