Jonah Nilsson, lead vocalist for Dirty Loops, a major YouTube sensation, has teamed up with guitar legend Steve Vai the new single โDiamond Ringโ, out today on Jammcard Records. โDiamond Ringโ showcases Nilssonโs incomparable vocal range and stylings accompanied by an incredible guitar solo from Vai, the hero of shredding. Even music icon Quincy Jones, who is a huge fan and champion of Nilsson, makes an appearance in the music video.
โHeโs different though, heโs got the perfect balance of right brain creativity and left brain music theory. Itโs in his blood,โ praises Quincy Jones. โHeโs got soul, with one of the biggest ranges Iโve ever heard.โ
Quincy discovered the Swedish singer and multi-instrumentalist through his work with Dirty Loops, taking Jonah under the wing of his management team for a solo record, due out later this summer. โDiamond Ringโ also features Kristian Kraftling (keys), Jesper the Creator (guitar), Kefa Figaro (drums), and Tobias Grenholm (bass).
“Iโm so so excited to present this song that has been in the works for a long time!โ Jonah shares. โItโs a very dance-friendly song with lots of fun musical elements with Steve Vai ending the song with a crazy solo! I thought to myself, this song needs the most epic, crazy, guitar-hero solo possible and there is only one person who couldโve delivered that. STEVE VAI!”
Jonah and Steve, both powerhouses in their respective talents, ran in similar circles in the music industry, and ultimately bonded over their common interest as master multi-instrumental musicians. They decided to work on โDiamond Ringโ together, giving the song a genre-defying edge that blends rock, soul, R&B, funk and pop together under one roof.
โThereโs a new breed of brilliant evolutionary musicians breaking onto the scene, and this track is the evidence,โ Vai says. โIt takes pop to another dimension of groove, musicality, and overall bad-assery. Itโs amazeballs.”
โDiamond Ringโ follows Jonahโs recent cover of the Michael Jackson classic โBadโ, where he adds his own spin and signature technique to create a version thatโs more powerful than ever. โBadโ featuresJordan Rudess (Dream Theater), Anomalie and Justin Lee Schultz. Jonahโs take on โBadโ beams with all the elements of a worldwide pop star in the making, while paying homage to the soul and spirit that originally made the track a hit in 1987, and adding a modern flavor that gives this version an entire life of its own.
The funk-pop artist has come a long way since his childhood dreams of becoming an artist. Singing has been part of his life essentially since birth. Jonah started singing at his parentโs church choir at the tender age of one. Then, at the onset of his skyrocketing career, Jonahโs life changed overnight when he and a couple long-time friends uploaded their own covers of huge pop hits like Lady Gagaโs โJust Danceโ and Justin Bieberโs โBabyโ to Youtube. The unique covers spread like wildfire in the music community, garnered them millions of views, and got them the attention of many acclaimed artists, namely 16x Grammy Award winning producer David Foster. David took them under his wing and signed the trio named Dirty Loops to their first record deal at Verve Records. And just like that, Jonah went from singing in his friendโs basement to becoming an international touring star.
Jonah has made a name for himself through his pop sensibilities and masterful knowledge of music theory from his studies at the Royal Academy of Music, which set him apart in this new democratized era in which almost anyone can call themselves an artist.
Since Jonahโs early rise to fame, heโs since got a few headliner world tours under his belt and has acquired a significant fanbase of high-profile musicians, including Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine, Brian McKnight, Rodney Jerkins, Dallas Austin, and the incredible Stevie Wonder. Even though thatโs enough for some, Jonahโs humble demeanor continues to push him forward. His cheery outlook on life gives you the sense heโs unphased and ready to continue giving the gift of music.
Jonahโs debut single, โCoffee Breakโ, featuring Richard Bona, was self-produced and released in 2018 โ one version which also features LUCAS from the massively popular K-pop group NCT and released by SM Entertainment. Since then, he has also released a cinematic single โBorrowed Timeโ and the jaw-dropping performance video of โWork Shit Outโ with Dirty Loops. Jonah will continue to share new music, and when asked about how his music will differ from Dirty Loops, he says that the music will continue to have the flirtatious and cheeky sound that they were notorious for, but with more R&B and pop elements.
โI never in a million years thought Iโd be here,โ confesses Jonah. His piercing blue eyes and huge smile gives you the feeling that heโs wholeheartedly telling the truth. โLiving in the present has kept my feet on the ground. I just want to create meaningful music… everything else that happens is extra.โ
