Jay-Jay Johanson

Jay-Jay Johanson was born Jäje Johansson on 11 October 1968 in Trollhättan, Västra Götaland. His debut album, Whiskey, was released in August 1996. Recorded at Break My Heart Studios in the Stockholm archipelago, the album was characterized by its jazzy vocals over trippy, film noir arrangements.

In 1998, Johanson released Tattoo, taking a step into a more richly textured, poetic ambience. Johansson's third album, Poison, was released in April 2000 and went straight into the French charts at number four. The album featured contributions from Cocteau Twins founder and guitarist Robin Guthrie. The same year Johanson also composed the soundtrack to French director Ilan Duran Cohen's film La Confusion des Genres, and in 2001, Johanson emerged with "Cosmodrome", a sound-and-image installation first exhibited in the French city of Dijon. This art-piece has travelled around the world and was last shown at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris.

Antenna was released in 2002, recorded with assistance from German experimental electronic group Funkstörung. 2004 marked the release of the compilation Prologue, meant for the American market. It was followed by Rush in 2005, an album partly produced by French producer Jean-Pierre Ensuque.

Johanson co-wrote and contributed vocals to The Knife's 2006 song "Marble House".[2] In the spring of 2006, he called together the musicians he had worked with on the three first albums, and January 2007 saw the release of their collaborative effort The Long Term Physical Effects Are Not Yet Known. A tour in promotion of the album kicked off in China and continued to more than thirty cities around the world.

Johanson's eighth studio album Spellbound was released on 2 May 2011.[3] "Dilemma" was released as the album's lead single on 11 March 2011.[4]

After "Cockroach" (2013) and "Opium" (2015), "Bury The Hatchet" (2017), Jay-Jay Johanson releases "Kings Cross". The name of the album is a reference to the London district where Jay-Jay has been based before starting his musical career. "Kings cross" includes "hear Somebody whistle" one of his most popular recent song. This song has been featured in the HBO show "Foodie Love" and also in the movie "Eld & lågor" (Universal Studios). Jay-Jay shares a duet with Jeanne Added on "Fever".

While he is touring all around the world performing in trio or with a full band, Jay-Jay Johanson releases in 2021 "Rorschach Test". The song "Vertigo" is choosen by Ralph Lauren at the spring 2022 to be the soundtrack of the AW22 Runway in New York. in July 2022, Balenciaga picks up "The girl with the sun in her eyes" a piano theme featured on the album "Bury the Hatchet" to be the soundtrack of the AW22 digital campaign. For the fist time Jay-Jay, invited by Zemfira, performed at the Royal Albert Hall in November 2022 introducing for the first time the new songs of his upcoming album including "Finally" a ballad including the 3rd Brahms Symphony.

In March 2023, Jay-Jay introduces "Empty Beds" his first art exhibition in Paris at La Hune and in Brussels at the Hôte Gallery.

In June 2023, his 14th album "FETISH" is released, followed by a worldwide tour for the season 2023-2024.

• Official website