Songwriter Spotlight: Tobias Jesso Jr. - He Can Navigate Through Genres Effortlessly
- Monica Soriano
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
The multi-talented singer-songwriter is known in the music industry for writing with some of the biggest names including Justin Bieber, Dua Lipa and Niall Horan.
Article Contributed by Monica Soriano
His Journey In Music
From a non musical family to bringing music to many households.
The Canadian-born musician unknowingly planted seeds for his successful career early on in his teens. It was in his 20s that his career started to sprout. Some people have a direct path to their artistry, but Tobias Jesso Jr. took a few side quests. While many people with his success grow up in musically inclined households, he didn’t. In an interview with Drowned in Sound, he stated he grew up in a tone deaf home and that “there was never music playing in my house”. He taught himself how to play guitar in high school, as music was always an interest. It was in a period of stillness in his hometown of North Vancouver where he created the songs that would eventually lead him to the path to be a 2x Grammy award-winning songwriter. He released his first solo project ‘Goon’ which gained attention from the right people. He also co-wrote for Adele and Sia in the same year as a new songwriter - that’s not something anyone can accomplish easily!
Co-Writer, Producer and Collaborator
Jesso’s unexpected list of collaborators.
Tobias has an almost endless list of artists he has worked with. His ability to work across genres from indie rock band Florence and the Machine to the eccentric FKA Twigs, speaks volumes for his capabilities as a collaborator. Recently, Jesso joined forces with fellow Canadian Justin Bieber to co-write ‘SWAG’ and ‘SWAG II’. Bieber earned 4 Grammy nominations for ‘SWAG’ including Best Pop Solo Performance for “Daisies” which Jesso helped pen.
Other notable tracks he co-wrote are “La Yugular” by Rosalía, “Wildcard” by Miley Cyrus and several tracks on Dua Lipa’s ‘Radical Optimism’ including “Houdini” and “Training Season”. Jesso also co-wrote Japanese singer Fuji Kaze’s “Hachikō” for his first full English album ‘Prema’.
Songs in which he has both co-writing and co-producing credits include “Dotted Lines” by King Princess, “No Good Reason” by Omar Apollo, “You Get My Love” by Pink and “Overdrive” by Conan Gray. These are only a few, his talent expands through many more songs.
More of Tobias Jesso Jr.
Songs only he can share himself.
In late 2025 he released an album by the title ‘shine’, his first piece of work as himself in 10 years since the release of ‘Goon’. ‘Shine’ is an 8 track project full of emotion and his own grounded lyricism.
It is always great to see songwriters release their own projects. If they want to let others sing their experiences that’s wonderful and if they wish to be the ones behind the mic, that’s just as amazing. Every writer is different and chooses to tell stories differently. For Tobias Jesso Jr. to release a personal project after 10 years, it must be a story he wishes to tell for himself. We look forward to seeing more projects he works on as a songwriter, producer or artist.
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