YngSolomon’s music career began with his girlfriend’s spare guitar. “During my first year practicing my goal was to simply pick up and hold my guitar for at least a moment before leaving my room. I did that for a whole year,” YngSolomon (whose given name is Jesse Schwartz) says. “In year two, my goal was to practice just five minutes a day, by year three, I upped it to ten minutes, and by year three, I upped it to thirty.”
A major turning point happened in 2015 when a close friend overdosed, and his girlfriend broke up with him. He channeled these hardships into music, and soon thereafter started performing cover songs at open mics, solo acoustic gigs, and eventually playing “pop-ups” — short, impromptu concerts in front of grocery stores, airports, and other unexpectedly crowded places.
His consistent efforts attracted an old friend, Godofredo Ceja into his life, and their freestyle smoke sessions evolved into studio recording sessions. Up until now YngSolomon had stage experience but hadn’t written his own songs. “And then the thought occurred to me: Why don’t we just write some of this down and record it and perform it?”
They did exactly that, and soon, they were performing original music on a local radio station. His first shows were terrifying, but having a music partner gave him the confidence to keep going. YngSolomon explains that recording two albums and performing alongside Godofredo helped him tremendously as an artist.
“He’s a big reason why I evolved so quickly, just by being in his presence in the studio,” YngSolomon notes. “The way he carried himself on stage, I absorbed much of that swag.”
Maybe it was that confidence that helped YngSolomon create his own brand of genre-bending pop-rap. You might not connect the words “pop,” “rap,” and “nature,” but he says many of his best songs are inspired by walks outdoors.
YngSolomon crafts a melody before even thinking about lyrics. “I literally just make sounds,” he says. “I’ll freestyle, but I won’t even think about the words. I’ll just focus on the feeling and the sounds that come out. So it’s literally just gibberish. It’s Latin-like humming.” He then picks the best melodies and weaves in meaningful words
His creative process shines through his work — listeners can feel the influence of nature. His single “Moonlight” captures the fun of a warm summer night. “U R Enough” has a rhythm reminiscent of the flow state you can only reach on a long, solitary walk.
The background vocals offer a subtle, peaceful backdrop reminiscent of birdsong in a serene forest. YngSolomon’s unique beats and soothing vocals gently guide listeners into a hopeful and positive state.
