Jon Bellion

Jonathan David Bellion[2] (born December 26, 1990) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was born and raised in Lake Grove, New York on Long Island.[3] He is known for his single "All Time Low". Bellion has released four mixtapes and two studio albums. His first, The Human Condition, was released on June 10, 2016, and it debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200.[4] He released his second studio album, Glory Sound Prep, on November 9, 2018. In May 2019, Jon Bellion was featured on the song "Good Things Fall Apart" by American EDM artist Illenium by providing the vocals to the track.

Jon Bellion
Jon Bellion closes his Glory Sound Prep Tour in Long Island on August 10th, 2019.
Background information
Birth nameJonathan David Bellion
Born (1990-12-26) December 26, 1990
Lake Grove, New York, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • piano
  • keyboards
  • sampler
Years active2011–present
Labels
Associated acts
Websitejonbellion.com

He is currently signed to Visionary Music Group[5] and Capitol Records. Bellion also provided vocals for the 2015 EDM song "Beautiful Now" by Zedd and opened the concerts from the third leg of Twenty One Pilots' Emotional Roadshow World Tour, which also featured guest Judah and the Lion.

Early life

Bellion was born and raised in Lake Grove, New York. He is of Italian descent and his family comes from Naples.[3] Torn between his love for basketball and music throughout high school, Bellion made the choice to pursue his music career in his junior year. After high school, he enrolled in the music program at the private Five Towns College in Dix Hills, New York.[6] At the age of 19, he decided to drop out of college and focus on writing professionally. He worked under songwriter and Warner Brothers A&R executive Kara DioGuardi for a year and signed a deal through her personal publishing company. Through this experience, Bellion learned how to write songs for different artists, in genres such as rock and hip hop.[7]

Career

2011–2014: Early career and various mixtapes

Bellion's first mixtape, Scattered Thoughts Vol. 1 was released in early 2011 via his Facebook page and reached over 11,000 downloads. Bellion composes and produces all of his own music. Jon Bellion signed with Visionary Music Group in 2012 and released a cover of Drake's "The Motto" on VMG's YouTube page.[8]

In 2012, Jon Bellion wrote the chorus to the song "The Monster" by Eminem featuring Rihanna.[9] This song won a Grammy Award in the 2015 Grammy Awards for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. Bellion also co-wrote and produced the song "Trumpets" by Jason Derulo in 2012, which was not released until 2013 in the UK and 2014 in the US.

Jon Bellion released his second free project, titled Translations Through Speakers on February 20, 2013, his third, The Separation on December 10 of the same year and his fourth free project, The Definition on September 23, 2014, with the single "Luxury"[10] Bellion also headlined his first national tour called The Beautiful Mind Tour in October 2014.[11]

2015–2017: Touring and The Human Condition

Bellion released several singles in early 2015, including "Woodstock (Psychedelic Fiction)", "All Time Low", and "Woke the F*ck Up"[12] through Capitol Records. On March 31, 2015, Bellion announced his second national tour, The Definition Tour.[13] The tour began on May 26 and concluded on July 2. Bellion was also featured on "Beautiful Now", a song on Zedd's album True Colors, which was released on May 15, 2015. Bellion was also featured on American rapper B.o.B's album Psycadelik Thoughtz on the song "Violence".

Bellion released several acoustic versions of his songs, including one of "All Time Low" on February 26, 2016, and one of "Human" on March 4, 2016.

Bellion confirmed that his debut album The Human Condition was set to be released on June 10, 2016. He released three promotional singles from the album: "Guillotine", on April 13, 2016, "80's Films", on May 27, 2016, and "Maybe IDK" on June 2, 2016. The lead single from the album, "All Time Low" was released on May 13, 2016[14] and became his most successful single to date, reaching number 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100[15] and was certified Double-platinum in the US and Australia.[16] On June 10, The Human Condition was officially released. Bellion states that the album is simply about being human, explaining, "Us as humans all have the same problems. We struggle with pride and tons of different issues that nobody really wants to talk about. So I figured if I'm the honest one showing how human I am, it will make people feel better about themselves." In his music, Jon talks a lot about God. He doesn't just talk about a vague idea of faith; he makes sure to emphasize God specifically.[17] Jon Bellion also says the sonics and album artwork for The Human Condition were created in order to get the attention of Disney/Pixar, saying, "It's like a giant business plan for Disney Pixar because it's always been my dream to score a movie for them. So basically if my debut album blows up, John Lasseter [of Disney Pixar] and these guys will hopefully see these images and be like 'Wait a second this is not one of our movies, what is this?'"[18] The artwork for the album was created by visual development artist David Ardinaryas Lojaya. During The Human Condition tour, Bellion announced that a representative from Pixar met him at one of his shows.[19] He was invited to the Pixar Campus and said he might be involved with a Pixar film in the near future.[20]

In June 2017, Bellion was picked as Elvis Duran's Artist of the Month and was featured on NBC's Today show hosted by Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb and broadcast nationally where he performed "All Time Low" live. Jon Bellion was the opening act for the US leg of rock duo Twenty One Pilots' 2017 Emotional Roadshow World Tour. The 33-show tour began on January 17 in Providence, Rhode Island and ended on March 5 in Louisville, Kentucky.[21]

On October 13, 2017, Bellion released his mixtapes Translations Through Speakers, The Separation and The Definition on digital stores as well as releasing a collection with those three mixtapes entitled Growth.[22]

2018: Glory Sound Prep

On January 25, Bellion teased a snippet of an upcoming song on an Instagram video. On April 16, Bellion began teasing his next album with 4 pictures captioned with "GSP". He later changed the name of his Instagram to his band/group "Beautiful Mind". On June 23, Bellion released a behind the scenes video of his previous album's last track, "Hand of God".

On October 9, Bellion posted a photo to his Twitter account from "GSP Staff", stating: "Tomorrow, Headmaster Stormzy requests your presence for an orientation ceremony in the main atrium. Time: 3:00 pm EST." The following day he announced the studio album Glory Sound Prep on his Twitter account, which was set to be released on November 9. On October 17, he released a preview on his social media accounts of the first single from the album, "Conversations with My Wife", which was released on October 19.[23] The following week, he released a preview on his social media accounts of the second single, "JT", and released it on October 26. "Stupid Deep", the third single off of the album, was released on November 2.

On November 9, Bellion released Glory Sound Prep.[24]

2019—present

Bellion was cast for a voice role in the film Dragon Ball Super: Broly as Male Frieza Soldier B.[25] Bellion is featured in a song with American DJ Illenium, titled "Good Things Fall Apart", which released on May 13, 2019. He also released a single titled "Crop Circles" on May 30, 2019.[26] Bellion embarked on The Glory Sound Prep Tour which began on June 12th[27] and concluded on November 12th of the same year.[28] He helped produce and write singles such as "Stacy" and "Life Must Go On" by Quinn XCII, as well as "Liar" and "Shameless" by Camila Cabello, "Graveyard" by Halsey, and "Memories" by Maroon 5. He also co-wrote and co-produced "Vulnerable" from Selena Gomez's 2020 album Rare and co-wrote "Daisies" by Katy Perry.

Beautiful Mind Records

Bellion officially started his own record label in July 2019 called Beautiful Mind Records and signed the pop/soul band, Lawrence.[29] Lawrence was the opener for most of his shows on the Glory Sound Prep Tour. He helped write and produce their first three singles "Casualty", "It's Not All About You", and "The Weather."[30][31][32]

Influences

Bellion has stated on multiple occasions that Kanye West is one of his biggest inspirations. "I loved everything but it was Kanye West who really changed everything for me." Bellion has also stated that he was inspired by Eminem, Pharrell Williams, Coldplay, John Mayer, André 3000, and Paul Simon.[33][34] Bellion has also made it known that he is a big fan of J Dilla and Disney Pixar, drawing inspiration from the musician and computer animation film studio for both The Definition and The Human Condition. Bellion explains that he loves how Pixar movies are "simple yet presented in a way that is groundbreaking."[35] Bellion credits much of his musical development and success to his bandmates whom he met while in college, expressing his love for them in his "Beautiful Mind Documentary" stating, "everybody in my band has taught me something, and has gotten me to where I am because of them" continuing "I surround myself with people better than me at something, you will very rarely see somebody around me, especially musically, who I don't look up to".[36]

Personal life

Bellion announced that he was married during the early months of 2018.[37] His song "Conversations with My Wife" from his 2018 album Glory Sound Prep alluded to his marriage and its attributes, leading his fanbase to question the relationship status that Bellion seldom discussed publicly.

Discography
Main article: Jon Bellion discography

Studio albums

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References
  1. Collar, Matt. "Jon Bellion AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  2. "Songwriter/Composer: Bellion Jonathan David". Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI). Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  3. "Jon Bellion's Emotional, Inspiring Journey To The Top Of The Music Industry". Elite Daily. June 21, 2016. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  4. "Jon Bellion - Chart History | Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
  5. Guarino, Nick. "Jon Bellion – Life (Music Video) : Indie / R&B / Pop Single [TSIS PREMIERE]". This Song is Sick. This Song is Sick. Archived from the original on September 12, 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  6. "Five Towns College Former Student Jon Bellion Wins A Grammy Award | Five Towns College". Five Towns College. February 9, 2015. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  7. Shawn Setaro. "Jon Bellion: From Pop Songs To Pixar". Forbes.com. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  8. Guarino, Nick. "Jon Bellion – The Motto (Drake Cover) : Chill Original Indie / R&B Cover". This Song is Sick. This Song is Sick. Archived from the original on September 12, 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  9. Markman, Rob. "Meet Eminem And Rihanna's 'Monster' Songwriter". MTV. MTV News. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  10. Ramirez, Erica. "Jon Bellion, 'Simple and Sweet': Exclusive Video Premiere". Billboard. Billboard. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  11. Ortiz, Edwin. "Watch Jon Bellion's "Simple and Sweet" Video". Complex. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  13. "JON BELLION ANNOUNCES 2015 HEADLINING TOUR; RELEASES NEW SONG, "WOODSTOCK"". The Early Registration. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  14. "All Time Low [Explicit] by Jon Bellion". Amazon. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  15. "Top 100 Songs - Billboard Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  16. "Jon Bellion's "All Time Low" Certified 2x Platinum In United States". Headline Planet. May 30, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  17. "Jon Bellion's Emotional, Inspiring Journey To The Top Of The Music Industry". Elite Daily. June 21, 2016. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  18. Lovaas, Taylor. "From Choirs to Animations, Jon Bellion's Debut Album "The Human Condition" is Full Artistry Both Sonically and Visually: SU Featured Interview". Sway's Universe. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  19. baha moore (December 4, 2016), Jon Bellion Pixar Announcement, retrieved November 5, 2018
  20. "Jon Bellion's dreams come true at Pixar Animation Studios". The B-Side. November 15, 2016. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  21. "Jon Bellion Joins Twenty One Pilots For U.S. Leg Of 'Emotional Roadshow World Tour'". The Inquisitr News. September 12, 2016. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  22. Growth by Jon Bellion on iTunes, October 13, 2017, retrieved November 5, 2018
  24. Mila Yoch. "Jon Bellion's sophomore album paints the story of his life for listeners". The Gonzaga Bulletin. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  25. Osiel. "Osiel on Twitter: "Just finished watching it! Amazing. Was able to get this picture during the credits, for everyone asking who Jon voices‌". Twitter.com. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  26. VisionaryMusicGroupVerified account (May 30, 2019). "VisionaryMusicGroup on Twitter: ""Crop Circles" by @jonbellion is now available on all streaming services. #BeautifulMind "". Twitter.com. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  27. Bellion, Jon (November 14, 2018). "The Glory Sound Prep Tour. Tickets on sale Friday". Twitter.com. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  28. Bellion, Jon (November 12, 2019). "This era is over and I will be removing myself from socials for a while". @jonbellion. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  29. "Beautiful Mind's Instagram photo: "Beautiful Mind Records. @JonBellion is proud to launch a platform for artists where total freedom and infrastructure to support ideas comes..."". Instagram. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  30. Lawrence – Casualty, retrieved April 25, 2020
  31. Lawrence – It's Not All About You, retrieved April 25, 2020
  32. Lawrence – The Weather, retrieved April 25, 2020
  33. Khan, Ahmad. "No Genre: An Introduction to Jon Bellion". Huffington Post. Huffington Post. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  34. "Artist Interview - Jon Bellion". Song Revelation. Song Revelation. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
  35. "jon bellion 'definition' album is a mix between dilla and pixar". MTV. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  36. Visionary Music Group (February 19, 2014), Jon Bellion - Beautiful Mind Documentary, retrieved April 2, 2017
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