Biography
Originating from Southern California, Jesse® merges hip-hop textures, atmospheric electro-pop layers, and propulsive indie-rock energy into his distinctive brand of contemporary pop as a vocalist, songwriter, and producer. Fronting the alt-pop outfit the Neighbourhood, he entered the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in 2013 when the group’s “Sweater Weather” climbed into the Top 15. His initial solo full-length, the pop-focused &, appeared in 2017. Although both projects carried traces of hip-hop, the more guitar-driven Garageb& arrived in 2019. Fresh solo output returned in 2023 via the spare, introspective single pairing “Joker” and “Rainbow.”
Born Jesse James Rutherford in Newbury Park in the greater Los Angeles region during the early ’90s, he worked as a child actor, securing screen credits near the age of ten. In 2002 he took supporting parts in Life or Something Like It and Bundy while also guesting on an episode of Star Trek: Enterprise. By the late 2000s he was performing with local bands, and in the early 2010s he issued several collaborative tracks under the hip-hop alias Jesse James.
Rutherford helped establish the Neighbourhood in 2011, a genre-blending ensemble that fused atmospheric indie rock, electronica, and hip-hop rhythms beneath his melodic, R&B-tinged vocals. Alongside guitarists Jeremy Freedman and Zach Abels, bassist Michael Margott, and drummer Brandon Fried, the group issued the 2012 EP I’m Sorry…, which contained “Sweater Weather” and “Female Robbery.” The tracks circulated widely online and generated early momentum. Two additional EPs surfaced in 2013 ahead of the full-length debut I Love You. Powered by the continued success of “Sweater Weather,” which reached number 14 on the Hot 100, plus follow-up single “Afraid,” the album climbed to number 25 on the Billboard 200 and number five on the Top Alternative Albums chart. The following year the mixtape album #000000 & #FFFFFF was offered as a free online download and featured the single “icanteven” with French Montana. In 2015 the Neighbourhood delivered their second studio album, the Justyn Pilbrow-produced Wiped Out!, which topped the alternative chart and yielded singles such as “R.I.P. 2 My Youth,” “The Beach,” and “Daddy Issues.” The Hard EP followed in September 2017 and entered the Billboard 200.
Two months later Rutherford issued his solo debut, &, a Columbia Records collection of similarly eclectic pop material credited to Jesse Rutherford. The band then supplemented Hard with the EP To Imagine in January 2018. Material left off the EPs was later compiled on a March 2018 release of the same name, issued alongside the Neighbourhood’s third album, The Neighbourhood. Produced by Lars Stalfors (Foster the People, Cold War Kids), the set maintained the group’s presence on the Billboard 200 and within the Top Five of the alternative chart.
Now performing as Jesse®, he appeared on Benny Blanco’s late-2018 project Friends Keep Secrets alongside Khalid, Calvin Harris, and Halsey. In April 2019 he returned with the solo album Garageb&. Ten of its twelve tracks were recorded solely on the GarageBand app, with additional contributions from production duo Take a Daytrip. Another Neighbourhood LP, Chip Chrome & the Mono-Tones—titled after one of Rutherford’s alter egos—emerged in 2020, missing the Billboard 200 yet reaching number 25 on the alternative chart. After the COVID-19 pandemic halted live music activity, solo material under the Jesse® moniker resurfaced in early 2023 with the unadorned “Joker” backed by the synth-driven ballad “Rainbow.”
Born Jesse James Rutherford in Newbury Park in the greater Los Angeles region during the early ’90s, he worked as a child actor, securing screen credits near the age of ten. In 2002 he took supporting parts in Life or Something Like It and Bundy while also guesting on an episode of Star Trek: Enterprise. By the late 2000s he was performing with local bands, and in the early 2010s he issued several collaborative tracks under the hip-hop alias Jesse James.
Rutherford helped establish the Neighbourhood in 2011, a genre-blending ensemble that fused atmospheric indie rock, electronica, and hip-hop rhythms beneath his melodic, R&B-tinged vocals. Alongside guitarists Jeremy Freedman and Zach Abels, bassist Michael Margott, and drummer Brandon Fried, the group issued the 2012 EP I’m Sorry…, which contained “Sweater Weather” and “Female Robbery.” The tracks circulated widely online and generated early momentum. Two additional EPs surfaced in 2013 ahead of the full-length debut I Love You. Powered by the continued success of “Sweater Weather,” which reached number 14 on the Hot 100, plus follow-up single “Afraid,” the album climbed to number 25 on the Billboard 200 and number five on the Top Alternative Albums chart. The following year the mixtape album #000000 & #FFFFFF was offered as a free online download and featured the single “icanteven” with French Montana. In 2015 the Neighbourhood delivered their second studio album, the Justyn Pilbrow-produced Wiped Out!, which topped the alternative chart and yielded singles such as “R.I.P. 2 My Youth,” “The Beach,” and “Daddy Issues.” The Hard EP followed in September 2017 and entered the Billboard 200.
Two months later Rutherford issued his solo debut, &, a Columbia Records collection of similarly eclectic pop material credited to Jesse Rutherford. The band then supplemented Hard with the EP To Imagine in January 2018. Material left off the EPs was later compiled on a March 2018 release of the same name, issued alongside the Neighbourhood’s third album, The Neighbourhood. Produced by Lars Stalfors (Foster the People, Cold War Kids), the set maintained the group’s presence on the Billboard 200 and within the Top Five of the alternative chart.
Now performing as Jesse®, he appeared on Benny Blanco’s late-2018 project Friends Keep Secrets alongside Khalid, Calvin Harris, and Halsey. In April 2019 he returned with the solo album Garageb&. Ten of its twelve tracks were recorded solely on the GarageBand app, with additional contributions from production duo Take a Daytrip. Another Neighbourhood LP, Chip Chrome & the Mono-Tones—titled after one of Rutherford’s alter egos—emerged in 2020, missing the Billboard 200 yet reaching number 25 on the alternative chart. After the COVID-19 pandemic halted live music activity, solo material under the Jesse® moniker resurfaced in early 2023 with the unadorned “Joker” backed by the synth-driven ballad “Rainbow.”
Albums
Singles
