Jon Vinyl

Jon Vinyl crafts deeply felt material grounded in classic R&B yet fully of the present moment. An independent Canadian singer and songwriter, he began attracting notice in the late 2010s before achieving wider recognition in the following decade through two Juno-nominated projects: the 2021 album Lost in You and the Palisade EP of 2022. In 2023 he issued a second concise, understated yet richly expressive full-length, Heartbreak Hill.

Born Jonathan Hamilton, he grew up in Toronto and relocated with his family to Pickering during adolescence. An early enthusiasm for listening soon evolved into a drive to create as both vocalist and composer; he began recording in his parents’ basement and took the stage name—bestowed by his brother—to signal his attachment to vintage timbres. His first commercial independent release, the 2017 single “Nostalgia,” gained momentum when high-school classmate Shawn Mendes shared it. Further tracks including “Star-Crossed” followed through the remainder of 2017 and into 2018. The understated, seductive slow jam “Addicted” broadened his reach in 2019, eventually surpassing ten million streams. Lost in You arrived in 2021 as a concise album that earned a Juno nomination in the Traditional R&B/Soul Recording category; the 2022 EP Palisade brought a second Juno nomination. Vinyl returned the next year with his second brief LP, Heartbreak Hill.