Jutes

Canadian musician Jutes evades simple labels by moving between trap-infused hip-hop and aggressive pop-punk, a range that carried him from fleeting major-label ties to a prominent romance with a celebrated pop performer.

Born Jordan Lutes in 1991 in Ottawa, the Canadian capital, he spent his childhood in Toronto. Basketball occupied more of his early attention than music, and he later pursued film studies before setting academics aside to focus on music as a full-time endeavor. His first independently issued singles—“Free” (2015), “Cocaine Cinderella” (2016), “I Don’t Need Ya” (2016), and “Notice Me” (2017)—combined lo-fi, stuttering trap beats with Jutes’ relaxed, melodic rap delivery. Further 2018 and 2019 releases such as “Pretty When U Cry,” “Tired,” and “You Hate What I’ve Become” pushed the sound into additional territory, incorporating R&B-tinged Auto-Tuned vocals alongside traces of emo guitar textures.

That stylistic mixture secured a contract with Capitol Records in early 2020. The label issued the alternative-leaning EPs Overrated and A Really Bad Dream; the latter contained the notable cuts “Bad Dream,” “Say It First,” and “Backseat (Kiss Me),” all reflecting the same mgk-style shift from hip-hop to pop-punk. Budget reductions after COVID and Jutes’ wish for increased creative autonomy prompted an amicable split from the imprint. During the first half of 2021 he issued a steady stream of singles through winter and spring, later compiling them on the restless Careful What You Wish For, an album shaped in part by his major-label tenure.

Jutes’ subsequent effort, 2022’s Hot Trash, veered more decisively toward alt-rock, driven by the driving, anthemic “Hollywood Hillbilly.” The change in direction produced an unexpected opportunity: writing and production partner Keith “Ten4” Sorrells invited Jutes to contribute to that year’s Holy Fvck, Demi Lovato’s return to pop-punk. The album earned three co-writing credits from Jutes and reached the Top Ten on both sides of the Atlantic; the collaboration also sparked a personal relationship between Jutes and Lovato. Shared artistic interests continued to shape his output, amplified by proximity to a frequently discussed musician. The 2023 release Ladybug sustained the pop-punk momentum, while 2024’s Sleepyhead—his first project after becoming engaged to Lovato—emerged as his most-streamed body of work to date.