Meet Tobias Jesso Jr., your favorite stars' favorite self-effacing, 6-foot-7 balladeer.
Tobias Jesso Jr.'s debut album, Goon, out March 17 on True Panther Sounds, has sold only 8,000 copies, according to Nielsen Music. But if there was a chart for hype, he'd be vying for No. 1. The 29-year-old Canadian is selling out shows on his national tour, drowning in critical praise, getting co-signs from both A-list stars like Adele and the hipster set, and just signed a major publishing deal. So what's all the buzz about?
Tomorrow's Hits: Lunchmoney Lewis, Life of Dillon & Tobias Jesso Jr.
1. He's having a great 2015 -- but after a horrible 2012, he deserves it. Sad ballads like "Hollywood" were inspired by an awful week during Jesso's fourth year as a struggling bassist and songwriter in Los Angeles. "I broke up with my girlfriend," he recalls. "Later that week, I got hit by a car on my bike. As I turned around, blood going down my body, a man stole my bike! The next day, my mom was diagnosed with cancer." Jesso saw it as a sign "to get back to reality. I moved back in with my parents in Vancouver, got a moving job and thought, 'This could be the next few years of my life -- or the next 10.' "