Meet Nexa Music Top 24 Artist: Jonathan Yhome

Visit Jonathan Yhome’s YouTube channel and you’ll be met with serene ballads and vibrant acoustics, accentuated by the Dimapur-based singer-songwriter’s balmy vocals. His latest releases, “Cheesy Love Song Part I” is a breezy track you can tap your feet to while “Would You” is a sparkling acoustic-pop love song and his debut 2015 single “Before We Know” is a contemplative ballad. His nostalgic and reflective 2018 EP Heading Out is an acoustic-folk revelation, with emotive bagpipes and varied strumming joining the mix. 

The Dimapur singer-songwriter, much like his sister, fellow musician Pelenuo, first connected with music at home, building from vocalizing to their father’s lead during family trips to using the medium as a vent for issues political and ideological. In 2013, Yhome joined the Nagaland Conservatory of Music and has continued to imbue his sound with expressions both personal and perceived. Earlier this year, Yhome was announced as one of the musicians in Nexa Music’s Top 24 — a nation-wide search for emerging English-language musicians on the rise. “I am so grateful and thrilled to be a part of it,” he says, hoping to make the best out of the experience. 

Yhome observes only a fraction of English-language acts making it big in India, citing a need for sustainable amplification to the scene. “English-language original music artists needs a boost because I personally think there are a lot of talented musicians in India,” he says. The singer-songwriter hopes to introduce his music to more listeners all over the country through Nexa Music’s platform, as he continues to grow and learn through the process.

But he’s most excited about collaborating with Nexa Music mentors A.R. Rahman and Clinton Cerejo. “To see and learn music [from] their perspectives and see how their brilliant minds work is what I am looking forward to the most,” he shares. He further adds, “The possibility of working on new material and see up close how they execute the magic that they usually create is an absolute dream.”