East Portland Blog has been around for ten years and for at least 7 of them we’ve employed the motto, “Where East Meets West for All the Best.” It’s a fine principle, guiding us to better things every year. The mighty Peter Dysart is the writer who came up with that theme and he has never before been publicly thanked. Thank you Peter, for ALL you do.
Which brings us to today and the release of a strong, stirring and romantic single by Jong Sl, a Toronto artist who sought us out to share his work. Born in Korea, rocking in Canada, Jong Sl has seen East and West, lived and loved in them both and on his upcoming album he intends to tell us how that cultural struggle has shown him how to see, feel and create in new, singular and illuminating ways.
Today he is releasing his first single from the soon to be released album, “Driving Away,” which can be heard on Spotify at the link below.
Cover Art for “Drive Away.”Jong SL is a one man songwriter, composer, producer, and performer who plays with a band.
Having moved to North America at a young age from South Korea, Jong SL lost his identity along the way. Understanding western and eastern culture, he doesn’t feel truly connected to either.
Feeling distant has defined his character and music. It has made him conscious of issues that we face, the issues that aren’t necessarily up-front like feeling helpless, lonely, and out-of-place even with our widespread connectivity with social media and the internet. Everyone wants to hide behind a strong face and no one really wants to talk about it. Jong wants to create a community where we can feel welcome and be supportive of each other.
Drawing influences from both popular and underground music, Jong SL is making his own genre. His songs are influenced by guitar playing from John Mayer and Mac Demarco, singing from Allen Stone and recent R&B, and melodies from early Coldplay. Jong describes his genre as Indie Alternative, but even that is a misnomer.
Jong SL’s previous EP Ice Cream was bright and uplifting, but his new project will be melancholy and introspective.
Click on the link below to hear “Driving Away” on Spotify.
