Jonah Kagen has released his new single, 'Pollution', today. The Georgia native has been interested in music nearly his entire life, first taking up the guitar at age six and growing up to release his first EP in December of last year. Jonah takes his listeners in with his folk-rock sound, powerful vocals, and incredible storytelling. He has had an incredible year so far, with over 200 million streams worldwide and just short of 2 million monthly listeners on Spotify! Jonah shared, “‘Pollution’ is about nostalgia, but more specifically, it’s about the desperate craving to get back to a time of simplicity and innocence. I think there’s something especially heartbreaking about losing your innocence as you grow up, and it’s something that I think about every day.”

Liv:

Before listening to ‘Pollution,’ I had not previously heard of any of Jonah’s music. Sometimes, you listen to the first few seconds of a song and immediately know it is going to be one of your all-time favorites. Well, that’s the immediate feeling I got listening to ‘Pollution.’ The guitar mixed with the keys, alongside Jonah's beautiful voice, entirely pulled me into the song. His songwriting and storytelling are truly so hard to find, and I was so blown away. As somebody who is still growing up, it really made me realize how quickly time flies. The power in his voice makes me want to go back to my childhood when everything was just simpler. Not to mention, the production of ‘Pollution’ is so incredibly perfect. Listening to this song for the first time on a loudspeaker just made the song that much better. Overall, Jonah has done nothing short of amazing with his new single.

Isa:

As an avid music lover, I am always looking for new artists to listen to, and when we had the pleasure of listening to Jonah’s latest song, ‘Pollution,’ I couldn’t help but feel giddy. I had never listened to anything from his discography before, so I went into this song completely blind and was taken aback. Jonah allows us to step into his stream of consciousness; he takes us through the journey of remembering his innocence and how he craves to have it back. The song starts softly with a simple strum of the guitar and piano, followed by the accompaniment of Jonah’s voice telling us about a memory of him as a kid. His ability to keep the beginning of this song in a softer tone makes it seem like he cherishes these memories; he talks low so as not to disrupt or break the innocence that he misses so much. Slowly, the song picks up volume, and becomes more distressed, as if he is realizing that the innocence he once had he will never have again. One of my favorite lyrics that I think embodies the entire emotion behind this song is, “Oh, forgive me, my darling, I’ve let you down.” He puts so much emotion and emphasis into this one verse, allowing us to feel how growing up has made him feel guilty for allowing that part of him to slip away. In the end, he repeats the line, “I want you back, I want you back,” softer and softer, like he is pleading to regain the feeling, but knows deep down that such a thing could not be accomplished.  

Although Jonah does a phenomenal job at painting a story with his lyrics and emotion, the production behind this song builds around him like it, too, feels and moves with his waves of emotion. The guitar at parts is soft, then it becomes harsh and loud when Jonah wishes to get that part of him back. The piano and strings make this song feel like a memory; it gives it a hazy and reminiscent feel. All aspects of this song come together to absolutely develop and put forth the emotion and meaning behind all of Jonah’s words. All in all, I absolutely adore this song and the story behind the emotions being presented to us as listeners. 

Jonah Kagen is an absolute gem of an artist and has big things coming for him. If you enjoy artists such as Noah Kahan, Kevin Atwater, and Thomas Day, you’ll love Jonah Kagen. If you’re looking for new music to scream in the car, this is your sign to listen to Jonah’s latest song, 'Pollution', which is out now on all streaming platforms. Jonah Kagen has been doing big things this year, and we cannot wait to see where his music journey takes him!