by Chandler Christopher
September 19, 2021
Jonah Renna is a 20 year old producer and rapper from New Jersey (South Jersey). Jonah started his music career at a very early age, playing drums in church starting at age seven. Growing up, Jonah’s older brother pursued a career in rapping and production, which ultimately led to Jonah recording his brother’s music and getting his first in-studio experience. Jonah began to take his musical journey more seriously when his hit song, Star Destroyer, began to take off in 2016/2017. The song became popular after he paid for a repost on Soundcloud which caused the song to blow up online. After this extremely unanticipated boost in listeners, Jonah realized that creating music was something he should actively pursue… And he is doing just that. Often characterized in the industry as an up-and-coming lo-fi producer, Jonah is exceedingly eager to release his new project coming soon, noting that he has evolved tremendously over the last few years.
As a high schooler, Jonah released his debut tape in 2017– Life Is Lame. Life Is Lame captured listeners with its distinct, lo-fi vibes. Jonah and his friends would band together every day after school and make a ton of music, eventually arranging a collection of songs he would call Life Is Lame due to the fact that Jonah perceived nearly every occurrence in his mundane, adolescent life to be lame. It just so happens that Jonah Renna’s next project, a ten-track album, will follow suit and be called Life Is Lame II. Jonah details the story behind the creation of this extensive tape, emphasizing his renowned excitement to share his new work with the world.
“So I had started a project back in 2018. I was working with an engineer, which was new for me because I really only like to produce my own stuff for the most part. Eventually, I realized that the project was turning into something that didn’t feel authentic to me, so I decided to give that up and start fresh. I reworked some of those songs for Life Is Lame II, and some are new as well. It’s about a 50/50 split. This album is trying something new because I’ve matured a lot. I want to try new things and step out of my comfort zone.” It has been a long journey full of unexpected turns and self-realization for Jonah to bring this record to life, and I’m absolutely stoked to hear it for the first time.
Jonah Renna is an artist who values the invention as a whole, with a strong pull to the idea of creating everything himself. Without the opportunity to have played a live show since pre-pandemic times (one of his last was opening up for Pony Ppl), Jonah is eager to thrive again within the live music scene. Jonah has some of the same creative attributes than you can find in a Tyler, the Creator– he is a complete artist that is producing, writing, and creating his own cover art and visuals. Music lovers should be excited for what’s to come for Jonah Renna, as he will look to reach as many listeners as possible in hopes we will connect with his outright creative identity.
