Jonsson Ready to Dominate American Charts

After winning numerous awards and even outselling known artists the likes of Adele and Amy Winehouse on the Icelandic iTunes charts, singer/songwriter Jón Jónsson is finally in America.

A performance for Epic Records chairman and CEO L.A Reid on August 2012 earned him a record deal, which opened up the doors to the American market.

His first stop: New York City.

“I didn’t believe that I was going to play at his office until the very moment I was in there,” Jónsson said. “It was really exciting.”

Debuting his new single “Wait for Fate”, Jónsson executed a dynamic performance at New York City’s Rockwood Music Hall on April 29. With his guitar in hand, Jónsson delighted his fans with all of his talent and joyful personality.

“It was pretty amazing- it was exciting to see how many people showed up and it was also really cool how [the audience] all participated in the whole show,” he said. “At the end, everyone was singing along to pretty much all the songs- I really enjoyed it.”

Accompanied by his good pal and piano player, Kristjan Bjarnason and surrounded by an eager audience, the 30-year-old ” demonstrated his passion for music and assuring a promising future/career.

“If I were alone, I would not be doing it,” he stated. “I’m happy to be both with Kristjan and obviously the other guys as well.”

Since the debut of “Wait for Fate” in Iceland, Jónsson was awarded a Gold Record and continues to climb his way to the top of the Icelandic top selling charts. With a remarkable vocal and guitar style, Jónsson has been recently compared to singers John Mayer, Gavin Degraw and Jack Johnson.

“That’s awesome it’s just some people doing that,” he said. “I’ve seem them in concerts and it’s just an honor for someone to put me in the same category. Hopefully I can open up for them one day.”

“Always Gonna be There” is another one of the tracks included in the album “Wait for Fate,” which was inspired by life’s most important components. Jónsson explained that this track was written as he was playing his guitar and singing made up words before it was finally recorded.

“There are some people that I always wanna be there for,” he said. “It’s just inspired by friendship, love and happiness. I was just singing some made up words not English not Icelandic,” he joked.

Having no idea as to when exactly he developed his passion for music, Jónsson explained that he began writing his own music at 10 and how his life changed after a Christmas gift.

“I have no idea where that passion came from- It was pretty much always there,” Jónsson said. “My brother and I, got a drum kit for Christmas one year so it was no turning back after that- it was just us in the garage,” he joked.

Jónsson’s first single in America “Wait for Fate,” includes a variety of music styles, which include pop, blues and jazz.

Although the album’s title originated from one of the 12 tracks in the album “Wait for Fate,” Jónsson explained how he came to write that specific song and explained who it’s based upon.

“I thought it was a cool name for the album because wait for fate can mean so many things- for the album it can mean waiting to play at L.A Reid’s office,” he joked.

Jonsson said that New York City’s number of pedestrians inspired the song.

“”Wait for Fate”- that song, I wrote when I was with my sister in New York,” he said. “Seeing so many people- I was thinking how we all go separate ways but then it just turned into a love song, about a guy in the whole crowd who’s still waiting for faith- meaning waiting for the right girl. I thought it was a cool title for the album.”

With his first album in the states out of the way, Jónsson is eager to continue his journey stateside.

“Hopefully, this whole adventure will get even more exciting,” he said. “The ball just started rolling.”