NEW YORK FACES: JONAH ALMOST

Jonah Almost is New York City’s next ‘It-Boy.’ Take your sexiest rave-star & mix in NYC’s famed underground street aesthetic and we present you Jonah Almost. No sleep! Bus, club, ‘nother club, plane, next place. No sleep! Beloved by NYC’s most niche talents, fashion photographers and upcoming designers; Michael O’Hara caught up with Jonah Almost to talk music, fashion and lifestyle before becoming the next big queer-icon.

Hi Jonah! First and foremost, introduce yourself to our readers.
Whats good glam occultists!! I’m Jonah, aka Almost, aka Rave Star, aka Future Dilf, aka the man with the biggest dick in NYC ?I’m a New York City based recording artist and producer. I would say my musical persona is myself, turned up to 10 –  an outlet for expressing myself and creating a fantasy. I’m not really interested in living in reality, so Jonah Almost allows me to play. Sonically, I’m really inspired by electronic music such as House, Techno, and Trance. I love going to clubs/raves, but I’ve always wanted to capture a sound that is inspired by those spaces, yet meant for listening outside of them. My goal right now is to make chill fast music, if that makes sense? Fast BPM’s but pleasant to the ears. My work has vocals and blends different genres such as pop punk, emo, hip-hop with electronic genres.

Take us to the beginning… who is ‘Jonah Almost’?
People always ask me this and it’s kind of a funny story. I grew up skateboarding, I think I got my first one when I was like 6 or 7. At that time I was obsessed with this skateboarding company “Almost” – it had all my faves of the early 2000’s (Ryan Sheckler, Rodney Mullen, Daewon Song etc.) So in like 5th grade I made my first AOL screen name (this was back in the days AIM) and I made it “jonahalmost” – my name + my favorite skate company. It just stuck and I never looked back lol.

How has identifying as a queer artist inspired what you are doing today?
I would say I just identify as an artist, honestly. Not because I am ashamed of my sexuality or identity at all, but because my ultimate goal is to make music that appeals to everyone… People get caught up in labels but the goal is to make music for everyone. Of course, it’s inherently queer based on my experiences, but my goal is a message that’s universal.

We see that you’re an upcoming musical-artist, are there any other creative
passions you’re pursuing? Tell us about them.
Aside from my musical ambitions, I really want to develop a fragrance. I have a really refined sense of smell! I’ll be walking down the street and smell a restaurant from two blocks away and follow the scent inside. It’s a thing, you can ask my friends! So anyway, I met this professional nose in Paris who told me he could help me develop a scent, so I think that’s gonna be my side project for this fall. I’ve been thinking of some out of the box merch ideas for myself and I think this would be so fun to release.

Tell us about your relationship with New York City; are you originally from
here or did you move here with intention?
I’m from upstate NY, but my mom’s whole side of the family emigrated to NYC from Colombia in the 60’s. My grandma has owned a house in Elmhurst, Queens basically since then. I grew up coming to the city all the time, and moved here just after my 17th birthday – I ended up living at grandma’s for a couple years which allowed me to get my footing here. I’m super inspired by NYC and always have been between music/nightlife/art/skateboarding/graffiti etc… It was kind of a no brainer to move here to pursue the life I dreamed of living.

How would you describe your aesthetic?
Bad Boy. Future Dilf. Flashy but with taste. Tacky with intention. Drug Dealer Adjacent. Sleazy with a heart of gold.

What are some of the greatest moments and greatest hardships you have
faced thus far?
I think it’s important to acknowledge that while I’ve faced my own struggles, I have a lot of privilege as a cis white guy – that said, I moved to New York with $300 to my name. I worked my way up from minimum wage service jobs making $7.25/hr, going to night classes at community college etc, to building a nice life for myself. I didn’t have any financial support but I worked hard and now I live alone, I get paid to do what I love, and I have great friends around me. I’m super grateful and proud of myself for coming this far.

What advice do you have to fellow queer artists trying to promote themselves in NYC?
Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there! I wish I had the balls to do it sooner than I did tbh. I was scared of what people would think… but then I just decided to stop giving a fuck – some people will fuck with you, others won’t. But don’t let it stop you from pursuing your passions.

What are you currently most excited about? Are there any new projects we should be looking out for from you?
I’m super excited to release an EP this summer. It’s called The Exhilaration. I’m in the process of getting it mastered now. It’s gonna be like 4 or 5 tracks, some self-produced, some produced by others. It’s an evolved sound for me, faster, more refined. I’ve been in a really carefree and fun headspace lately and I’m super hyped to release some fun party music! Summer soundtrack if you will. It’s also gonna release on my tenth year anniversary of living in NYC, so it feels special and emblematic of my time and experience living here.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?
I’m working on getting Italian citizenship right now – I see myself eating charcuterie in Tuscany, on a plot of land I own with truffle bearing trees that I hunt for with my truffle dog. I’m obsessed with truffles. I have a song somewhere about truffles I made a couple years ago and I like to think it’s manifesting that dream.

Lastly, is there anything you’d like to say to our readers?
Don’t forget to have fun! One of my greatest skills is living life exuberantly. While I have my ups and downs like anyone else, ultimately, I’ve chosen to be grateful and happy to exist in this crazy world. NYC’s greatest myth is that happiness is just around the corner – if you make just a bit more money, land that dream career etc. etc you will be happy. It’s a myth! You gotta be present and smell the roses. Anyway, now I sound like some self-help douchebag but its highkey true. So, stop, take a whiff, and keep it moving! <3