Young The Giant

Young the Giant, an American rock band, was formed in Irvine, California, in 2004 under the initial name The Jakes. The band’s current lineup includes Sameer Gadhia on lead vocals, Jacob Tilley on guitar, Eric Cannata on guitar, Payam Doostzadeh on bass guitar, and Francois Comtois on drums. After several personnel changes in its early years, including the departure of Ehson Hashemian on keyboards and Jason Burger on drums, Comtois transitioned to drums and Doostzadeh joined as the bassist by 2008. The Jakes performed at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas, in 2009, gaining exposure with their songs featured on MTV’s ‘The Real World: Brooklyn’ and A&E’s ‘The Beast.’ Their song ‘Cough Syrup’ also received early airplay on Los Angeles radio station KROQ. In 2009, they signed with Roadrunner Records, and officially changed their name to Young the Giant in December 2009.

Their self-titled debut album, “Young the Giant,” was digitally released in October 2010 by Roadrunner Records, and physically in January 2011. This album featured hit singles like “My Body,” “Cough Syrup,” and “Apartment,” all of which charted on the US Alternative Songs chart. The band gained national attention with performances on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and Fuel TV’s “The Daily Habit” in 2011, and notably at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, which significantly boosted their album sales and chart performance. They continued to tour extensively, including appearances at Sasquatch! Music Festival, Lollapalooza, and Austin City Limits Music Festival. In 2012, their song “Cough Syrup” was covered on an episode of “Glee,” further increasing their mainstream recognition.

Young the Giant released their second album, “Mind over Matter,” in January 2014, produced by Justin Meldal-Johnsen. The album was praised by The New York Times for its electric sound and arena-ready qualities. Following this, “Home of the Strange” was released in 2016, featuring singles such as “Something to Believe In.” Their fourth album, “Mirror Master,” came out in 2018. In 2022, the band embarked on a new phase, releasing “American Bollywood” as independent artists through their own label, Jungle Youth Records, in partnership with AWAL. This album marked a deeply personal thematic journey, structured around the Mahabharata and exploring themes of identity and immigration, integrating Eastern and Western musical elements. Their latest project, “Victory Garden,” is set for release in 2026, with singles “Different Kind of Love” and “Bitter Fruit” already released.