Yonas Mellesse – who is perhaps better known simply by the stage name YONAS – is a hugely successful hip-hop artist and producer hailing from New York City. Boasting tens of millions of digital streams, and tens of thousands of album sales, Yonas is a pioneering rapper who has released three well-received albums, as well as a selection of EPs and mixtapes. His albums have consistently made it into the highest reaches of the iTunes album charts and Hip-Hop charts, and his songs hold wide appeal. In fact, his song “Fall Back” was included in the epic crime drama movie The Place Beyond the Pines (2012), which starred Hollywood superstars Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper. He is also recognised as the creator of a remix of the Foster the People track “Pumped Up Kicks” which went viral in 2011 and since then has accumulated over 8 million views. Throughout his career Yonas has had the opportunity to perform with such well-known acts as Macklemore, Wale, Juicy J and Logic.

From humble beginnings as a child studying classical violin with dreams of making it in the world of music, he released his ground-breaking debut EP in 2010 titled The New Golden Era which included his catchy single “Banga” that secured him a highly coveted Billboard Songwriting Award. He followed this up with another EP The Black Canvas in 2013 which rose to number 4 on the iTunes Hip-Hop charts and number 25 on the iTunes overall album chart. Since then, he’s also released two critically acclaimed EPs Going Places in 2015 and Everyday Like It’s Friday (2016) as well as a fully-fledged album About Time in 2018.
Yonas – who is an independent artist – thrives on being unconventional.

A spectacular talent in the world of hip-hop, Yonas continues to weave a fresh culture of fun into his artistry which is both refreshing and liberating. He will no doubt continue pushing the boundaries of the artform and craft exciting new music.