In 2015, Canadian singer-songwriter Tobias Jesso Jr. released his debut album, Goon. The project earned some acclaim and was one of the year’s best-reviewed albums. He even performed with The Roots on Fallon.
After that, though, he shifted gears, instead carving out a career in more of a background role, as a songwriter. Over the past decade, he was at least partially responsible for a lot of songs you’ve probably heard of: Adele’s “When We Were Young” and Niall Horan’s “Slow Hands” are a couple examples, while he also all over projects like Dua Lipa’s Radical Optimism, Dijon’s Baby, and Justin Bieber’s two Swag albums.
Now, with years of high-level songwriting under his belt, Jesso is giving his career as a primary artist another shot. Today (November 13), Jesso announced a new album, Shine (stylized as s h i n e. He also shared a video for “I Love You,” which arrives with a video featuring Dakota Johnson and Riley Keough. The song goes back to Jesso’s roots with him playing piano and singing, although there’s a dose of drums during the song’s emotional apex.
A press release notes the album’s songs “are about himself, his mom, his son, a breakup and his life at this moment in time, with some help from Danielle Haim, Eli Teplin, Julian Bunetta, Justin Vernon, Rosie Hamilton, Tommy King and a psychic,” and that they “were written during a six-week sabbatical he took earlier this year, but are the culmination of everything he has built towards for the past decade.”
Meanwhile, at the 2026 Grammys, Jesso is nominated for Songwriter Of The Year, Non-Classical. This comes after he won the award in 2023, the first time it was ever handed out.
Watch the “I Love You” video above.
Tobias Jesso Jr.’s Shine Album Cover Artwork
Tobias Jesso Jr.’s Shine Tracklist
1. “Waiting Around”
2. “Black Magic”
3. “Bridges”
4. “Green Eyes”
5. “Everything May Soon Be Gone”
6. “Rain”
7. “I Love You”
8. “Lullaby”
Shine is out 11/21 via R&R.
