Jonna Fraser
“If no one helps you, help yourself.”
Jonathan “Jonna Fraser” Grando: Hit Cannon, Storyteller, Rapper, Singer, but above all a very driven Performer. This 26-year-old all-rounder from Zaandam was introduced to rap at the age of eleven and has never let go of the microphone since.
Armed with his soulful voice, the fire of a lion, and a smile as wide as the distance between Zaandam and Rotterdam Central Station, the rapper stormed the Dutch charts for the first time in 2015 together with hip-hop collective ‘New Wave’. The collective — consisting of Jonna Fraser, Ronnie Flex, Lil Kleine, SFB, Lijpe and more — dropped their eponymous album in April 2015, which debuted high in the Album Top 100, received a series of gold and platinum records, and ( to top it all off) managed to win the coveted Pop Prize a year later.
Shortly after the mega success of New Wave, Jonna Fraser released his EP Alle Tijd under record company Noah’s Ark, of which the feel-good ballad ‘Ik Zag Je Staan’ (ft. Ronnie Flex & Idaly) was awarded a gold record. In successive years, Jonna Fraser has emerged as a true hit cannon by releasing danceable sing-along songs ‘Ik Kan Je Niet Laat’, ‘Do Or Die (ft. Broederliefde)’, and ‘Ik Kom Bij Je (ft. Frenna) ‘—all together good for six platinum awards.
His EPs ‘Goed Teken’ and ‘Blessed’ were both awarded gold awards and the latter even managed to reach the number one position of the Album Top 100. Jonna Fraser will perform more than 250 shows in 2016, in the Netherlands and abroad, and will conclude with a completely sold-out tour.
In April 2017, Jonna Fraser finally drops his debut album Jonathan: Characterized by a warmer, more personal sound than that currently prevailing on the Dutch charts, the album contains collaborations with, among others, Sevn Alias, Jayh and Ronnie Flex and it is also Jonna Fraser’s third project that managed to achieve gold status. The single ‘Party (ft. Ronnie Flex)’ is declared GOGO’s Totally Summer Anthem. In the following months, Jonna Fraser develops into a crowd favorite with successful guest appearances on albums by Lil Kleine, Ronnie Flex, SFB and Sevn Alias… and when his shows at Low Lands, Amsterdam Open Air, Pukkelpop and Indian Summer conclude with great success, the artist has become an indispensable part of the Dutch music world.
2020; Jonna Fraser’s latest albums Blessed II and Lion have been out for a while and these projects have also enjoyed number 1 positions in the Dutch Album Top 100. The tracks Paranoia and Architect (ft. Sevn Alias & Frenna) have won gold and platinum awards respectively, and the recent successful collaborations with Kraantje Pappie, Bizzey and Frenna have also been received with great praise. Amid the clinking of toasting champagne glasses, Jonna and his team are already looking to the future; to the upcoming festival season, but especially to the preparations of Jonna Fraser’s eighth solo project in less than five years: “You thought I was going right, but pay attention to my maneuvers.”