Episode 208: Jonah Kagen

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Episode 208 of Look At My Records! features an interview with rising songwriter Jonah Kagen. Though Kagen first picked up a guitar at the age of six, he started shifting his primary focus to music during the pandemic when his song “Broken” blew up on TikTok. That song’s success led to several other social media and streaming hits, including “Wishing You Did,” “Catching A Dream,” and “Summer Feeling,” a collaborative track with Norwegian DJ Matoma. Fast forward to 2022 and Kagen is embarking on his first-ever tour in support of English artist Masie Peters, where he’s been playing to sold-out crowds at legendary venues like Webster Hall. It’s been a wild ride for Kagen, who prior to 2020, was a dedicated Division-1 soccer player at Cornell University, with hopes of eventually going pro. Tune in to the interview to hear about how all of that changed for Kagen, including how and why he first decided to share his music via social media, how his career as an athlete has helped him as a musician, the guitar players that have influenced his distinct fingerpicking style, what it’s been like playing big rooms for his first-ever gigs, and more. Plus, Kagen picked some awesome records from my collection, including choice cuts from Michael Jackson and the Go-Go’s. You can follow along with Jonah’s picks via the official playlist for Episode 208.

Kagen is on tour with Masie Peters for the rest of March! For a full list of dates, check out his website. Keep up with Kagen by following him on Instagram and TikTok. You can stream his music on your platform of choice.