> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.hypebot.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Jahson Paynter on His Pull Towards the Tour Life - URL: https://www.hypebot.com/jahson-paynter-on-his-pull-towards-the-tour-life/ - Published: 2026-10-26T13:24:48.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-26T13:24:48.000Z - Description: We chat with the Ontario-based singer and artist on his genre-defying style, being a true road dog, Daniel Caesar, and taking rejuvenation days. - Author: Jeremy Young - Tags: Interviews, #coverstory, Jahson Paynter, Canada, Touring, songwriting [**Jahson Paynter**](https://www.bandsintown.com/a/15646875-jahson-paynter?utm%5Fsource=hypebot&came%5Ffrom=900) was born in Scarborough, Ontario, to parents with Jamaican and South African roots. With music all around him — a mother who dreamed of songwriting, a reggae musician father — he started writing poetry and raps at just ten, pulling from reggae, R&B, and Hip-Hop. By now, his sound has transformed to include elements of soul, country, and indie alternative all smooshed together. And yet, his voice has never sounded so personal. His newest EP, [*hold me, don't hold back!*](https://open.spotify.com/album/5ZcevGakdEaDIK8R2JSH1r?si=185b2d018ccf4fb2&ref=hypebot.com)arrives all over the internet on October 29\. As Jahson has spent a large amount of time on the road this year, I wanted to ask about writing and touring and how all of that sits together for him. Here's our conversation. Enjoy! --- **Hypebot: Hey Jahson, thanks for taking the time to answer some questions. Congrats on the success of the last few singles you’ve released. I can speak personally that “Maple Brown” is on like three of my playlists right now, but “Genny Please” also has me grooving in my car solo. What would you call your sound?** Jahson Paynter: "I appreciate that — those are for sure fan favourites. 'Genny' is one of my personal favs though…. I never know how to really explain alt indie with some folk and soul influences; it feels like it has a touch of R&B." **H: Speaking of which, your songwriting is such a melding of styles that’s unique to you. I hear a soul-inspired, kind of modern gospel in it. There's a bit of country twang in there, but you’ve also got diasporic roots in Jamaica and South Africa. When you sit down to write, is that just natural?** JP: "I honestly just try to write how I would talk to my dawgs and my family… So it's kind of all over the place. I've lived so many lives so it's really just a combination of so many things. I got into music as a kid because of rap and poetry… It's really just everything I love that kind of made up my vocabulary and using it all." **H: Do you write lyrics or music first?** JP: "It's different every time. Sometimes it's both at the same time and sometimes I'll have most of a verse with no melodies or vice versa. There's no rhyme or reason to how I do things; it's kinda chaotic sometimes, but that's just how my brain operates." > *"I felt like my entire life felt like I was just prepping for tour. Constant road trips, always on the go, never really home, trying to bounce around from place to place."* **H: You’ve spent a chunk of 2026 on the road. How has playing live shaped this current chapter of your work?** JP: "I love the road; it's made me realize what I want more in my music. I love musicality and working with a full band, so I want to incorporate those things more." **H: Is touring tough for you in any way, or do you enjoy that kind of life?** JP: "I felt like my entire life felt like I was just prepping for tour. Constant road trips, always on the go, never really home, trying to bounce around from place to place." My routine on tour was more consistent this year than it ever was before because I know what I'm doing every day: Sound check at 5pm, get ready at 7, stage by 8-8:30, get off and pack up by 9-930, at 11 bring the bags back to the bus, sleep by like 2am, wake up and repeat in another city. I slept the most on tour too, which is crazy for me." **H: What are some of the things you think about accomplishing with live performance? Is it where you feel you’re communicating authentically?** JP: "It's the same goal throughout all my music, live or recorded. I just want to move people… Especially live. I want people to come to a show and feel no pride, no ego, no judgement — just enjoy ya self and the people around you and take in the moment with people at the same time, ya know???" **H: What do you like to do on your days off on tour?** JP: "bBo, 9 times out of 10 I'm at a thrift store somewhere, moving and grooving around, or posted in the hotel ordering Chinese food, running the PS Portal, and watching movies. I kinda treat them like rejuvenation days." > *"Streaming and socials lie so much. You could have a song with 10 million streams and can’t sell a room for 300 tickets. Seeing people physically show up and also show out how much they love the music you’ve created is special."* **H: With so much attention paid to streaming and socials, why is live music still essential for bands today?** JP: "Streaming and socials lie so much. You could have a song with 10 million streams and can’t sell a room for 300 tickets. Seeing people physically show up and also show out how much they love the music you’ve created is special, but most importantly, seeing bands or artists you truly love is such a whole different, transforming experience to hear." It’s so special hearing your favourite songs live these days; to put it simply, it's both for artists and fans to experience…" **H: What was one live concert you saw as a kid or young adult that shaped you, and what’s a live show you went to recently that blew your mind?** JP: "I’ll be so for real, I never really went to concerts as a kid — it wasn’t really a thing my parents took me to unless it was like my own show or a show my pops was playing. But the first real concert that changed a lot for me was going to the Freudian concert Daniel Caesar did in Toronto at the Danforth." It had me in awe that so many people could be so locked in and compelled by music like that. Just hearing the whole crowd sing back word for word every song that night was crazy. People were so engaged and made friends that night because they were just standing beside each other." **H: Favorite items to pick up at the gas station on tour. Go!** JP: "Bevs: Fiji apple & ginger Red Bull or Enlightened mint yerba or alkaline essential or Icelandic water. Snacks: Cool Ranch Doritos, Skittles gummies, pack of 5 gum, peanut m&ms." **H: Gotta stay hydrated out there!** --- ## [**Jahson Paynter Tour Dates**](https://www.bandsintown.com/a/15646875-jahson-paynter?utm%5Fsource=hypebot&came%5Ffrom=900)