José González (singer)
José Gabriel González is a Swedish indie folk singer-songwriter and guitarist from Gothenburg. He is also a member of the band Junip, along with Tobias Winterkorn.
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Early life and education
José Gabriel González was born on 31 July 1978 in the Haga district of Gothenburg, Sweden, to Argentine parents. His politically active parents were students at the National University of San Luis before fleeing Argentina after the 1976 Argentine coup d'état. Escaping to Brazil with González's older sister, they were granted asylum by the Swedish consulate in Rio de Janeiro and relocated to Gothenburg in 1977.González grew up listening to Latin folk and pop music and has named Cuban singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez as a favourite artist. He said that the first concert he went to was the Wailers. In an interview with Time Out magazine he stated, "I got their autographs and everything. I was about 12 or so. At the time, my favourite music was Bob Marley and Michael Jackson".
González earned a master's degree in molecular biology from the University of Gothenburg and was in a PhD program for biochemistry before dropping out and focusing on music.
Career
The first band González played in was Back Against the Wall, a Gothenburg hardcore punk group influenced by Black Flag, Misfits, and Dead Kennedys. He later played bass guitar in another hardcore band, Renascence, between 1993 and 1998. Between 1997 and 1998, he played guitar with the rock band Only If You Call Me Jonathan.In June 2003, González issued his debut solo release, a two-track single. It was discovered by Joakim Gävert, co-founder of the then-fledgling label Imperial Records, who signed González as their first official artist. In October, González released his debut album, Veneer, in Europe. The record was subsequently released in the UK on 25 April 2005 and in the United States on 6 September 2005. González had begun working on the material while still a PhD student.
González' trademark sound is solo classical guitar with soft vocal melody. His work, although mostly original, also includes acoustic covers of such hits as "Heartbeats" by his fellow Swedes the Knife, "Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Joy Division, "Born in the U.S.A." and "The Ghost of Tom Joad" by Bruce Springsteen, "Hand on Your Heart" by Kylie Minogue, "Smalltown Boy" by Bronski Beat, "Teardrop" by Massive Attack, and "Last Snowstorm of the Year" by Low.
His second album, In Our Nature, was released internationally on 22 September 2007. Its lyrical content was in part influenced by books like The God Delusion by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins and Practical Ethics by ethicist Peter Singer. In 2007, González won a European Border Breakers Award.
In 2010, a documentary about him, called The Extraordinary Ordinary Life of Jose Gonzalez, was released.
His third album, Vestiges & Claws, was released in February 2015. It was critically acclaimed and received the IMPALA Album of the Year Award.
On 17 February 2021, González released a single with Spanish lyrics, "El Invento". In April, he issued "Visions", the second single from his next album, Local Valley, which came out on 17 September.
In 2023, González appeared in the feature film A Tiger in Paradise, which is a fictionalized depiction of his own life.
Collaborations and soundtrack appearances
González plays in the band Junip with Tobias Winterkorn. To date, they have released two EPs, Black Refuge and the free internet release Rope and Summit, along with two full-length albums, Fields and Junip.He collaborated with UK downtempo duo Zero 7 on their 2006 album, The Garden, providing guest vocals, along with Zero 7 regular Sia. González performs vocals on four songs: "Futures", "Left Behind", "Today", and "Crosses". The latter sampled by British hip hop artist Plan B on the song "Cast a Light", which appears on the Paint It Blacker EP.
González collaborated with Finnish house DJ Jori Hulkkonen on the track "Blinded by the Numbers", from Hulkkonen's 2005 album, Dualizm. He has also worked with the Swedish hip hop DJ and producer Embee, on the track "Send Someone Away".
González collaborated with the Books on Red Hot Organization's Dark Was the Night compilation album, fundraising for HIV and AIDS awareness, which was released in February 2009. In 2011, he contributed to the organization's follow-up album, Red Hot+Rio 2 with the song "Um Girassol Da Cor Do Seu Cabelo", recorded with Mia Doi Todd.
González participated in the Göteborg String Theory project in 2009–2011, an experimental music and art project that involved artists from Gothenburg and classical composers from Berlin, Germany. A new sound piece of his song "Cycling Trivialities" was arranged by composer Nackt for a classical orchestra. It was recorded and performed together with González and finally released on the album The Göteborg String Theory Album, in April 2010. González continued his collaboration with the Göteborg String Theory in 2011. Nackt wrote eleven new arrangements for González' songs, and in spring 2011, González and the group went on a European tour of 19 cities.
His cover of the Knife's "Heartbeats" has been used numerous times in media. His music features prominently on the soundtrack to Ben Stiller's 2013 film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, as do a few tracks by Junip.
Personal life
González is in a long-term relationship with his partner, Swedish designer Hannele Fernström, with whom he has a daughter, born in 2017. González is an atheist and a vegan.A firm believer in effective altruism, since August 2017, González has been a member of Giving What We Can, a community of people who have pledged to give at least 10% of their income to charities.
Awards
- Grammis, Newcomer of the Year
- European Border Breaker Award
- Swedish government music export award for sales in 2006