Rising Stars: Meet Yonna Jones

Today we’d like to introduce you to Yonna Jones.

Hi Yonna, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My father’s a DJ & my mom enjoyed singing throughout my childhood so I was born with the love of music. My oldest brothers & my cousins started rap groups with their friends, so this really inspired me to try writing songs at just six years old. Shortly after, I was deeply influenced by Michael Jackson, Omarion, Chris Brown, Tpain, Eminem, Lil Wayne &, etc.

Once I graduated high school, I let sports go & decided music was more of my passion. I studied commercial songwriting for two years & now I’m continuing to be independent along the way.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I ran into bad managers, bad engineers, & scammed by videographers & promoters. I dropped out of college due to lack of resources & was homeless afterward for a few years. Worked at taco bell & dollar general just to get by & didn’t have a car until the pandemic. I also didn’t have a computer or any studio equipment so money issues made it hard to keep going.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I rap, sing, dance, draw & I’m currently learning to produce beats. I’m most known for my live performances & I’m most proud of the time I was chosen to open up for Ludacris at MTSU. I’ve been writing songs before I could write words, so I feel my studying & my passion for music set me apart from others.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Reaching out to friends & going out of town to connect in different music environments helped me the most. Also, social media has connected me to people across the world that’s willing to help with my ideas.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yonnajones/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yonna.jones.92
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/YonnaJoness,
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCvfXD5b1f1RFn6JMYzeqj3w
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/x8rAfHAfq8ApAR5Y9
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6qu5qE05fpHgm0ongSoAFR?si=HDHBCLxrQyWw1W5q1VEZHQ