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Yonas
Background information
Birth name	Yonas Mellesse
Born	Bronx, New York, United States
Origin	New York, New York, United States
Genres	Hip hop, rap, alternative hip hop, pop
Years active	2009–present
Website	www.yonasmusic.com

Yonas Mellesse, known by the stage name YONAS, is an American hip hop artist from New York City. ^[1] He has released three albums, The Proven Theory (2011), The Transition Deluxe (2013), and About Time (2018), as well as several EPs and mixtapes.

Career

In 2009, Yonas released his first EP, New Golden Era, independently, winning a Billboard Songwriting Award for his single "Banga". ^[2] A year later he released his first mixtape, produced by Sean Ross, entitled I Am Us. In 2011 he released his first album on iTunes, The Proven Theory. The music video for his single "Shy Kidz" was featured on MTVu and Fuse TV on Demand, after he won an audience vote in a contest for independent artists. ^[3]

His next mixtape, The Transition, was released in 2012. It was downloaded 70,000 times in the first two months. Yonas was featured as a Breakout artist in XXL magazine in June 2012. ^[4] Yonas performed a 50-city nationwide tour in the fall of 2012, opening for Aer. ^[5] Yonas has performed with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Wale, Juicy J, Timeflies, Gorilla Zoe, The White Panda, and Logic. ^{[6][ better source needed]}

His music video "Fall Back" appeared in the motion picture, The Place Beyond the Pines (2012). ^[1] His EP The Black Canvas, released on February 4, 2013, reached no.4 on iTunes Hip-Hop/ Rap charts and no.25 on the iTunes overall album chart. ^[7]

Personal life

Yonas is married to Shaelyn Mellesse. ^[8] Their daughter was born on March 3, 2018. ^[9]

Discography

Albums

• The Proven Theory (2011)
• The Transition Deluxe (2013)
• About Time (2018)

EPs

• The New Golden Era (2010)
• The Black Canvas (2013)
• Going Places (2015)
• Everyday Like It's Friday (2016)

Mixtapes

• I Am Us (2010)
• The Transition (2012)
• The Transition 2: Bright Lights, Big City (2013)

Music videos

References

External links

• Official website