Strongly picking up where his fellow blue-eyed-soul Detroiter, Mayer Hawthorne, left off, and after years of name changes, record label shuffling, and sound shifts, vocalist/producer Christian Berishaj, otherwise known as JMSN (pronounced “Jameson”), has finally landed in a secure position as a beloved safeguardian of soul in an era when much of today’s popular R&B has abandoned its soul roots. While his career begins in 2005 with the self-produced Love Arcade LP, it wasn’t until 2012, when he released the impassioned soul-gaze album entitled Priscilla, that he began to cause a stir—even causing R&B icon Usher to list him as one of his favorite new acts.  Four years later, in 2016, after releasing two more well-received projects (Pllaje EP and JMSN Blue Album) and collaborating with artists such as Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and Kaytranada and others, JMSN released his strongest album to date, It Is. The ballad-laden project makes feverish pit stops through fun reggae rapture (“Hypnotize”), break-up pains (“Cruel Intentions”), and the the sexy inevitability of “something feeling right in the middle of the night” (“Most of All”). More recently, under the doppelgänger Pearl, he released a project entitled Closer on which he plays producer to a host of upcoming vocalists such as Nylo, Alexa Demie and Devon Baldwin. It’s unlikely that anyone from that cast will be on-hand for JMSN’s performance, but he’ll be enough of a handful by himself to win over anyone not already familiar with his many talents. --Eric Tullis

Bio - Born in Detroit, and currently residing in Los Angeles, JMSN (born Christian Berishaj), is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, engineer, mixer, and videographer. The R&B crooner, who released his debut album, †Priscilla†, in January 2012, also operates his indie label, White Room Records, out of his home studio. The success of his freshman album captured the attention of platinum-selling artist Usher, and even landed JMSN four slots on Kendrick Lamar’s groundbreaking Good Kid, M.A.A.D City album (“Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe”, “The Art Of Peer Pressure”, “Sing About Me/Dying Of Thirst”, “Real”).

JMSN’s impressive talents have allowed him to collaborate with the likes of Game, J. Cole, Tyga, Ab-Soul, Kaytranada, Ta-ku, and many others. The success of JMSN’s self-titled album, affectionately known as the Blue Album, released in December 2014, paved the way for a successful world tour, including multiple stops across North America, Europe, Australia, and China. JMSN’s musical evolution continues with the upcoming release of “It is.” on May 6, 2016 via White Room Records.