JONAH KAGEN RELEASES DEBUT ALBUM INSPIRED BY LIFE’S BALANCE OF LOVE AND LOSS, LIGHT AND DARK SUNFLOWERS AND LEATHER OUT NOW
JONAH KAGEN
RELEASES DEBUT ALBUM INSPIRED BY LIFE’S BALANCE OF LOVE AND LOSS, LIGHT AND DARK
SUNFLOWERS AND LEATHER OUT NOW – LISTEN HERE
ALBUM DOCUMENTARY
SUNFLOWERS AND LEATHER: THE FIELD GUIDE
EXPLORES HIS YEAR OFF-THE-GRID CREATING THE ALBUM
Documentary and experience the interactive site HERE
2025 TOUR DATES WITH: VANCE JOY, SAM BARBER, WYATT FLORES, CAMERON WHITCOMB, CROWE BOYS, & MORE
#1 ALTERNATIVE RADIO SMASH “GOD NEEDS THE DEVIL” CONTINUES TO RISE
September 5, 2025 - Today, breakout Savannah, GA native Jonah Kagen has announced the release of his debut album Sunflowers and Leather, via Arista Records. Alongside the album, he shares the focus track “Black Lung,” which explores the feeling of being told to minimize your personal struggles because “someone always has it worse” and that your worries are “all in your head.”
Stream Sunflowers and Leather HERE & Listen to “Black Lung” HERE
On the new album Jonah said: “Sunflowers and Leather is a snapshot of my mind at this point in my life. It’s an investigation of all the questions and existential wonders that live with me, and it’s documentation of my search for meaning, purpose, identity, and faith. There are connections between all of these songs (and to previous projects) hidden in the lyrics throughout the album. The title comes from the lyric in my song “Matches”: “When I die, I want my life to look like sunflowers and leather.” What I mean by this is–when I’m on my deathbed, looking back on my life, I want to see experience and beauty; struggle and joy; things to cry about, and things to cry laughing about. I want to have stories to tell. These are the stories that I have to tell right now.”
The album, written, recorded, and produced entirely by Kagen while traveling across the American South and West in a converted Airstream trailer, already has rave reviews. American Songwriter hailed it as “a deeply personal record, both lyrically and sonically,” while Melodic Magazine declared it “the debut album we’ve been waiting for… vulnerable, fierce and wildly human.”
As Jonah notes in his quote, Sunflowers and Leather is built on contrasts. The title itself was inspired by a line from his song “Matches” — “When I die, I want my life to look like sunflowers and leather” — a lyric that captures the duality at the heart of the record. For Jonah, “Sunflowers” represents beauty and joy, while “Leather” speaks to pain and grit, both of which he believes are essential to the human experience. That balance runs through the music: songs like “The Reaper” and “Burn Me” (featuring Sam Barber) wrestle with mortality, faith, and inner conflict, while others lean into love and connection. His newest single, “You Again,” turns raw heartache into something universal, a quality that recently earned it recognition from Rolling Stone as a “Song You Need to Know” and a nod from Holler as one of the Best New Country/Americana Songs of the Week. Threaded together, the album captures Jonah’s signature mix of intricate guitarwork, honest lyricism, and a voice that makes every song feel intimate yet sweeping.
Watch "You Again" one take live performance video - shot in Montana HERE
To accompany the release, Kagen partnered with acclaimed visual creative David O’Donohue (Noah Kahan, Lainey Wilson, James Bay) on a 16mm documentary, Sunflowers and Leather: The Field Guide. Shot across the country, the film mirrors the journey that inspired the record, capturing Jonah’s travels from South Carolina to Montana and weaving in the landscapes, solitude, and resilience that shaped the album.
Ahead of release, Jonah teased the project with a trailer (watch HERE) and shared clips from the field guide on socials (watch HERE and HERE). Fans can experience the full documentary, along with highlights, behind-the-scenes photos, and unreleased footage at www.jonahkagen.com/slfieldguide. The immersive site allows fans to track their progress as they explore the Field Guide and uncover the story behind the album, including how Jonah recorded and wrote Sunflowers and Leather entirely on his own in the Airstream studio he built.
Watch the Sunflowers and Leather: The Field Guide documentary HERE
Up next, Jonah is taking his new music on the road continuing on his extensive 2025 US tour and a headline tour in the UK & Europe. He recently wrapped up his co-headline with Crowe Boys and will join a string of major shows this year, including dates with Wyatt Flores, Vance Joy, Cameron Whitcomb, and Sam Barber. He is also appearing at key festivals, including Bourbon & Beyond in Louisville and Redwest Country Music Festival in Salt Lake City. Full Tour dates are listed below and at http://Jonahkagen.com.
With over 500 million global streams and nearly 6 million monthly listeners on Spotify, Jonah is one of the fastest-growing artists & lyricists of 2025. Recently, he did a pop-up show in Vancouver where over a hundred people showed up in just hours- read here. Not to mention earlier this year, he hit #1 with his massive single “God Needs The Devil.” This, tied with his massive social following, nearly 1 million on all platforms, sets him up to be THE best new artist of 2025!
Previously, Jonah released his Black Dress EP, a six-song body of work that was also self-recorded and produced while he was living and touring in the airstream. It featured “God Needs The Devil” and had an unhurried but meteoric rise to the #1 spot as it was placed on Spotify’s Pop Rising playlist’s Best Songs of 2024 and now has over 120 million streams worldwide.
Jonah Kagen 2025 Tour Dates
For tickets and full details, visit www.jonahkagen.com
Jul 25 – Sandy, UT – Sandy Amphitheater – w/ Wyatt Flores
Jul 27 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater – Headline Show
Aug 7 – Boise, ID – Idaho Botanical Garden: Outlaw Field – w/ Sam Barber
Aug 8 – Spokane, WA – Spokane Pavilion – w/ Sam Barber
Aug 9 – Tacoma, WA – Dune Peninsula at Point Defiance Park – w/ Sam Barber
Aug 11 – Vancouver, BC – Queen Elizabeth Theatre – w/ Sam Barber
Aug 15 – Forest Grove, OR – McMenamins Grand Lodge – w/ Sam Barber
Aug 16 – Eugene, OR – McDonald Theatre – Sold Out
Sep 3 – Portland, ME – Thompson’s Point – w/ Vance Joy
Sep 4 – Shelburne, VT – The Green at Shelburne Museum – w/ Vance Joy
Sep 5 – Montreal, QC – Bar Le Ritz PDB
Sep 7 – Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern
Sep 9 – Detroit, MI – Masonic Temple Theatre – w/ Vance Joy
Sep 10 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE – w/ Vance Joy
Sep 14 – Louisville, KY – Bourbon & Beyond Festival
Sep 16 – Asheville, NC – Asheville Yards Amphitheater – w/ Vance Joy
Sep 17 – Wilmington, NC – Live Oak Bank Pavilion – w/ Vance Joy
Sep 18 – North Charleston, SC – Firefly Distillery – w/ Vance Joy
Sep 21 – Greenville, SC – Radio Room Greenville
Sep 22 – Charlotte, NC – Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre – w/ Vance Joy
Sep 24 – Cary, NC – Koka Booth Amphitheatre – w/ Vance Joy
Sep 25 – Cleveland, OH – Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica – w/ Vance Joy
Sep 26 – Lewiston, NY – Artpark Mainstage Theater – w/ Vance Joy
Sep 30 – Sacramento, CA – Ace Of Spades – w/ Cameron Whitcomb
Oct 1 – San Francisco, CA – The Regency Ballroom – w/ Cameron Whitcomb
Oct 3 – San Diego, CA – Music Box – w/ Cameron Whitcomb
Oct 4 – Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour – w/ Cameron Whitcomb
Oct 5 – Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour – w/ Cameron Whitcomb
Oct 8 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren – w/ Cameron Whitcomb
Oct 12 – Salt Lake City, UT – Redwest Country Music Festival
Oct 15 – Fayetteville, AR – George’s Majestic Lounge – w/ Cameron Whitcomb
Oct 17 – Fort Worth, TX – Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall – Sold Out w/ Cameron Whitcomb
Oct 18 – Austin, TX – Scoot Inn – Sold Out w/ Cameron Whitcomb
Oct 21 – New Orleans, LA – Tipitina’s – w/ Cameron Whitcomb
Oct 23 – Oxford, MS – The Lyric Oxford – w/ Cameron Whitcomb
Oct 24 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl – Sold Out w/ Cameron Whitcomb
Oct 25 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West – Sold Out w/ Cameron Whitcomb
Oct 27 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West – w/ Cameron Whitcomb
About Jonah Kagen
Embodying contrast, Savannah, GA native Jonah Kagen blends raw, intricate guitar work with lyrics that are as personal as they are universally resonant. Inspired by songwriters like Townes Van Zandt, Jason Isbell, and fingerstyle virtuoso Andy McKee, Kagen channels his introspection into powerful anthems made for the world’s biggest stages. His journey to his debut album Sunflowers and Leather began with a bit of heartbreak and a literal crash. After walking away from a stalled relationship in Miami, he bought a truck and an Airstream to chase something real. Just miles into the trip, he got into a car wreck. But instead of quitting, he doubled down, rebuilt, and transformed that Airstream into a mobile studio that carried him across the American West where he wrote, self-produced and recorded his most ambitious work to date.
After a breakout year anchored by his viral single “God Needs the Devil” — a #1 hit at Alternative radio and one of Spotify’s Best Pop Songs of 2024 — Kagen has amassed over 500 million global streams, 6 million monthly listeners, nearly 1 million Shazam tags, and 800K+ social followers. His Black Dress EP set the stage with its unhurried but meteoric rise, while tours with artists including Vance Joy, Sam Barber, Wyatt Flores, and Crowe Boys have made him a sought-after presence on the road.
Now at 25, Kagen has channeled heartbreak, faith, isolation, and resilience into his debut album Sunflowers and Leather. Written and produced entirely during a cross-country journey in a rebuilt Airstream, the 16-track project pairs intimate storytelling with stadium-ready energy. Vulnerable, fierce, and unshakably human, Sunflowers and Leather marks the arrival of one of the most compelling new voices in music.
FOLLOW JONAH KAGEN
