Jahson Paynter will release his extended play (EP), hold me, don’t hold back!, online on October 29. His time touring in 2026 has strengthened his interest in musicality and working with a full band.
“I love the road; it’s made me realize what I want more in my music. I love musicality and working with a full band, so I want to incorporate those things more.”
Musical roots and songwriting
Born in Scarborough, Ontario, Paynter has Jamaican and South African family roots. His mother aspired to write songs, and his father played reggae. He began writing poetry and raps at ten, drawing on reggae, rhythm and blues (R&B), and hip-hop.
His music now also incorporates soul, country and indie alternative influences. He describes his sound as alternative indie with folk, soul and touches of R&B.
Paynter identifies “Maple Brown” and “Genny Please” as fan favourites, with the latter also among his own favourites.
His songwriting draws on the way he speaks with friends and family, alongside his experiences and musical interests. Lyrics and melodies sometimes arrive together; at other times, he develops much of a verse before finding a melody, or vice versa.
A more consistent touring routine
Paynter links his comfort with touring to a life of road trips, frequent travel and moving between places. He says his routine became more consistent on tour this year, and he slept more than usual.
His typical touring schedule followed these timings:
- 5pm: soundcheck.
- 7pm: get ready.
- 8pm to 8:30pm: take the stage.
- 9pm to 9:30pm: finish and pack up.
- 11pm: return bags to the bus.
- Around 2am: sleep before repeating the routine in another city.
Days off often involve thrift shopping or staying at the hotel with Chinese food, his PS Portal and movies. He treats those breaks as time to recover.
Connecting with an audience
Paynter says his aim is consistent across recordings and performances: to move listeners. At shows, he wants audiences to enjoy the music and one another’s company without pride, ego or judgement.
He argues that streaming and social media figures do not necessarily translate into attendance, offering the hypothetical example of a song with 10 million streams whose artist cannot sell 300 tickets.
For Paynter, seeing listeners attend and express their connection to the music matters. He also describes hearing favourite songs performed live as a distinct experience for fans.
He rarely attended concerts growing up, apart from his own performances or his father’s shows. A formative exception was Daniel Caesar’s Freudian concert at the Danforth in Toronto.
Paynter recalls the crowd singing every song word for word, with people forming friendships as they stood beside one another.
Gas-station favourites
Asked about his tour-stop purchases, Paynter listed:
