Ayron Jones
Feb 25, 2021

When Ayron Jones wrote the lyric, “Got me on my knees / too much smoke, can’t breathe,” heard in his new single “Mercy,” he meant the words quite literally. It was August of 2020 when he wrote the song along with Marty Frederickson and Scott Stevens, and by that point, during one of the most tumultuous years in recent American history, the whole world appeared to be on fire. “I just felt like the line epitomized where we were in America,” Jones says. “It was like taking a telescope and giving people a perspective of America from an outsider and what it felt like to experience this time. It was a rough story about what was really going on here in this country—and particularly for me, as a Black man.”
Jones’ own personal story—from the streets of Seattle to rock star is one with perseverance and determination. Jones’ parents both battled drug addiction, and at a young age he was placed in the foster care system before being taken in by his aunt. These elements became the fuel to drive his early career. He was 13 when he first picked up the guitar that belonged to his friend—a friend that he began visiting more frequently just so he could spend more time with the instrument. Recognizing his raw talent, his aunt and a neighbor eventually gifted him guitars, and all the while he taught himself to play. “I had a lot of conflicting emotions about my identity and my childhood,” explains Jones, “and until I found the guitar, I didn’t have an outlet. Writing and playing became a channel to express everything that I had been feeling, and then it just became my obsession.”
At age of 19, he began releasing music independently, and his talent earned him opportunities with iconic artists such as BB King, Guns N Roses, Janelle Monae, and many more. Jones says “in the early days, we would walk into rock clubs and be treated poorly because we didn’t look like the usual rock band; but, after leaving the stage we had won over the hearts and minds of the crowd. We knew that we were doing something to open the door for other artists like us, not just in Seattle but across the world." Jones began cultivating a following in the Pacific Northwest, cementing himself as a Seattle name and earning the embrace of the city’s musical royalty including Duff McKagan, Mike McCready, and more. His independent rise allowed him to hone his creative vision, and the partnership with Big Machine / John Varvatos Records is the next step in his musical and creative journey. Jones explains: “Had I stayed independent, I don’t think I would’ve had the opportunity to be where I am now, as a chart topper and moving into my first major record."
His debut single “Take Me Away” went Top 5 at Rock Radio and set the bar for singles to come, like the current single "Mercy" which is already climbing the Rock charts. Looking towards the future, Jones says “I’m excited to get my music heard by a vast audience of people; as an artist you work and work to reach as many ears as possible, for your words to relate to people who have been through similar experiences, and to be a voice for the voiceless.”