Indie folk artist Afie Jurvanen, born on April 28th, 1981 in Toronto, Canada, made his debut as Bahamas in 2009 with his first album, Pink Strat, which was recorded in a rural retreat the previous year. Released via Jack Johnson’s Universal imprint, Brushfire Records, the LP picked up nominations for a Juno Award and a Polaris Music Prize, sowing the seeds for an increasingly fruitful career for the singer, songwriter and self-taught guitarist. In 2012, he returned with a second album, Barchords, which entered Billboard’s Heatseekers and Folk Albums Charts at number fourteen, led to two more Juno Award nominations, and was certified gold in Canada. Also going gold was the LP’s second single, “Lost in the Light”, which has since amassed over 100 million streams. Jurvanen’s third album, Bahamas Is Afie, would further fortify his credentials, peaking at number four in the Canadian charts, claiming the top spot on Q Magazine’s Top Albums of 2014 list, winning two Juno Awards and making the long list for the Polaris Music Prize. The follow-up, Earthtones (2018), featured contributions from accomplished bassist Pino Palladino (The Who, Nine Inch Nails, John Mayer Trio) and drummer James Gadson (Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Bill Withers). It was equally well-received by critics, reaching number five in Canada, picking up two further Junos and receiving a GRAMMY nomination for Best Engineered Album. In 2020, Jurvanen returned with a soul-influenced fifth LP, the minor chart success Sad Hunk, which was preceded by the funky, uptempo single “Own Alone”.
