Yung Lean

One of the most influential artists to emerge from the cloud rap scene, Swedish rapper Young Lean achieved considerable online notoriety thanks to his alluring, melancholic melange of hip-hop and electronic music. Born Jonatan Aron Leandoer Håstad (July 18, 1996) in Minsk, he spent his early childhood in Belarus before relocating to Stockholm with his family between the ages of 3 and 5. Raised in the Södermalm district, he developed a taste for rap music during his teenage years, citing 50 Cent, The Latin Kings, and Nas as early influences. In 2012, Yung Lean struck up a creative partnership with Yung Sherman and Gud, with whom he formed the group Sad Boys. In a relatively short period of time, the trio amassed a substantial online following and set the stage for Yung Lean’s solo debut with the viral single “Ginseng Strip.” Released in 2013, the track racked up views by the millions and was included in several year-end lists. That same year, Yung Lean issued his debut mixtape, Unknown Death 2002, as well as the Lavender EP. After months of relentless touring with Sad Boys, including a live performance at New York City’s Webster Hall, he delivered his first studio full-length, Unknown Memory, in 2014. A second album titled Warlord saw the light in 2016 and was followed by the unveiling of his own clothing line and a brief modeling stint for Calvin Klein. During that time, Yung Lean also made an appearance on Frank Ocean’s critically acclaimed 2016 album, Blonde. He followed this success with titles like Stranger (2017) and the neofolk-tinged Nectar (2019), his first release under his alter ego Jonatan Leandoer127. Preceded by the single “Boylife in EU,” Yung Lean’s fourth album Starz arrived in 2020 and featured American pop maverick Ariel Pink on its title track.