Jonathan Traylor
Jonathan Traylor signals the coming of a new generation of faith music—an authentic melting pot of Worship, Christian and Gospel influences, marked by captivating songs and anchored by a heartfelt passion for ministry.
The Dallas-raised performer who grew up listening to pioneering gospel influences Kirk Franklin and Tye Tribbett, was inspired by their ability to use contemporary sounds and high-energy stage performances to infuse the culture with the message of the Gospel.
“I want to make music that helps not just the churched, but the unchurched,” Jonathan explains. “Christ wants everyone to have a seat at the table. It is not an exclusive thing. I want to make music that connects everyone and brings everyone to the table.”
He realized singing was not his only passion before he graduated high school. By age 15, Jonathan had embraced songwriting as a core means of expression. “It was an outlet for me to get my thoughts and emotions out,” he recalls. I carried a lot, so writing was a way for me to release and get my thoughts out. It wasn’t always in song form, but it was just writing how I felt.”
Once he began sharing his music publicly, performing at churches and local shows, he started to see the impact of his songs. “When you’re able to hear people singing back the words that you wrote, that’s a beautiful moment,” he says. “People are using these songs as anthems and it’s getting them through life. I’m grateful for those moments.”
A primarily self-taught musician, Jonathan plays piano, acoustic guitar, and several percussion instruments. He developed those skills as a service to his local church and fine-tuned them when he began producing tracks for the songs he was now writing not merely as an outlet for his emotion, but to reach audiences inside and outside of the local church.
“The production is everything. I did not just want to make music for Christians. I want a person who never opened up the Bible or has never been to church to be able to listen to my music and like the quality and the beat,” he says. “You should be able to listen to the instrumental without any lyrics and hear the melody and know what the song is going to be about. I’m real big on production and how the song makes people feel.”
As a performer, Traylor is a powerhouse of passion, expressing himself through the inspiring tracks that he writes and co-produces. Taking cues from the stage presence of Franklin and Tribbett, Jonathan began highlighting his considerable dance skills at his increasingly popular shows.
In 2019, after releasing his music independently for several years, Jonathan inked a record deal with Motown Gospel. The partnership has given him a larger platform for his powerful messages and a brighter spotlight for his unique performance style.
Now gearing up for the release of his major-label debut album The Unknown, Jonathan is excited to share the gospel with a new generation.
“I want to do something different in gospel music that people have never seen or heard before. I want to encourage younger people and help raise a whole new generation of worship leaders that are bold, that are fearless, that are authentic, that are raw,” he says. “I want to help raise a generation of wild worshippers that don’t hold back anything and worship with an intense passion and fire”
