JOHNNY J. GRIFFIN

Johnny J. Griffin is a Montréal-based indie folk singer-songwriter known for raw, sermon-like live shows, literary songwriting and a voice reminiscent of Jeff Buckley.

Johnny Griffin is the kind of singer/songwriter that makes the rest of us stop what we're doing and listen. In a word: he's touched.

— Brad Barr, The Barr Brothers

Montreal. 2026.

"Death of Cool" is streaming now on Spotify. New music — "More," "How Dare You," and "Shadow of the Whip" — is currently a mailing-list/Bandcamp exclusive.

Live at sofar sounds montreal, le ministere, place-des-arts (with noche) 2025-26

ABOUT

Johnny J. Griffin has spent over a decade building a catalog now compared to Phoebe Bridgers, Bob Dylan, and Leonard Cohen — the kind of songwriter's songwriter who can turn a room into something closer to church. He placed 1st in the international songwriting competition "Recording Festival," has toured Canada, the U.S., and Europe, and is currently releasing new solo material via his mailing list and Bandcamp.

THE STORY SO FAR

Long before releasing music under his own name, Johnny J. Griffin spent half a decade fronting Montréal's John Jacob Magistery (JJM), building a reputation as a songwriter's songwriter and a live performer known for turning rooms into something closer to a sermon than a show.

Performing for years as John Jacob Magistery (JJM), Griffin's project built momentum quickly: the single "Greatest Story Ever" (from the EP Narcissism Unto Loneliness) placed Top 30 in 2014 and earned JJM the title of "Best New Music Discovery of the Year" from Montréal rock station CHOM-FM in 2015. The band's debut album, Phantom I / Are You Too Sensitive?, launched with two headline shows at the Montréal International Jazz Festival in 2016; its lead single "CAROL" premiered via Exclaim! Magazine and reached Top 5 on Québec's ADISQ Palmarès radio chart for three consecutive weeks. The most significant milestone of that era was placing 1st in the international songwriting competition "Recording Festival" — beating out thousands of entrants across every genre — which sent the band to record for two weeks at Ireland's Grouse Lodge Studio, a room with credits including Michael Jackson, U2, R.E.M., and Snow Patrol. The album's cover art later appeared on canned beer labels for Collective Arts Brewery, distributed across Canada, the U.S., Spain, and Australia.

Griffin has since played sold-out headline shows across Canada, the U.S., and Europe, and shared stages with acts including Daniel Lanois, Schoolboy Q, Lord Huron, FKA twigs, Chet Faker, Run the Jewels, The Kills, City and Colour, The Barr Brothers, Blue Rodeo, The Struts, Basia Bulat, Aidan Knight, Lia Ices, and Car Seat Headrest. After a stretch performing out of Los Angeles, he returned to Montréal to headline the Folk on the Canal Festival and a Montréal Alouettes half-time show. JJM's 2017 EP, HARMONEY, was named one of the year's top Canadian albums by Beehype Magazine and carried the band through a Canada/U.S. tour, a sold-out M for Montréal showcase, and a SXSW 2018 showcase alongside a run of southern U.S. dates.

Griffin's live history also includes two Osheaga appearances (2015, 2018) and festival credits at CMW, NXNE, Pop Montréal, M for Montréal, Montréal en Lumière, OUMF, and City Folk Festival. He also contributed early songwriting, arrangement, and stylistic input to Jon Matte's Franklin Electric project in its formative stages — all of it built without a record label or significant social media footprint.

Now releasing new solo material under his own name, Griffin's songwriting continues to draw comparisons to Phoebe Bridgers, Bob Dylan, and Leonard Cohen, with a voice reminiscent of Jeff Buckley and a raw, textural sound in the spirit of Mk.gee. Bandcamp and his mailing list serve as home base for that new music — "Death of Cool," "More," "How Dare You," and "Shadow of the Whip" are all out now — while he finalizes a name consolidation and wider streaming strategy.

PRAISE

Johnny Griffin is the kind of singer/songwriter that makes the rest of us stop what we're doing and listen. He has a preternatural sense of the arc of a song, how it's supposed to lead the listener and how to load it with surprises. His voice is just as comfortable with soaring acrobatics as it is with the most casual, conversational delivery. His lyrics thrive in a similar kind of contrast, drawing the unseen connection between the dirty plates on the counter and the physics of a black hole. In a word: he's touched. I've had the pleasure of working with him in the studio, and his attention to the craft of songwriting is rivalled only by his attention to how the soul of a song translates onto the recording.

— Brad Barr, The Barr Brothers

When John plays, everyone stops to listen. He's just got that thing, and we are just scratching the surface with his talent.

— Jason Rockman, CHOM 97.7

Johnny is an incredible artist — his presence alone can electrify a room, and when he starts to sing, it becomes unforgettable. There's no escaping the emotion he brings. His deep, honest connection to music makes him one of the most inspiring artists I've had the chance to work with.

— Mathieu Senechal, NOCHE

Johnny has a connection with music and art that has been a huge inspiration. I've always respected and looked up to his authenticity and how he truly inspired me to go deeper in my songwriting and say the simple honest truth about how I feel. He became a very close friend and inspiration for me and The Franklin — I'm forever grateful for it.

— Jon Matte, The Franklin Electric

HIGHLIGHTS

- Winner, international songwriting competition "Recording Festival" (2015) — 1st place among thousands of entries across every genre; residency at Grouse Lodge Studio, Ireland
- "Best New Music Discovery of the Year," CHOM-FM Montréal (2015)
- Top 5, ADISQ Palmarès Québec radio chart — 3 consecutive weeks (2016)
- Headlined the Montréal International Jazz Festival and Folk on the Canal Festival
- Osheaga Festival — 2015 & 2018
- SXSW showcase performer (2018)
- Sold-out headline shows across Canada, the U.S., and Europe
- HARMONEY EP named a Top Canadian Album of 2017 by Beehype Magazine
- Built entirely independent — no record label, no gimmicks; 250,000+ organic YouTube views from just 608 subscribers

PRESS LINKS

DISCOGRAPHY

"Shadow of the Whip" — single, out now (Bandcamp/mailing list exclusive)
- "How Dare You" — single, out now (Bandcamp/mailing list exclusive)
- "More" — single, out now (Bandcamp/mailing list exclusive)
- "Death of Cool" — single, streaming now on Spotify (Johnny Griffin)
- HARMONEY — EP, 2017 (as John Jacob Magistery)
- Phantom I / Are You Too Sensitive? — debut LP, 2016 (as John Jacob Magistery)
- Narcissism Unto Loneliness — EP, 2014 (as John Jacob Magistery)

Get new music first, plus early access to "More" and "How Dare You."

Booking, press, and general inquiries:

e-mail: johnny@johnnyjgriffin.com

phone: 438-922-8775

Instagram: @johnnyjgriffin

Bandcamp: johnnygriffin111.bandcamp.com