Johan Lenox
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Johan Lenox
| image =
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| caption =
| birth_name = Stephen Michael Feigenbaum{{cite web|url=https://www.ascap.com/repertory#/ace/search/workID/903987360 |title=ALONE IN THE THEME PARK PART 1 |website=ASCAP |publisher=American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers |access-date=April 29, 2023}}
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| genre = {{hlist|Alternative hip hop|ambient pop}}
| occupation = {{hlist|Singer|producer|songwriter}}
| years_active = 2016–present
| label = Independent
| associated_acts = {{hlist|Mike Dean|Kanye West|070 Shake}}
| website =
}}
Stephen Michael Feigenbaum,{{cite web|last=Sullivan|first=James|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/05/11/arts/johan-lenoxs-adult-angst-with-beats-strings/|title=Johan Lenox's adult angst, with beats and strings|work=The Boston Globe|date=May 11, 2022|access-date=June 1, 2022}} known professionally as Johan Lenox, is an American singer, composer and producer. His musical style combines elements of trap music, hip hop, pop and classical music. He began gaining attention for his production for high-profile artists like Travis Scott and Kanye West, among others.{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/johan-lenox-mn0003871169/credits|title=Johan Lenox, Credits|work=AllMusic|access-date=June 1, 2022}} Since debuting in 2019, Lenox has released three studio albums.
Early life
Feigenbaum was raised in Massachusetts, where he spent summers studying classical music at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts. He spent six years at Yale University studying music. He was inspired upon hearing Kanye West's 2010 album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, realizing the potential of combining classical music with modern pop and hip hop.{{cite web|last=Ruddell|first=Charley|url=https://www.wbur.org/news/2022/05/12/johan-lenox-debut-album-wdywtbwygu|title=Musician Johan Lenox debuts symphonically inspired pop album 'WDYWTBWYGU'|work=WBUR-FM|date=12 May 2022 |access-date=June 1, 2022}}
Career
=2016-2018: "Yeethoven"=
Feigenbaum developed his stage name combining the names of composer Johannes Brahms and the town of Lenox, Massachusetts, where he studied classical music. Feigenbaum began receiving attention in 2016, co-creating and arranging music for a live orchestra event called "Yeethoven", a project that combines and compares the works of Kanye West and Beethoven.{{cite magazine|last=Bruner|first=Raisa|url=https://time.com/5051044/yeethoven-kanye-west-beethoven-concert/|title=How a Live Orchestra Is Mashing Up Kanye West and Beethoven|magazine=Time (magazine)|date=December 14, 2017|access-date=June 1, 2022}} This project captured the attention of Time, Pitchfork,{{cite web|last=Yoo|first=Noah|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/64868-watch-yeethoven-orchestra-perform-kanye-wests-blood-on-the-leaves-and-new-slaves/|title=Watch "Yeethoven" Orchestra Perform Kanye West's "Blood on the Leaves" and "New Slaves"|website=Pitchfork |date=April 17, 2016|access-date=June 1, 2022}} The Atlantic{{cite web|last=Kornhaber|first=Spencer|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/07/yeethoven/564206/|title=What Classical Music Can Learn From Kanye West|website=The Atlantic |date=July 2, 2018|access-date=June 1, 2022}} and artists like Vic Mensa and producer Mike Dean. Impressed by the work, Dean invited Feigenbaum to help produce for several Kanye West projects in 2018, including Nas' Nasir and Teyana Taylor's The Album.{{cite web|last=Hellerbach|first=Miki|url=https://www.okayplayer.com/music/johan-lenox-interview.html|title=Meet Johan Lenox: The Composer Adding Classical Music to Your Favorite Rap Songs|work=Okayplayer|access-date=June 1, 2022}}
=2019-2023: Solo work and work with Isomontrosity=
In the subsequent years, Feigenbaum released a series of three projects under Island Records; Everybody's Cool but Me in 2019, Cancel the Party in 2020, and World on Fire in 2021. The song "Deep Reverence" by Big Sean received a nomination for Best Rap Performance at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, bringing Feigenbaum his first Grammy nomination.{{Cite web |title=We are the official site of the GRAMMY Awards, Music's Biggest Night {{!}} GRAMMY.com |url=https://www.grammy.com/ |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=grammy.com}} His fourth project, which he dubbed his "debut album", was released independently in 2022 and is titled WDYWTBWYGU (an acronym of What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up), and features KayCyy, Ant Clemons, Mr. Hudson, 070 Shake, among others. In mid-2022, he joined 070 Shake as the opener for her nationwide tour for her second studio album, You Can't Kill Me.
At the end of the year, he released the debut album from Isomonstrosity, a collaborative group with Ellen Reid and Yuga Cohler, performed by International Contemporary Ensemble then chopped and rearranged with vocals added by artists including Danny Brown, Kacy Hill, and Empress Of. Released on the Brassland label, The FADER said it was "quite possibly the platonic ideal of a pandemic album."{{Cite web |title=Song You Need: A "pandemic symphony" pulls Danny Brown and 645AR out of their comfort zones |url=https://www.thefader.com/2022/09/20/song-you-need-a-pandemic-symphony-pulls-danny-brown-and-645ar-out-of-their-comfort-zones |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=The FADER |language=en}}
A live orchestral version of the album WDYWTBWYGU was released on February 10, 2023 (titled Chamber WDYWTBWYGU), followed later that year on August 25, 2023, with Johan's Childhood Chamber Nostalgia Album, an orchestral instrumental album.{{Cite web |title=JOHAN'S CHILDHOOD CHAMBER NOSTALGIA ALBUM, by Johan Lenox |url=https://johanlenox.bandcamp.com/album/johans-childhood-chamber-nostalgia-album |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=Johan Lenox |language=en}} His next album, I Guess We'll Find Out, was released on March 29, 2024.{{Cite web |title=I Guess We'll Find Out by johan lenox |url=https://genius.com/albums/Johan-lenox/I-guess-we-ll-find-out |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=Genius |language=en}}
Discography
=Studio albums=
- WDYWTBWYGU (2022)
- Johan's Childhood Chamber Nostalgia Album (2023)
- I Guess We'll Find Out (2024)
== With Isomonstrosity ==
- Isomonstrosity (2022)
=Mixtapes=
- Everybody's Cool but Me (2019)
- Cancel the Party (2020)
- World on Fire (2021)
=Extended plays=
- Chamber Johan (2021)
- Wilds (2017)
External links
- [https://johanlenox.com/ Official website]