Meet Jonathan Harris

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jonathan Harris. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jonathan below.

Jonathan, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

I developed my confidence and self-esteem through the support of my family and friends. Growing up I doubted myself because I was often bullied in school for being different and not wanting to do things to fit in with the crowd. It left me depressed and questioning myself as a person. It wasn’t until I got therapy, that helped me understand that I was special because of my leadership and determination helped me see for who I was. It also played a role for my songwriting that I could use to tell stories about myself.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

My name is Jonathan Harris. You can call me by my stage name Big Jon. I was born and raised in Baltimore, MD and I have a love for writing songs, singing and rapping. I’m an up and coming Hip Hop Artist and I have been rapping and writing my own songs since I was 16 years old. I first came to love Hip Hop when I was 12 years old in 2005, when I first entered Middle School. I grew up listening to Hip Hop Artist such as Tupac, Biggie Smalls, Eminem, Jay Z, Kanye West, Snoop Dog, Lauren Hill, Ludacris, Will.i.am and 50 Cent as their work inspired me to become a Hip Hop Artist. I got so in love with the genre that in 2010 when I was 16, I started writing my own rap songs.

I started by using beats from other popular Hip Hop Artist like Drake, 2 Chainz, Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne to name a few when I was starting writing my own lyrics. I performed my songs in front of my school and even in front of my church and they loved my songwriting, rapping and performance. It was then I knew I had a talent and passion for writing and rapping as well as singing. I was actually on my church’s choir since I was a kid and even led the choir in some songs we’ve performed on stage at concerts. I wanted to carry on that passion by the time I graduated from High School and entered College.

I’ve put writing songs on hold for a few years to go to college where I majored in media production at Towson University, and graduated with a 3.5 GPA in 2019. I started working in broadcasting that same year, where initially I wanted a career in, but after 5 years of not getting much out of it and feeling unaccomplished I decided to go back to my passion and in the summer of 2024 I started writing songs again and began work on my debut EP titled “HERE I COME” The EP contains a total of 6 songs that were all written by me. The songs titled in the EP are called Rise Again, Sponsor, Spirits, Powers, No More and Don’t Judge Me. They were produced and recorded at SongBuilder Studios in Baltimore, MD, while Powers was recorded at Lounge Studios in New York City.

I want to make an impact on the music industry with my music as I feel that despite some good hip hop music here and there, I feel there is a lack of quality in the genre, where some only care about the money, where as for me, I care about the art, especially when it comes to lyrics, rapping, singing, flow and storytelling. I’m also doing this for my mom who died in 2021 due to pancreatic cancer, and I want to make her proud of me by impacting the world with my music.

What makes my brand special is to showcase my work as a music artist and show the world on how I write my songs and how I put my craft together to make high quality music. I like to take my time to make sure that the level of quality is up to par and presentable to audiences to listen and for me to perform.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

The three most important qualities that were impactful in my journey are leadership, determination, and following my passion in music. My leadership skills helped me in wanting to do right and be an example of an artist that sets their own standards of how they create their music and not make music based off of trends and doing it out of peer pressure.

Determination has helped me stay strong with wanting to achieve my goals in the music industry. Despite setbacks and certain struggles I’ve had on this road, I’ve always continued to stay determined through it all. Especially when it came to the support of my family and friends that keep me going and to never give up and stay on course.

Following my passion in music has always been a huge factor, since I love songwriting, rapping and performing in front of people. That has always kept me going in making more music and wanting to show the world my talent as an artist.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

What my parents did was the most impactful, was supporting my music and doing what I love. No matter what road I took and no matter how hard it gets I was determined to be successful and before my mom died she told me that she was proud of my accomplishments and wants me to succeed. He last words gave me the strength and courage to make her proud of me.

Contact Info:

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Highlighter Series
What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?

Coffee? Workouts? Hitting the snooze button 14 times? Everyone has their morning ritual and we

Highlighter Series
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?

Our deepest wounds often shape us as much as our greatest joys. The pain we

Highlighter Series
Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?

Culture, economic circumstances, family traditions, local customs and more can often influence us more than