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Defying easy categorization, Canadian musician Jutes dabbles in everything from trap-infused hip-hop to aggressive pop-punk, putting him on paths from major-label dalliances to a high-profile romance with a well-known pop musician.

Jordan Lutes was born in 1991 in the Canadian capital of Ottawa and grew up in Toronto. Initially interested in basketball more than music as a youth, he also studied film before putting education on hold to pursue music full-time. Early, self-released singles like "Free" (2015), "Cocaine Cinderella" (2016), "I Don't Need Ya" (2016), and "Notice Me" (2017) paired lo-fi, stuttering trap rhythms with Jutes' laid-back, melodic rap flow. A spate of singles in 2018 and 2019, including "Pretty When U Cry," "Tired," and "You Hate What I've Become," started to blend genres even further, including R&B-adjacent Auto-Tuned crooning and hints of emo guitar chop.

This blend of styles eventually landed Jutes a deal with Capitol Records in early 2020, and the label released the alternative-flavored EPs Overrated and A Really Bad Dream, the latter of which featured some engaging tracks in "Bad Dream," "Say It First," and "Backseat (Kiss Me)" -- all mirroring the mgk-style hip-hop to pop-punk pipeline. Ultimately, post-COVID budget shrinkage and his desire for greater musical control led to a parting of ways with the label. Jutes spent the first half of 2021 opening the floodgates on his musical vault, releasing single after single through the winter and spring and eventually collecting them on the nervy Careful What You Wish For, inspired in part by his experience in the major-label machine.

Jutes' next project, 2022's Hot Trash, pivoted even further into alt-rock, anchored by the chugging, anthemic "Hollywood Hillbilly." This genre flip proved fateful in more ways than one: a writing/producing partner, Keith "Ten4" Sorrells, recruited Jutes to lend a hand on that year's Holy Fvck, a pivot back to pop-punk for erstwhile teen-pop belter Demi Lovato. Besides three co-writing credits on the album -- a Top Ten hit on both sides of the Atlantic -- Jutes and Lovato struck up a friendship that turned romantic. The creative commonality between the pair kept influencing Jutes, and the proximity to an oft-discussed musician didn't hurt either: 2023's Ladybug kept up the pop-punk energy, while 2024's Sleepyhead -- his first release after becoming engaged to Lovato -- became his most-streamed work to date. ~ Mike Duquette