LINGO JONEZ

28-year-old Lingo Jonez, born Sadarius Larail Wesley, is an American trap-soul artist with strong Jamaican heritage influence, complete with fluent patois. Honoring the Orlando streets and neighborhoods where he grew up and still resides, Lingo brings notable authenticity to his music. His lyrics offer intimate visibility on the people and places that are too often obscured by Orlando’s theme parks, politically-motivated branding, and cultural priorities that elevate affluence. For Lingo, what matters is the truth, which he seems to express effortlessly. But building his substantive songwriting skills was hard-won, a product of Lingo’s ability to navigate challenges from a young age.

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His first breakout song, We Got It, blew up in local clubs in 2015 and was embraced by top DJs including DJ Consistency, DJ C Lo, DJ Play, DJ Richie Rich, DJ Winn, and others. He wrote the island-inspired Luv Mi Now in 2017 and released it in 2020, an honest, emotional plea for his girl’s patience while he waited for release from jail. Luv Mi Now has a distinct dance hall vibe that echoes Lingo’s origins.

Throughout the 2020-2021 pandemic, Lingo wrote and recorded his soon-to-be-released album, Never Too Late. The first single, Turtle Race, speaks to his vision being refined and developed despite and because of the limitations of pandemic life.