Some say jazz today is too old, too stuffy and too out of touch with young people.
But a new generation of musicians is rewriting that idea.
After Laufey sparked a global jazz wave, another Gen Z jazz star is breaking through—
Verve Records’ rising young talent
Aron! makes his mainland China solo debut in Shanghai!
A Gen Z singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist
Guitar, piano and production: an all-around talent
Millions of streams and viral on Instagram
A leading voice in retro-pop jazz
With no hype campaign, his warm, laid-back “latte-like jazz” has won over listeners.
Aron’s music has a special kind of atmosphere.
—“Table for Two”
It draws on the romantic foundations of 1940s jazz while fitting the relaxed sensibility of today.Instead of weighty, arcane arrangements, there are evening breezes, fireplaces, red wine, sofas and the gentleness of solitude—like the excitement of a first date or a quiet night to recover from a long day.
It is hard to imagine that music this gentle and relaxed comes from a 21-year-old.
For decades, at least within the traditional music industry, jazz has often been regarded as “music that does not belong to young people”—a genre better suited to revisiting the masters than to innovation and expansion.
A new generation of jazz artists is breathing fresh life into the field. Young musicians such as Laufey and Berlioz are at the forefront of this wave. Their modern interpretations of jazz have produced widely heard hit songs and attracted large audiences. Now the rising artist Aron! is poised to claim a place in that movement.
—“Cozy You”
Aron! is one of the latest artists signed to Verve Records, the iconic label under Universal Music Group (UMG).The label has nurtured history-changing artists such as Oscar Peterson, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday, as well as contemporary stars including Jon Batiste, Arooj Aftab and Cynthia Erivo.
—“Eggs in the Morning”
Raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, Aron grew up listening to rock and fell in love with instruments through the video game Guitar Hero. Hewas a bona fide rock kid—until a meeting with an 80-year-old jazz teacher moved him with the gentleness of jazz. In a youthful act of rebellion, he decided toturn toward retro melodies
He dressed in a suit and bow tie to sing jazz standards for residents of nursing homes.
While studying classical composition at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, he immersed himself in Chopin, Ravel and Bach, waking at 7:30 each morning to practice piano and explore the possibilities of all 88 keys.
He earned a full scholarship to the University of Miamito study jazz vocals and film scoring, and honed his stagecraft through dozens of shows with the independent pop band Sunny Side Up!.
—“Wonderful Thing (Piano)”
In 2023, he began exploring what he called“retro-pop sounds”and started building an online following. Record labels began making offers, and he eventually signed with Verve, where an EP further developed his “cozy pop” style. “It is like jazz from a singer-songwriter’s perspective,” he added. “I have always loved old-fashioned romance—people experience the same emotions across the ages. Heartbreak is heartbreak, love is love. These songs are about the experiences we all share.”
His Instagram posts took off, and calls from record labels and management teams began pouring in.“I was so excited. I saw all these people on Instagram enjoying my jazz songs, and I thought, ‘I should just write a few more.’”In just one week, he wrote every song for his debut EP, cozy you (and other nice songs), then recorded it in only two days, quickly shaping a comforting sound of his own.
Released by the legendary Verve label on June 6, 2025, the EP contains six tracks, all inspired by small moments in everyday life. Its relaxed, atmospheric sound comes through especially in the title track〈cozy you〉, which sets the EP’s gentle, restorative tone.
Drawing on the vintage nostalgia and romance of 1940s jazz, Aron builds a musical world with a retro texture and a contemporary sense of ease. Sincere, warm and carefully crafted, the EP showcases his distinctive“cozy pop”jazz sensibility and invites listeners into his gentle, restorative musical universe.