Jesse Welles

Welles was born in Ozark, Arkansas, and grew up there in Northwest Arkansas. In 2016, Welles lived for a while in an abandoned building turned art commune in the mountains around Fayetteville. ==Career==

Under the name Jesse Wells, Welles began his career around 2012, releasing home-made recordings of his music, posting them on sites including SoundCloud and Bandcamp. He formed the band Dead Indian in 2012, along with Dirk Porter and Simon Martin. In 2014, Welles released a song titled "Summer" In 2015, he moved to Nashville to record songs with producer Dave Cobb. Also in 2015, Welles released a cover of the Nirvana song "Heart-Shaped Box". In March 2017, Welles released a song titled "Life Like Mine" from his then-upcoming EP titled Codeine on C3 Records. In May 2017, Welles released a music video for the song "Life Like Mine", from the EP. Under the mononym Welles, he released the single "Rock N Roll" in April 2018, in promotion of his then-upcoming debut studio album Red Trees and White Trashes. Greta Van Fleet, Rival Sons, and Royal Blood. In February 2019, Welles performed as a headliner at Schubas in Chicago. In 2023, under the name Jesse Welles, he began playing cover songs on TikTok. After his father lived through a heart attack the following year, he began to write folk protest songs focused on current events. The songs, addressing topics including capitalism, microplastics and the fentanyl crisis in the United States, garnered attention on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. In September 2024, Welles played Farm Aid; he was introduced by Dave Matthews as "one of the best songwriters I've ever heard in my life." He also performed two songs on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in November 2025: "Join ICE" and "Red". Welles's "Join ICE" has been described as "another step in the comeback of the protest song". Welles was honored with the Spirit of Americana/Free Speech Award at the 2025 Americana Music Honors & Awards on September 10, 2025, presented in association with the First Amendment Center. He was also nominated for the Emerging Act of the Year award at the ceremony. Welles was nominated for four categories at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, which occurred in 2026: Best Folk Album for Under The Powerlines (April 24 – September 24), Best Americana Album for Middle, Best American Roots Song for "Middle", and Best Americana Performance for "Horses". ==Discography==

As Jeh Sea Wells Albums • Indian Summer (2012) • When We Die (2013) • Demonstrations (2015) • Chaff (2016) • Gemini Sweethearts and Daisy Chains (2016) • Pall Mall Church (2016) • All of Life Is Piss (2017) • Space Camp Summer 18 (2018) EPs • So We Kept Looking (2013) • Non-Essential Business (2020) • Q2 (2020) • Joe Dirt Cobain (2020) Singles • "1 a.m." (2012) • "Big Grey Sky" (2013) • Summer (2014) • "Xmas 97" (2014) • "Don't Let Me Down" (2020) As Welles Albums • Red Trees and White Trashes (2018) • Alien Secrets (2023) • Arkancide (2023) • Arkancide 2 (2023) • Arkancide 3 (2023) EPs • Codeine (2017, C3 Records) Singles • "Are You Feeling Like Me" (2017) • "Seventeen" (2018) As Jesse Welles Albums • Hells Welles (2024) • Patchwork (2024) • Middle (2025) • Under the Powerlines (April 24 – September 24) (2025) • Pilgrim (2025) • ''Devil's Den'' (2025) • With the Devil (2025) • Under the Powerlines II (October 24 – December 24) (2025) EPs • All Creatures Great and Small (2024) • No Kings (2025) Singles Welles is featured on Margo Price's single "Don't Wake Me Up". Other Charted Songs With Dead Indian Albums • Lead Me to the Sky (2013) • When We Live (2014) EPs • Grey (2013) • Far Out – The Covers (2015) With Cosmic-American EPs • Out Far (2015) == See also ==