Jesso was born in
North Vancouver, British Columbia. After living and playing bass in Los Angeles for four years, Jesso moved back to his home in North Vancouver. He started playing the piano in his spare time while working for a moving company. It was during this period that he wrote his first piano-based song "Just a Dream." Eventually, he sent one of his demos in an email to former
Girls bassist JR White. Jesso co-wrote the songs "
When We Were Young" and "Lay Me Down" (featured on the Target version of
25) with
Adele, which is included in her 2015 album
25.
Goon Jesso's first demo was released in August 2013 after a painful break-up and his mother's cancer diagnosis. JR White, along with
Patrick Carney of
The Black Keys, John Collins of
The New Pornographers, and
Ariel Rechtshaid, helped produce Jesso's debut album entitled
Goon.
Aaron Sperske plays drums on the album except
Danielle Haim plays drums on the track "Without You." His song "
How Could You Babe" garnered increased attention after being tweeted about by both
Adele and
Alana Haim. He collaborated with
Sia and
Adele on the song
"Alive". Originally intended for Adele and
Rihanna, the song was eventually recorded by Sia and appeared on her album
This Is Acting. His first major tour started in 2015.
Shine On November 13, 2025, Jesso announced his first studio album in ten years,
Shine (stylized as
s h i n e), would be released the following Friday, November 21st. The announcement was accompanied by the album's single, "I Love You," and a music video featuring
Dakota Johnson and
Riley Keough. In a press release accompanying the announcement, Jesso noted that the album was about "himself, his mom, his son, a breakup and his life at this moment in time." ==Musical style==