Aaron Hoffman (born August 16, 1985), better known by his stage name SonReal, is an independent Canadian singer, rapper, and songwriter.
Musical career
2006–2012: Early Career and mixtapes
SonReal began his career in 2006 with the release of "Trapped in the Streets" (2006), followed by a series of mixtapes he recorded while living in
Vancouver. These included:
Good Morning (2008),
The Stroll (2009),
The Lightyear Mixtape (2010),
Where's Waldo (2010),
Words I Said (2012),
Good News (2012), and
One Long Day (2014).
2012 also saw the release of The Closers, a collaboration with Toronto's Rich Kidd which was nominated for a Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year in 2013. It also included the critically acclaimed single "Hometown"
2013–2016: "Everywhere We Go" and EPs
In the summer of 2013, SonReal released the single and music video for his song "Everywhere We Go". His subsequent EP, the Juno-nominated
For The Town (2015) included the songs "Preach", "For The Town", and "Woah Nilly".
In 2016, SonReal released The Name EP which included the singles "No Warm Up" and "Can I Get a Witness". "Can I Get a Witness" peaked at No. 52 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 chart,
2017–2018: One Long Dream and standalone singles
In August 2017, SonReal released his first full-length studio album entitled
One Long Dream.
Producers on the project include
Rahki (known for his work with
Kendrick Lamar, Syd, and
Mac Miller), Alex Lustig, and the legendary
DJ Khalil. This release saw the subsequent music video releases for the singles "Repo Man", "Grammy Song (Live)", "Problems", and "Potential". SonReal made his debut international radio appearance on Sway's Universe
in August 2017 to promote the release of his album, which also included a live on-air freestyle during Sway's iconic "5 Fingers of Death" segment.
Following the release of this album SonReal released the song "My Friend"
In July 2018, SonReal released the single "Have a Nice Day". The quirky music video for "Have a Nice Day" has since been nominated for a Juno Award for Video of the Year in 2019.
Tours and live appearances
SonReal's live shows started coming together in 2008 when he met DJ Rich-A in
Vancouver. Together, the pair played live shows across Canada and the US. This would lay the groundwork for what would evolve into SonReal's live show as it is known today.
Everywhere We Go Tour (2014)
In 2014, SonReal and DJ Rich-A were booked as the opening act on a 53-date tour with Seattle rapper
Grieves which exposed him to a new audience of listeners. Previous Canadian domestic tours also included a direct support for
Mac Miller's Ontario campus tour in February 2013, a 2014 Canada wide tour as direct support for Down with Webster, and SonReal's own 2014 headlining
Everywhere We Go Tour in BC, Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes. In February 2015 SonReal and DJ Rich-A joined Canadian hip hop artist Classified as direct support on his 26-date national
Greatful Tour.
For The Town Tour (2015/2016)
SonReal kicked off his own North American
For The Town tour in Canada in May 2015. This 28-date headlining tour took him through eastern and western Canada as well as the United States. Another key opportunity as an opening act came in 2016 when SonReal headed out with
Jon Bellion on an international tour in support of Jon's album
The Human Condition in June/ July 2016.
It was during The
Human Condition Tour that SonReal expanded his live show to include guitar player Joey Resly.
No Warm Up Tour (2017)
At the top of 2017, SonReal embarked on another 25-date headlining
No Warm Up tour
throughout Canada and the United States in support of his single
No Warm Up and upcoming album
One Long Dream. This was the first tour where SonReal added live drums to his band, played by Colanthony Humphrey.
One Long Dream Tour (2017)
One Long Dream was released globally in August 2017, and SonReal immediately hit the road on a 45 date
One Long Dream North American headlining tour in Sept – Dec 2017.
This tour included DJ Rich-A (DJ, Keys), Colanthony Humphrey (Drums), Peter Huang (Guitar). This tour continued into early 2018 with 19 more dates being added in North America in Feb/ March 2018.
In addition to this tour SonReal also performed at the SiriusXM Kickoff Show at the CFL's 105th Grey Cup on November 26, 2017, in Ottawa, Canada.
SonReal Goes Sightseeing Tour (2018)
Having gained a large fan base touring North America over the last 4 years, SonReal took his live performance to Europe for the first time in Oct/Nov 2018. This included shows in Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, UK, Ireland, and Denmark as part of his
SonReal Goes Sightseeing Tour in support of
One Long Dream and his 2018 singles.
Discography
Studio albums
2024: "All Things Aside"
2022: "Nobody's Happy All the Time"
2019: "The Aaron LP"
2017: "One Long Dream"
EPs
2021:
I Can't Make This Up
2016: The Name
2015: For The Town
Mixtapes
2014:
One Long Day
2012: Good News
2012: The Closers (with Rich Kidd)
2012: Good News
2012: Words I Said
2010: The Lightyear Mixtape
2010: Where's Waldo
2009: The Stroll
2008: Good Morning
2006: Trapped in the Streets
Awards and nominations
|
| 2013 | IHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards | "Hometown” | Hip Hop Video of the Year | |
| Juno Award | The Closers | Rap Recording of the Year | |
| 2014 | "Everywhere We Go” | Rap Recording of the Year | |
| IHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards | "Everywhere We Go” | Video of the Year | |
| Director of the Year (Director: Peter Huang) | |
| Hip Hop Video of the Year | |
| MuchFact Video of the Year | |
| Viewers Choice Video of the Year | |
| 2015 | "For The Town” | Best Post-Production | |
| "Preach” | Best Hip Hop Video | |
| Juno Award | "Preach” | Best Hip Hop Video | |
| 2016 | IHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards | "Whoa Nilly” | Best Hip Hop Video | |
| Best MuchFACT Video | |
| 2019 | Juno Award | "Have a Nice Day" | Video of the Year | |
External links
