“In a world awash in content, few should have noticed. But in a shift that indicates a desire to hear someone, anyone, sing truth to power during the disruptive Trump 2.0 era, Jesse Welles turned out to be the right man at the right time. His songs — most barely two minutes long, perfect for memes and viral moments — have accrued millions of views and largely supportive comments, as seen by the laudatory responses to “Join ICE.” Wrote one fan, “This is a dangerous song because conservatives don’t understand irony.” Another: “Been waitin for this, didn’t think it would be this fast. You’re always spot on but honey, you nailed this.” And this: “Incisive and savage. Great response to the moronic rhetoric and brutal policies of this sick administration.”

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The son of a mechanic and schoolteacher, Jesse Allen Breckenbridge Wells, as he was named at birth in 1992, grew up in Arkansas, watching PBS shows on a TV set with what he calls “rabbit ears” and tolerating his sister’s love of ‘NSync and Backstreet Boys. He himself was drawn to vintage music — Gladys Knight and the Pips to the Guess Who, he says — by way of the local oldies radio station. In second grade he sang “Twist and Shout” in a talent contest and, by high school, was introduced to Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.

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In general, Welles projects that he’s not beholden to anyone. To maintain his independence, he’s now releasing his music on his own, with no record company backing. “That is true freedom,” he says. “You’re not going to find protest music with the Columbia Records stamp on it. It’s certainly not playing on the radio or anything like that.”

Read the whole article by David Browne on Rolling Stone right here!