| SonReal | |
| Birth Name: | Aaron Hoffman |
| Birth Date: | 1985 8, mf=yes |
| Birth Place: | Vernon, British Columbia, Canada |
| Genre: | Hip-Hop, Alternative hip hop, Northern hip hop, pop rap |
| Occupation: | Rapper, songwriter |
| Instrument: | Vocals, guitar |
| Years Active: | 2004–present |
| Label: | The 1851 Recordings, Black Box Recordings |
| Associated Acts: | Jessie Reyez, Allan Rayman, Rich Kidd, Rahki, Jon Bellion, 311 |
Aaron Hoffman (born August 16, 1985), better known by his stage name SonReal, is a Canadian singer, rapper, and songwriter signed to the Black Box Recordings record label.[1]
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, BC. 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"[2] .
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,[3] and was certified Platinum in Canada.[4]
In August 2017, SonReal released his first full length studio album entitled One Long Dream.[5] 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[6] 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"[7] (produced by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and Charlie Handsome) on November 2, 2017. This song is a deeply personal and touching tribute to his late father Glenn Hoffman, who suffered a heart attack while SonReal was on tour in early 2016. A music video for My Friend was also released in November 2017.
In April 2018, SonReal was announced as a judge on the fifth and final season of the Canadian version of The X Factor replacing Paula Abdul. He became the first and only rapper to join since the show's inception. SonReal mentored the Groups category on which his act, rap trio CZN, won.
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.[8] along with a second nomination for a Prism Prize.[9] The video was directed by Peter Huang[10] and produced by Mad Ruk Entertainment,[11] both of whom have been long time creative partners to SonReal.
SonReal released two other singles with accompanying music videos in the latter half of 2018: "Last Year" and "No More". "No More" was released in partnership with Telus as part of their campaign to end Cyber Bullying.[12]
In 2020 SonReal was selected alongside Northcote, JJ Wilde and The OBGMs as one of four musical acts to be promoted by Collective Arts Brewing's Audio/Visual Lager, which publicizes independent musicians with special limited edition band-themed cans.[13]
SonReal's live shows started coming together in 2008 when he met DJ Rich-A in Vancouver, BC. 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.
In 2014, SonReal and DJ Rich-A were booked as the opening act on a 53-date tour with Seattle rapper Grieves[14] 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.[15]
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.[16] It was during The Human Condition Tour that SonReal expanded his live show to include guitar player Joey Resly.
At the top of 2017, SonReal embarked on another 25-date headlining No Warm Up tour[17] 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 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.[18] 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.[19] 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.[20]
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.
2022: Nobody's Happy All the Time
2019: The Aaron LP
2017: One Long Dream
2021: I Can't Make This Up
2016: The Name
2015: For The Town
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
| Year | Ceremony | Nominee/Work | Award | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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” | Video of the Year | 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[21] |