Jad Pinnone Shares 5 Musical Influences Behind His Unique Indie-Folk Sound
Melbourne singer-songwriter Jad Pinnone has steadily carved out a space for himself in the indie-folk and world music landscape, blending heartfelt storytelling with influences from his Moroccan, Italian, and Shilha heritage. With his latest single ‘Siren Of The Rock’ — a sweeping, emotional piece inspired by the Māori legend of Pania of the Reef — Pinnone showcases his gift for turning myth and memory into sonic poetry. As he prepares to release his debut album ‘Isteria’, we asked Jad to take five and reflect on the artists who have shaped his unique sound.
Gianluca Grignani – Falco A metà.
I love this song for its acoustic singer song writer style mixed with folk rock and the lyrics that hit hard. It’s about longing for freedom and mental health from a young man’s perspective. I found this song during the lock down and really related to it.
Mohamed Rouchia is the master of the Loutar – which is a Moroccan string instrument. The melodies and intervals that he uses are just genius and have a type of melancholic sound that only Moroccan music has! He has definitely impacted my music and has been like a school to me when writing my own songs especially the ones I’m writing now.
This song is about a tumultuous relationship and I could relate to that during the time it found me. I love Matt Corby’s vocals! It also has an amazing downwards key change that I’ve never really heard done before. I was so inspired by Matt Corby I did a cover of this song when I was in uni with my band.
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I love Jeff Buckley because there are so many emotions to him. I love his vulnerability, honest and emotive song writing style mixed with jazz and alternative rock. His vocals are superb and I was really inspired by his singing especially because he also blends RnB and rock and thus I was drawn to him. In Grace you can hear the contrast between an uplifting type of sound and haunting sound in the chorus. My favourite performance of this song is his BBC live late show and it’s the first I saw and it was mind blowing.
The first song I heard by the Weeknd which led me to listen to his three first albums. I love this song because I love The Weeknd’s voice blending a soft falsetto with soaring vocal melodies. This was also the first time I heard RnB and alternative rock being mixed together and it heavily inspired me to mix the genres in my music!
From the soul-baring honesty of Jeff Buckley to the hypnotic rhythms of Moroccan master Mohamed Rouchia, Jad Pinnone’s influences run deep and wide. Each of these five tracks sheds light on the emotional and sonic threads woven into his music — personal, multicultural, and unafraid to blend genres. With ‘Siren Of The Rock’ offering just a taste of what’s to come on ‘Isteria’, Pinnone’s journey as a boundary-pushing songwriter is only just beginning.
