Jack Johnson’s music has a very laid-back vibe, which is fitting for someone from a state that is known for its chill, slower-paced lifestyle. Per Men’s Journal, Johnson was born and raised on O’ahu’s North Shore, where he was the youngest of three boys. Like many Hawaiians, he grew up surfing and, according to NPR, Johnson was so serious a surfer that he even competed — which makes sense given that his father, Jeff Johnson, was a famous competitive surfer. He told Men’s Journal that music became an interest around the start of his teenage years, though surfing is still a passion.
Read Related Also: Woman savagely beaten in NYC subway station describes the pain, trauma
Johnson left Hawaii for California when he enrolled at the University of California, Santa Barbara, from where he graduated in 1997 with a degree in cinematography (via the UCSB Alumni Association’s publication, Coastlines). But though he’s dabbled in film, directing and appearing in a few documentaries, music is what Johnson is known for. In June 2022, he released his eighth studio album, “Meet the Moonlight,” which peaked at number 47 on the Billboard charts. Four of his other albums have debuted at number one, and he has had seven songs enter the Billboard Top 100, including his biggest hit “You and Your Heart.” According to Men’s Journal, Johnson still lives in Hawaii on the North Shore, where he and his wife are very active in the community, having co-founded The Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation, a charity focused on environmental education.
