Scottish singer Jacob Alon: ‘A cardiologist wanted to make an example out of me. I wish I’d slapped his face!’
Scottish singer Jacob Alon: ‘A cardiologist wanted to make an example out of me. I wish I’d slapped his face!’
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The Fife-born artist has only released two songs but is already drawing comparisons to Jeff Buckley thanks to their extraordinary voice. Poised to release a new single, they speak to Roisin O’Connor about their ill-fated venture into medicine, loneliness in the queer community, and a very specific kind of romantic obsession.
![[‘I had music in me – a voice, an honesty – that hadn’t bloomed yet.']](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/24/12/newFile-2.jpg)
Jacob Alon might have been a doctor, were it not for the “c*** of a cardiologist” who chose to humiliate them in front of their classmates. Yet the Scottish musician, 24, is still deeply invested in matters of the heart. Having released just two songs so far, already they have demonstrated a gift for examining love through a queer lens. As a writer, Alon is fearless – their songs like sacred hymns, washing away shame and self-loathing by confronting those feelings head on. As a singer, they are extraordinary – in possession of one of the most remarkable voices of their generation.
It was only last November when Alon performed their debut single “Fairy in a Bottle” on Later… With Jools Holland, barefoot and adorned in golden feathers and a scarlet cowl. With their tumble of dark curls and glitter-dusted cheeks, Alon brought to mind some fantastical creature of Arthur Rackham’s imagination. When they sing, it’s with a voice redolent of Jeff Buckley or Big Thief’s Adrianne Lenker, soaring from a chest-deep croon into a piercing cry.
Today, at a hotel bar in Groningen – a fog-drenched town in the Netherlands – Alon, who is non-binary, is more casual mid-tour; the golden feathers replaced by jeans and a jumper. In conversation, though, they retain their romantic way with language, speaking in the same half-beat rhythm in which they sing. Alon is excited about the imminent release of a new single “Liquid Gold 25”, named after the brand of poppers and inspired by a recent hook-up on the dating app Grindr. A debut album, we hope, is also on the way.
