Jonathan Martinez, professionally known as Presence, is a 22-year-old artist based in California. He released his album “TEARS IN THE MOSHPIT!” on October 4, 2024, and his work is especially personal and special because of its raw, explicit portrayal of complex emotions that so many young adults can relate to. We had the opportunity to interview him and get a deeper insight into how he got to where he is today, how he navigates his life as an artist along with a deep dive into his album release.

Photo by Evan Freer
Although the feeling hadn't sunk in yet once the album was released, he said it was a "surreal and special feeling" and “a unique experience he hadn't felt before”. Presence mentioned that his work has been heavily inspired by artists such as Jean Dawson, Teezo Touchdown, Dominic Fike and Quadeca - musicians who fall into an alternative sphere of music. “You can't really put a specific label on them, they try so many different genres and that is what I wanted this album to be,” he said. “I loved the idea of not knowing what was going to happen in the next song,” he added.
Discussing the process that brought the album to life, he described it as fulfilling because he was able to write with people he was extremely comfortable with. “They became my best friends through the process. The feeling of community and collaboration meant the most to me,” he said, speaking fondly of the creative process that went into creating the record. He felt that the process thrived because of this and that he was able to say a lot more than he might have been able to if he had written the songs by himself.

Photo by Evan Freer
When asked about his dream collaborators, he mentioned NF, who was one of his favorite artists from when he started making music seriously at the age of 14. “You can hear the inspiration I pulled from him in a lot of older songs, and he showed me that it was okay to be super vulnerable in your music.” This is a large part of the reason why he is comfortable talking about his life through his songs. Listening to those songs as a 14-year-old and finding comfort in not being alone made him want to be that for others.
Our conversation dove into a breakdown of his artist name, Presence, and what it means to him. It came about when he was around 11 years old. As he wrote his feelings down in a notebook that he still has to this day, the word “Presence” came up again and again. “I don't think I foresaw a career in music but through hypothetical conversations, I said that if I become a musician I'm going to call myself Presence,” he reminisced.
He tied the word into the thought of stage presence, and his faith, and pulling from these concepts the multifaceted word brought in more meaning. He went by his name when he started YouTube but thinking back on the thought of “Presence”, that eventually became his artist name.

Photo by Evan Freer
Coming to the positive and negative attention that many artists on the internet have to navigate today, he mentioned struggling with the thought for the very first time in high school when he first went viral. “I would keep refreshing pages to see what people were saying and how many were seeing my video. I was so young and vulnerable, and in hindsight, I think it's so weird to go through this at that age,” he said, referring to the anxiety that came with putting something out for the world to see, where people often don't filter their criticism.
“I'm still young but I'm able to handle it a lot better. Numbers aren't necessarily the end and I think people who hear it will appreciate the work that went into it,” he added, having gone through the experience for about seven years now. He feels proud of what he is putting out there and firmly believes that an algorithm doesn't define him as a person.
While he doesn't have any specific events or releases lined up in the near future, he is looking forward to doing a lot more with the album including visuals, different versions, and more. At the same time, the thought of what he'd like to create next has already started to take shape. Having experienced new emotions through the last year, he is ready to work on talking about these feelings through his music. “I'm just excited to get back in the studio and people can expect new music,” he assured.
For those who listen to and resonate with the album, he hopes that they realize that they are not alone. “I wrote these songs as a therapeutic exercise but I share them because I know there's a kid out there thinking - I've been through the exact same thing - that's what this boils down to,” he shared, passionate about the thought of his music giving people a sense of comfort and belonging. “What's special about music is that it brings people together who may not meet otherwise,” he added. He hopes that his work finds people from different walks of life and is able to make them feel the way he did when he wrote his songs, a process he described as healing.

Photo by Evan Freer
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Get to know Presence better through the rapid-fire round!
Are you a morning or night person?
Night person.
Describe your style in three words.
Vulnerable, gritty and honest.
What are you currently watching or reading?
I watch a lot of movies - now that the album is out I’ll be watching The Wild Robot, Transformers 1 and Megalopolis.
What does a perfect weekend getaway look like for you?
Paris - if it was closer, but from where I am right now it would be Laguna Beach. I spent time there decompressing before the album release.
Do you have a song on your album that is a favorite or means the most to you?
WORDS I NEVER SAID RIGHT! is my favorite. It feels hopeful which is a message I am trying to get across. After going through an album with difficult emotions, closing the record with a song that represents how I actually try to live my life is special.
I still desire to be okay and I am in that place after writing these songs. It's also special to perform as people sing along with “it's alright, it's alright, it's alright”. The other would be SCARED OF THE FALL! which transitions from what I was doing to what I'm doing now.
What’s an upcoming event you’re looking forward to?
I was looking forward to the album release party. Now that it's over, nothing is set in stone as far as performances go but I'd like to hopefully do something outside LA.
If you were to move to another country, where would you go?
I love traveling, I like France because I have friends there and Paris is my favorite city. I think it would be harder to move to Japan but if I could really live anywhere, learn the language, and adapt to the culture then Japan is my favorite place that I’ve been to.
Which activities do you pursue outside of music?
I tend to pick up random hobbies and activities but basketball has been consistent throughout my life. I recently got into beyblades - I have way too many and I went to a tournament to compete! I don't think people are one-dimensional so I just want to do everything I can and meet different people. In the process, I have fallen in love with so many random things.
Find Presence on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, and make sure you check out his album TEARS IN THE MOSHPIT!