We ultimately see ourselves in our favorite songs. DaHeala reflects personal experiences through a universal sonic lens as an Academy® Award-nominated and four-time GRAMMY® Award-winning multiplatinum producer and songwriter. The Quebec-born and Los Angeles-based creator a.k.a. Jason Quenneville has architected a history-making discography highlighted by songs for everyone from The Weeknd to Future. He consistently connects with emotional, engaging, and entrancing compositions, drawing light through the darkness via his writing and production.

“Music either holds up a window, or it holds up a mirror,” he observes. “It helps you get a better understanding of what’s out there and what’s inside of you. Most of the time, my music is very introspective. When you listen to it, I hope you get a glimpse of yourself that you’ve never gotten before.”

Hailing from Gatineau, Quebec, he grew up alone with his mom. She constantly played records around the house, introducing him to the likes of Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, Charles Aznavour, Tracy Chapman, and Earth, Wind & Fire. At the same time, he discovered Guns N’ Roses and Led Zeppelin before falling under the spell of his biggest inspiration Dr. Dre. Speaking French as his first language, he also listened to French-Canadian and French folklore music. At 13-years-old, he spent the bulk of his free time at a local youth center. Tinkering with the computers, he taught himself how to DJ and produce on FL Studio. By the age of 21, he officially launched his career. A friend passed one of DaHeala’s beat CDs along to Belly. Soon after, Belly and manager Wassim “Sal” Slaiby picked DaHeala up (as he didn’t have a car at the time), and he worked with them exclusively. He produced “Smile For Me” [feat. Loon] for Lebanese-Canadian R&B phenomenon Massari in 2005, paving the way for significant contributions to Belly’s The Revolution [2007] and Back For The First Time, Vol. 1 [2008].

During 2013, he kicked off a longstanding creative partnership with The Weeknd, beginning with the gold-certified Kiss Land. He went on to co-write and co-produce the seven-times platinum “Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey),” earning “Best R&B Performance” at the 2016 GRAMMY® Awards and receiving a nod in the category of “Best Original Song” at the 2016 Academy Awards®.  It adorned both the Fifty Shades of Grey Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and The Weeknd’s quadruple-platinum GRAMMY® Award-winning blockbuster Beauty Behind The Madness, on which he served as Executive Producer. Maintaining this momentum through STARBOY and My Dear Melancholy, he executive produced and co-wrote nine tracks on the double-platinum After Hours, including the eight-times platinum “Blinding Lights.” The latter made history as “The #1 Greatest Hot 100 Hit of All Time” by Billboard. 

His discography also notably includes Halsey’s “Not Afraid Anymore,” Future’s “Low Life” [feat. The Weeknd], Nav’s “What I Need,” Lil Uzi Vert’s “UnFazed” [feat. The Weeknd], French Montana’s “A Lie” [feat. The Weeknd], Gesaffelstein’s “Lost in the Fire” [feat. The Weeknd], and more.

In many ways, his name speaks to the impact of his music. 

“Originally, I wanted it to be ‘The Healer’, because I was a huge fan of Dr. Dre,” he reveals. “I figured since he went by ‘Doctor’, I’d be a ‘Healer.’ Then, Belly stylized it to ‘DaHeala’. Music has gotten me through so many things. I later found out Jason even means ‘Healer’ in Greek. It was unintentional, but it’s really cool.”
In the end, DaHeala always makes a connection.

“I’d love for my music to give you a better understanding of yourself,” he leaves off. “It could hopefully be an extension of everyone’s creativity.”