Singer/songwriter Jon McLaughlin specializes in a hooky, heartfelt piano pop that has led to collaborations with the likes of Sara Bareilles and Demi Lovato. After releasing an eponymous solo album as a college student in 2004, he debuted on the Billboard 200 with 2007's Indiana and performed the Oscar-nominated song "So Close" from that year's Enchanted. He made his fifth straight appearance on the U.S. album chart with 2013's Holding My Breath. After launching a video series called Dueling Pianos in 2018 that paired him with various guests, he issued his first instrumental album, Mood, in 2019.

Born and raised in Anderson, Indiana, McLaughlin began taking classical piano lessons at an early age. Though he lost interest in the instrument during high school and was sidelined by an accident that injured both wrists, he rediscovered his talent during senior year and began incorporating his piano skills into soulful pop music. Enrolling in the music program at Anderson University, he studied piano formally and spent his free time writing songs. Eventually, he won a school competition that allowed him to release his self-titled debut album in 2004.

A follow-up EP, Songs I Wrote and Later Recorded, came out the following year, and McLaughlin was soon given the opportunity to audition for three major labels. Island ultimately signed him to its roster, leading to the nationwide release of 2007's Indiana, which included re-recorded versions of two songs from his previous album. It marked his debut on the Billboard 200, reaching number 81. Later that year, McLaughlin's profile received an extra boost when he sang the Oscar-nominated Stephen Schwartz-Alan Menken song "So Close" onscreen in the Disney film Enchanted. He also performed the song during the 2008 Academy Awards ceremony before issuing his third studio long-player, OK Now. It reached a career-high number 49 on the U.S. album chart. In 2009, he contributed songwriting and performances to Demi Lovato's second album, Here We Go Again.

McLaughlin parted ways with Island after the release of OK Now, and in 2011, he rallied with the self-released Forever If Ever. That album gained enough good word of mouth that he found a home at the Razor Tie label, which added three tunes, including "Summer Is Over" featuring Sara Bareilles, to Forever If Ever and issued it under the title Promising Promises. Both versions of the record landed on the Billboard 200. Two years later, McLaughlin returned to the chart with Holding My Breath before issuing his what would be his final album for Razor Tie, 2015's Like Us.

The songwriter toured extensively before returning to the studio to record The Christmas EP, which he self-released in 2017. It included two original songs alongside standards. In 2018, he issued the full-length Angst Grace and began an online video series called Dueling Pianos. Early guests included Ben Rector and Gabe Dixon. McLaughlin's next release was an instrumental piano album titled Mood, which appeared in September 2019. ~ Marisa Brown & Marcy Donelson, Rovi