José Gonzáles

José Gonzáles is a Swedish folk singer-songwriter and guitarist. Although already an experienced musician, having played in two hardcore bands, Gonzáles’ big mainstream breakthrough came with his cover of the Knife’s ‘Heartbeats’. His cover was featured in a Sony Bravia advert which was beamed into homes all around the world. This helped Gonzáles break into the UK Top 10. Since then, Gonzáles has continued to make critically-acclaimed music, either solo, for soundtracks, as part of an orchestra and as part of the band Junip. José Gonzáles released his fifth studio album, Against the Dying of the Light, in 2026.

Why José Gonzáles is vegan

José Gonzáles is vegan for the animals.

José Gonzáles is vegan because he believes in living an altruistic and compassionate lifestyle. He was vegetarian for decades before he became vegan.¹Filger, S. 2016. Interview with José González. Bogotapost. Available: https://www.thebogotapost.com/interview-with-jose-gonzalez/15708/ [Accessed 2 June 2026]. According to Iowa Source, “González abhors factory farms because of the harm they do to the environment. He calls himself an ‘eco-modernist’ and believes we need to do more to combat climate change, especially in terms of how we raise our food.”²Horowitz, S. 2021. José González: Exploring the Spare Beauty of Meditative Music. Iowa Source. Available: https://www.iowasource.com/2021/09/01/jose-gonzalez/ [Accessed 2 June 2026].

José Gonzáles has been influenced by effective altruism advocates including Peter Singer, author of Animal Liberation, and William MacAskill, author of Doing Good Better. As a result, Gonzáles is gives 10 per cent of his salary to various charities.³Wolf, E. 2026. José González on guitars, giving and a better life for everyone. Radio Milwaukee. Available: https://radiomilwaukee.org/discover-music/artist-interviews/2026-04-23/jose-gonzalez-against-the-dying-of-the-light [Accessed 2 June 2026].

“There are good, ethical reasons not to eat meat and dairy. I try to balance pleasure against causing unnecessary suffering to sentient beings.”⁴Horowitz, S. 2021. José González: Exploring the Spare Beauty of Meditative Music. Iowa Source. Available: https://www.iowasource.com/2021/09/01/jose-gonzalez/ [Accessed 2 June 2026].