Jonathan Owen Bree is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and producer, best known for his work as a solo artist, as well as co-founding the indie pop group The Brunettes, in 1998 and Lil' Chief Records, in 2002.

According to Bree, "My cousin had recorded her band Yoko and I thought she had a great natural voice, no silly effected delivery.

[6] In 2002, Bree founded Lil' Chief Records[6] with fellow indie pop musician Scott Mannion of The Tokey Tones.

They have also opened for Rilo Kiley, The Postal Service, Broken Social Scene, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah,[12] and Beirut and played at the 2006 Big Day Out festivals in New Zealand and Australia.

He also supplied vocals for the song, "The Cigarette Duet" and directed the accompanying music video, which subsequently went viral – reaching nearly 40 million views in the years that followed.

Yet his big breakthrough came in the lead-up to his third album, when the song "You're So Cool" became a sensation on YouTube – drawing viewers with its odd depiction of a 1960s-style band whose faces were covered in spandex masks.