Pop Blogger UK: Jonny James Interview

Our eagerly awaited interview with Jonny James is here.

* Who is Jonny James?

Well I'm a son, a brother and an artist.

* How would you describe your sound and what you do?

Well my music is pretty much a reflection of my transition to London and all the things I've discovered. It's pop it's got dance elements it's got electro, I rap sometimes I sing I do everything, it's really heavily influenced by fashion and lifestyle and it's new it's Jonny James.

It's absolutely one hundred percent a concoction of my love of 80's pop, a lot of synthesisers' 90's pop melodies, dance, club fever, disco, a lot of my melodies have a real 50's Beatles quality, rock and roll, I mean "We Are" is a punk song trapped in a pop songs body. In my new music theres elements of dubstep and really hard grimy dance beats, then industrial gothic dance beats.

I really think about everything when I'm writing, but I'm constantly being influenced by different things I'm like a little sponge, It's pop but for me pop is the new underground.

* What is your creative process when writing and producing music?

"Behind That Door" I wrote dancing around to a track in my bedroom, that's one way that I write, other ways I write are at the piano I'll really stick to the chords, I'll try to come up with really beautiful progression but I find all of the quote un quote hit pop songs if you will are when I'm in the bath or something silly and it becomes a song, like it's the best way, it's simple, it's catchy it's hooky it's preppy it's quick. And the first single from this record, I wrote that song, in honestly ten minutes. It was instant, everybody went crazy, my producer Andrew was like this is the one.

* Who inspires you?

The artists for me that have been most influential are Madonna and David Bowie, of course I love them for their music and not to sound vain or shallow I'm almost more appreciative of their work because of their visuals, it completely changes the way you listen to the music. Very early on though I was all about the Beatles, I got really into Abbey Road and into Serageant Pepper as it was a little more camper, grander Rock and Roll.

* Where do you hope to be in 5 years time?

I hope to be writing to you about my second album, and everything in between. (and we will look forward to it)

* What can we expect from your first album?

It's different from anything else you've heard. It's not generic pop music. I'm just trying to populate a different idea about what pop music is. I'm so unashamed about being a pop artist, I'm a pop writer and I love it. I would say that I'm the first do it yourself male pop artist, I wrote the whole album.

* You link your modeling closely with what you do. Do you see your modeling as an extension of your music and art or something totally separate?

Modelling for me is just another form of expression, obviously I don't have a passion for it like I do for my music but I'd say it just reinforces how powerful visual can be.

* Do you find it hard to deal with negative criticism?

I honestly haven't been given any! I don't think I would find it hard to deal with though, if it was someone close to me however, that's totally different. If one of my producers or my best friend questioned something I did, I would start again from scratch, if I respect you and your close to me then I take it to heart.

* You style of music is totally different from what is expected from young boys. Is this a conscious decision or a subconscious?

It's certainly conscious. I didn't want to go and make a record that everybody had heard ten times over. The first three singles, nobody has heard yet, so I want to let them speak for themselves. The style of each one is incredible, and totally different from the last.

It's a fantasy and it's really beautiful and special, if anything my music is about recreating the pop star and giving it back.

* How would you describe yourself, your music and your art in one word?

Free.

* What do you hope your fans take away from you and your music?

I hope they can relate to each track and take something away from it that makes them a stronger person, that may sound cheesy, but I pour my heart into every lyric, every melody, and if their heart can just resonate with one song, that's enough for me.