By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
It is a pleasure to welcome singer-songwriter and Epic Records recording artist John K. to Jake’s Take.
The Orlando, Florida native has amassed a fan base by making songs that reflect an eternal year-round summer season. He gained national attention in 2017, once Elvis Duran named him his “Artist of the Month.” John K. also appeared on numerous features for Billboard, Forbes, and Rolling Stone. His music was also featured on many Apple Music and Spotify playlists.
In this edition of “A Conversation,” John K. talked about songwriting, shared how he got Kelsea Ballerini on “If we never met,” and teased about his upcoming album.
Jacob Elyachar: When did you get interested in music? How did that passion evolve into the desire to pursue a career in the recording industry?
John K.: I guess I was always interested in music because I was raised in a very musical family. I can barely remember a Sunday where my dad was playing guitar, or I wasn’t singing worship music with my mom. Music was just everywhere from a young age. When I got to my teenage years was when I started becoming interested in singing, and that’s when my grandma gave me a voice recorder so that I could record myself singing and then listen back and critique. That’s what started my singing career!
Jacob Elyachar: Could you describe your songwriting style to my readers?
John K.: We write a lot of love songs, and we usually start with the chorus. I have learned that love songs can be happy, sad, or both. We try to pull from experiences of anyone in the room to get a fresh concept for our next song.
Jacob Elyachar: What have been some of the challenges that you faced breaking into the music industry? How did you overcome those obstacles?
John K.: Writing good songs is hard! We’ve written a lot of bad songs. I guess the most challenging part is powering through and trusting your instinct about what listeners want to hear. We have an open and honest system as a team, where we can be upfront with each other about what sucks to find what’s great.
Jacob Elyachar: Your breakout song, “If we never met” with Kelsea Ballerini, has received rave reviews! Could you share with my readers how that collaboration came about?
John K.: ‘If we never met’ is so special to me. It’s my story. The story of a group of people, one in particular, who changed my life for the better and made me believe in myself. This project would not be possible without them. The collab with Kelsea Ballerini honestly happened organically. I wrote the song with Steph Jones, who is a friend of Kelsea’s. From the beginning, Steph and I thought the song could be a fantastic duet, and Kelsea’s name was in that first conversation. It was super surreal when it all started happening, and I honestly could not imagine a better fit than KB.
Jacob Elyachar: Recently, you released your latest single: “6 Months.” What is the message behind the song?
John K.: “6 months” was inspired by a feeling of missing home and the one you love. We have been spending a ton of time in LA developing this next wave of music. My co-writer Donte and I were missing home so badly one day, and we got to talking about that concept, which eventually led to the story behind “6 months.” We started with that very first line– “Feels like it has been six months in seven days” — that longing feeling that you have been away from home for a lot longer than you have. Once that line was written, the rest of the song poured out.
Jacob Elyachar: Let’s talk about your upcoming album. What can my readers expect from this album?
John K.: They can expect relatable lyrics, strong melodies, and two years worth of material that we’ve been working towards. I cannot wait for you all to hear it!
Jacob Elyachar: If you had the opportunity to meet with aspiring singer-songwriters, what advice would you share with them?
John K.: I would tell them it’s all about surrounding yourself with good people, being honest with yourself, and being confident in what you bring to the table.
For more information about John K., visit his website!
You can connect with John K. on social media. Visit his Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter channels.
