Everybody Loves a Clown

John Duff is out now with his highly anticipated concept album, Greatest Hits Deluxe Edition, a body of work that redefines what it means to create a classic in today’s music landscape. The album presents a collection of “hits” from an artist who never existed, weaving together elements of American popular music from the 1950s through the 1970s. While the themes and language are modern, the soul of the album pays tribute to the golden eras of music.

For Duff, the album represents a creative breakthrough. Having gained attention in recent years with provocative music videos and overtly gay-themed songs, he began to feel that his brand was overshadowing his true talents as a songwriter, director, and vocalist. “I was starting to feel boxed in,” he acknowledges, “and I have always hated boxes. I found it difficult to get producers to follow my lead in LA. They wanted to push me in a direction they thought was ‘cool,’ but I’ve never been interested in being cool. My primary interest is in being creative.”

The turning point came when producers Eren Cannata (Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, Demi Lovato) and Koil PreAmple (Timbaland, Lenny Kravitz) approached Duff in 2020 with a rare offer: “We will make whatever you want.” Having already collaborated with the duo in 2019 on his single “Do It,” Duff was impressed with their speed, skill, and musical knowledge.

The trio retreated to a house in Laurel Canyon, where they spent a week diving deep into the music that shaped Duff’s artistic DNA. The sounds of Motown, doo-wop, gospel, disco, musical theatre, and the Great American Songbook filled the air as Duff introduced Cannata and PreAmple to the artists that moved him: Janis Joplin, The Temptations, The Beach Boys, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, and so many others. It was during this period that the idea for Greatest Hits Deluxe Edition began to take shape.

The end result is a sound that defies easy categorization. While it nods to the great pop writers of the past, such as Burt Bacharach, Phil Spector, and Berry Gordy, it refuses to be pigeonholed into any one genre. Some might label it “theatrical,” but Duff contends that’s a product of today’s music landscape, where Broadway is dominated by jukebox musicals. He challenges listeners to ask themselves: “If Tina Turner released ‘Proud Mary’ today, what genre would it be?”

Ultimately, Greatest Hits Deluxe Edition is a tribute to Duff’s parents, his younger self, and the artist he might have become had he followed their advice more closely. Its title carries a sense of playful irony, feeling both audacious and fitting for the project’s retro inspirations and its lead single, “Prove Me Wrong,” serves as its thesis statement, reflecting Duff’s longing for romance and complexity while critiquing the current state of the music industry. The already released singles “Be Your Girl,” “Forgotten How to Fck,” “Hoe is Life” as well as Duff’s next chart topper, “Clothes Back On,” explore themes of longing, desire, action, failure, and surrender, while also incorporating Duff’s signature tongue-in-cheek style.

Duff has a history of embracing personas in his music as they allow him to explore various facets of his identity and experiment with different aspects of his personality. He considered releasing Greatest Hits Deluxe Edition under a pseudonym inspired by his grandfather’s boxing persona, Young Bobby Burns, but decided to keep his own name for the album because Greatest Hits Deluxe Edition is not just a milestone in his career; it marks a significant evolution in his artistry. The confidence he’s gained through this process has been transformative. “If I can write songs like this, I can do anything,” he says.

Greatest Hits Deluxe Edition is an album that pushes musical boundaries. With live instrumentation, full arrangements, and an emphasis on dynamics, Duff and his team of top-tier musicians ¾ including Grammy Award-winning Dave Yaden and instrumentalists who have collaborated with the likes of Celine Dion, Billy Porter, and Lady Gaga ¾ have achieved a work that bucks current trends of over-produced music in favor of something more maximalist and authentic.

As for what comes next, Duff is ready to move on from this persona. While he’s proud of his Greatest Hits Deluxe Edition chapter, he’s eager to explore other parts of himself, particularly a side that’s more youthful and vibrant. And though he won’t promise everyone will like everything he does, he promises to keep his fans on their toes. The journey of John Duff, the artist, is far from over.

John Duff’s “Greatest Hits Deluxe Edition” is being distributed by Vydia and is available on Apple Music, Spotify, and all digital platforms.

Follow John Duff on Facebook and Instagram @ iamjohnduff