“On one hand it was amazing, opening for NSYNC on the Pop Odyssey Tour and sharing the stage with acts like Alicia Keys, Jagged Edge, and Trisha Yearwood. On the other, it gave me a false sense of how the world works. I thought dreams were just handed to you at 16, and then you lived happily ever after.”
The out singer returns to the airwaves this week with “Missing”, his gritty and soulful new track that was inspired from a conversation John had with his father on the front porch.
“I was visiting from New York City, where I was living at the time, and not sure if I was in the right relationship, working the right job or living in the right city,” he recalls. “Dad said to me, ‘It’s not always what’s wrong with a situation, sometimes it’s what’s missing. Find out what that thing is, and that will guide you’”.
John says his Dad’s simple message resonated with him and started him on a journey of making some major life changes, including breaking up with his boyfriend, leaving New York, and ultimately writing the song. “Missing” was produced by Joe Crow, and co-written with American Idol finalist Brandon Rogers.
“We’ve all woken up wondering if we are doing enough to fulfill our purpose in life,” John continues from his Nashville home. “For me, the message in ‘Missing’ is that often what we’re chasing and searching for is inside ourselves and the key to happiness is remaining centered.”
“Missing” is the first song off John’s next EP that chronicles his road to self-discovery. The working title is “Running, Missing, Changing, Growing”; literally, the EPs track list. Each single has sad but hopeful lyrics, set to real piano and guitars, mixed with 808 drums and some vocoder, that each tell a story all their own.
“2020 has changed my life forever, and this EP reflects that,” John says. “When COVID passes, and we start reintroducing things back into our lives, my hope is that we don’t just go back to life as normal.
“I hope we let go of the things that never really mattered and allow room in our lives for what has truly been missing. We have the opportunity to find a new type of happiness and way of life. That’s what my song and upcoming EP are all about.”
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