2021 has been a banner year for Recording Artist, Songwriter and Producer, Jonny Lucas. VeriSong.com, the music industry’s most reputable third-party song registration provider, has verified that Jonny has 7 independent singles on Spotify that are closing in on a million streams. This is quite impressive for the UK Artist who has recently captured the attention of top-level record label and publishing executives looking to sign up-and-coming talent.
Performing at UK festivals such as Glastonbury, Isle Of Wight Festival, and Cornbury led to the right doors being opened to bring Jonny Lucas to Nashville, TN. The British artist has seen his career as an artist and songwriter grow enormously through working with:
- Desmond Child (Livin’ On A Prayer – Bon Jovi, Dude Looks Like A Lady – Aerosmith)
- Roger Cook (Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress – The Hollies, I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing – The New Seekers)
- Lincoln Parish (Melophobia – Cage The Elephant)
- Tony Esterly (Young & Dangerous – The Struts, Satisfied – Sia)
Jonny’s newest single “Living On” is set to be released June 18, 2021. Upon first listen, it’s undeniable that this adrenaline rush-inducing, dance floor smash of a song was created to fill arenas. The song has huge Bryan May inspired guitars, a heated melody that Brandon Flowers (The Killers) would be proud of, and a smooth groove likened to Portugal The Man’s “Feel It Still.”
Jonny drew inspiration for his latest single from experiencing first-hand how the human spirit can overcome the seemingly insurmountable struggles that permeated everyone’s lives during the pandemic. His defiant response to the pandemic birthed the lyrics “We’re Still Living On” which is the anthem of the much anticipated “Living On” single which is certain to be Jonny’s biggest release yet.
MIW sat down with the multi-talented and extremely humble Jonny Lucas to learn more about the inspiration behind his latest single and his take on the pandemic.
MIW: Tell us more about the inspiration behind “Living On”?
Jonny Lucas: I wrote “Living On” during the height of the pandemic when I was just starting to realize the negative mental and emotional impact it was having on me, my friends, and my family. Writing this song helped me express some of the thoughts and feelings I was dealing with because of the uncertainty, panic, and anxiety that was brought on by 2020. The lyrics ended up becoming an anthem of letting go and accepting those things outside of our control. Writing this song felt like therapy to me, so my hope is that it will help others who experienced the same craziness so they know that they are not alone and that we can all get past this together.
MIW: That’s such a great perspective, Jonny. How does the future look for you now that we’re hopefully entering into a post-pandemic way of life?
Jonny Lucas: I believe we’ll all look back at all of this and it will be like a little blip on our timelines. Hopefully, we can just be grateful that we lived through it and more importantly shared our experiences with those we love. I am so grateful that my wife and I have had each other throughout all of it. While we haven’t been able to make it back to the UK since we were married, it did allow me to keep up the story I’ve been telling her – that I’m an English Prince…lol. I hope that’s not a deal-breaker when she finally makes it back and meets my family for the first time in person – and finds out who I really am (James Bond) -ha-ha!.
MIW: The pandemic had a huge negative impact on the music industry, let alone the entire world. Were you able to still work during these dark times?
Jonny Lucas: Even in light of the darkness it was still a very productive year musically for me. I was fortunate enough to team up with my good friend, Roger Cook (“Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress” – The Hollies, “I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing” – The New Seekers, “You’ve Got Your Troubles” – The Fortunes). We basically hunkered down in the studio and wrote a ton of songs. We’ve narrowed them down to our best songs and will be releasing an EP soon that we are extremely excited about.
MIW: Before our interview, we did a little research on Roger Cook. It turns out that he is the only British Songwriter in the Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame. That’s pretty amazing!
Jonny Lucas: Roger is definitely a legend. I’ve been a huge fan of his ever since I can remember. It has been such an honor getting to write with such a talented and creative icon who I consider one of my closest friends and a mentor. He’s truly a genius and I’ve learned so much working with him.
Drawing influence from Brit legends such as Ray Davies, Bowie, and Jeff Lynne along with the modern production of artists such as Harry Styles, Borns, Cage The Elephant, and Portugal The Man it’s easy to see why his releases are a hit with the alternative rock/indie audience. With close to a million streams on Spotify, Jonny’s latest endeavor is rapidly gaining traction as he approaches the release of his 8th single, “Living On.” Armed with raucous guitars, sticky melodies, upbeat hooks, and an all-around fresh, positive new energy Jonny is more excited than ever to release what he believes to be his best music to date.
