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Jon McLaughlin
Profile of
Jon McLaughlin
Type(s) of Music: Pop/Rock
Full name: Jon [middle?] McLaughlin
Place of Birth: Anderson, Indiana
Year the Act Began: 2004
Musical Influences:
Common Misspelling: John McLaughlin, Jon MacLaughlin, Jon McLauflin, Jon
McLaughin
Biography of
Jon McLaughlin
A
great deal has happened to Jon McLaughlin between the release of his
debut Island Records album INDIANA last year, and his new, sophomore
effort, OK NOW.
When we last saw him, the 25-year-old singer/songwriter was giving a
show-stopping performance of the Oscar-nominated “So Close,” the song he
sang in the hit Disney movie Enchanted,
on the worldwide telecast of the 80th Annual Academy Awards ceremony.
The appearance re-ignited INDIANA, spurring a 1,514% overnight sales
increase at Amazon, sending it to the #1 spot on its Movers & Shakers
chart, and creating solid momentum for his latest release. The single
from INDIANA, “Beautiful Disaster” attracted over 420,000 digital fans
when featured as Download of The Week.
And after getting major touring slots with Sara Bareilles, Paolo Nutini
and Kelly Clarkson, along with
dates with Colbie Caillat, Duffy and One Republic under his belt, Jon
McLaughlin hit his stride on the road.
Flushed with that success, McLaughlin entered an L.A. recording studio
last year intent on undergoing both a musical and stylistic
transformation. The heartland piano player expanded his palette by
working with new producer John Fields (Rooney,
Jonas Brothers, Lifehouse,
Switchfoot), co-writing with the likes of Jason Reeves (Colbie Callait’s
“Bubbly”) as well as writer/producers Tricky and The-Dream (Rihanna’s
“Umbrella”), Troy Verges (Kenny Chesney’s
“You Save Me”) and Brett James (Carrie
Underwood’s “Jesus, Take The Wheel”).
McLaughlin admits the experience of appearing in Enchanted and
performing on the Oscar telecast was a career-defining moment.
“The whole thing has taken on a life of its own,” he says. “I wasn’t
even supposed to be in the movie. I love Disney ballads, but I didn’t
necessarily connect it to what I do as an artist. But that image of an
old-school crooner inspired me. I was able to see myself as something
different, which helped me open up to try new things on this album. I
wasn’t afraid to try on some new looks, either.”
Jon describes himself as a “child of the ‘80s” in talking about the
musical direction of OK NOW, with the very first single “Beating My
Heart” the perfect example, an introspective, existential tune about
nothing less than the meaning of life, with an elaborate pop-rock
production that evokes Coldplay, thanks
to soaring synths and a crackling backbeat.
With producer Fields playing bass, drums, slide guitar and a variety of
other instruments, McLaughlin also enlisted the talents of ace players
such as guitarists Tim Pierce and David Ryan Harris, as well as drummer
Dorian Crozier in the studio.
“Smack Into You,” written and produced by Grammy winners Tricky and
The-Dream, is about falling head over heels in love, a combination of
the Police’s “Every Breath You Take” and U2’s
“With Or Without You,” melding acoustic guitar and McLaughlin’s piano to
create a passionate undertow. “This song has such a great groove and is
so fun to play live,” says Jon. “It creates such a special moment in the
room.”
Jon describes “You Can Never Go Back,” which he co-wrote with acclaimed
L.A. singer/songwriter Bleu, as his attempt to write a “late-‘70s,
early-‘80s Billy Joel song,” an
admonition to not dwell on the past that evokes the blue-eyed soul of
the Bee Gees crossed with Hall and Oates, buttressed by Fields’
George Harrison-like slide guitar
riffs.
McLaughlin’s soul/R&B croon also characterizes “Things That You Say,” a
bittersweet song about “loneliness, the isolation you feel when you’re
trying to connect with anybody, but end up with these shallow,
going-through-the-motions relationships instead.”
Synthesizers introduce “You Are the One I Love,” a song Jon co-wrote
with Jason Reeves, inspired by the tabloid reports about
Amy Winehouse’s stormy relationship
with her husband Blake that shows an empathy to the beleaguered pair.
The multi-layered production is driven home by Peter Gabriel-like tribal
drum rhythms.
“I feel for them,” McLaughlin admits. “Who’s to say any of our
relationships are any less dysfunctional? I think it’s cool that they’re
so madly in love.”
“The Middle” is about being able to take the Hoosier kid out of Indiana,
but not being able to take Indiana out of the Hoosier. The youngster who
grew up in a conservative Midwestern household admits home is where his
heart still remains: “Let me tell you now where I went wrong/Hollywood
is just another place/I don’t belong.”
“Four Years” is another Billy Joel-style, tongue-in-cheek take on a ‘50s
rocker about high school peer pressure that advises freshmen not to
worry about the dictates of fashion.
“You just spend so much time worrying about stupid stuff that just
doesn’t matter,” says McLaughlin, who insists his own high school years
were pretty good. “I wish I could get back all the money I spent on
Abercrombie and Fitch back then. If I heard this song when I was still
in high school, I still don’t think it would change anything. You can’t
change high school kids’ minds about these things...but I’m still going
to try.”
“We All Need Saving,” a song about the importance of friendship, starts
with a stack of Beach Boys-styled
street corner doo-wop oooh-oooh harmonies McLaughlin recorded late one
night on Garageband.com, which gives the song its sacred feel, while
“Throw My Love Around” counsels that, with only one life left to live,
it’s preferable to take risks then end up having regrets.
That same spirit of taking chances informed the making of OK NOW.
“My philosophy has changed,” nods McLaughlin. “Now I believe you should
get crazy in the studio, explore different sounds, and I love the
challenge of recreating the songs in the live setting -that’s the best
part.”
Jon McLaughlin
Contact Information: Click the following link to
Contact
Any Celebrity
Discography
Indiana (2007)
Island Def Jam
OK Now (2008)
Island Records
Album Title (Year)
Label
Album Title (Year)
Label
"Industry" - 4:01
"Beautiful Disaster" - 4:13
"Just Give It Time" - 3:45
"Already In" - 3:56
"For You from Me" - 3:35
"Human" - 4:14
"Indiana" - 3:49
"Anthem for American Teenagers" - 5:53
"People" - 3:46
"Amelia's Missing" - 2:48
"Praying to the Wrong God" - 4:08
"Perfect" - 4:22
"Until You Got Love" - 3:56
Coming Oct. 7th
1. Beating My Heart
2. Four Years
3. You Can Never Go Back
4. Throw My Love Around
5. The Middle
6. You Are the One I Love
7. Always on My Mind
8. Things That You Say
9. Dance Your Life Away
10. Smack Into You
11. I'm Talking To You
12. We All Need Saving
Filmography
FilmographyGoesHere
Pictures
of Jon McLaughlin (click on any
image below to enlarge)
A
great deal has happened to Jon McLaughlin between the release of his
debut Island Records album INDIANA last year, and his new, sophomore
effort, OK NOW.
