“I’ve always just tried to write honest lyrics about real experiences and obviously my environment is key to that” - John Blaylock Interview - By The Fans Magazine

Words & Interview: Jenna Stoch, Grace Wearn

Photography credit to retrospective owner.

“John Blaylock, thank you so much for taking your time to speak to us here at By The Fans Magazine. For those who are yet to discover your talent and music, could you please tell our readers a bit about yourself and your artistic identity?”

Thanks for having me. I’m a Mancunian singer songwriter with what many have described as a raw and powerful voice that loves finger style acoustic guitar and writes soaring indie anthems melodies.

“Please can you walk us through your songwriting process, start to finish — how does it usually start from inspiration? Do you draft up lyrics, melody, or do you just get the feeling of writing a song?”

Melody nearly always comes first. I’ll play around developing a great melody and then I generally just make up as many different lyrics as possible for that melody. Sometimes out of that comes a great hook lyric that feels good to sing and has some good meaning. I’ll then go and write the rest of the song based round that great lyrical hook.

“Your new single Violets has such an incredible sound and equally a distinctive feel to the song — especially how the British accent comes through. How was the whole process of writing and production for the single?“

Thanks, I wrote this a good few years ago now but it’s stuck around with me cos I love it. It was written in pretty much the exact way described above, I then recorded it in Guy Massey’s studio in London with him and Helen Boulding producing it, we got Freddie Shead (Lewis Capaldi’s drummer) to play on it too to give it that great feel.

“What was the inspiration behind your new single - Violets, both lyrically but also in its soundscape?”

Lyrically it’s about breaking up with someone who was incredibly sweet and kind one minute then ranting and raging the next. While I have every sympathy for people with mental health issues, being with a bipolar girlfriend can be a tough ride when untreated. The soundscape had to match the feel of the angst in the song and we got pretty close.

“How did and does your environment and/or upbringing influence the way you write and perform music?”

I’ve always just tried to write honest lyrics about real experiences and obviously my environment is key to that. Being brought up in Wythenshawe in the 90s was quite rough at times, I think that’s brought me a certain fearlessness / confidence that I can perform anywhere.

“Who are your biggest musical influences and how have they shaped the way you write songs?”

I grew up listening to Manchester bands like The Stone Roses, The Charlatans, Oasis, New Order but then at home my dad had me listening to Bob Dylan / Simon and Garfunkel. They’ve all influenced me in some way.

“For our listeners that haven’t had the chance to listen to your music prior, how would you like that audience to feel when they hear your music for the first time?”

I’d like them to feel anything that’s relatable to them, it’s how they interpret the music that counts. 

“Can you name a particularly standout moment in your music journey so far that you can share with us?”

I once spent a summer in Sweden and got a gig writing songs for Swedish girlbands, that was pretty fun. They were really sweet too and a couple of them were really great writers. I once wrote with a Japanese girl band as well in Tokyo who were great but didn’t speak much English.

“Have you got any exciting upcoming releases, shows or projects on the horizon that you can share with us today?”

Yes indeed, got my biggest and best single yet - Where Did All My Friends Go - coming out on Fri Apr 3rd. It’s a song about growing up and losing your childhood friends, I made a music video for it with 100 singers from community singing groups that I run in Manchester and it is incredible. I have high hopes for this.

“Thank you so much! And the last question - Can you give any advice to upcoming young creatives in the industry, with the same drive and passion as you?”

My pleasure. My advice would be to make sure you’re in it for the journey not just the destination x

You can listen to John’s new single, Violets here.