Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with John White

John White is an up-and-coming artist born and raised in South LA.

Exploring the sounds of the bands he listened to with his father, John writes about love, loss, and acceptance in a way that can be understood by all. At the end of the day, his message is about embracing one another regardless of race, class, sexuality, and coming together through music to understand that we are not alone.

One of his favorite memories is seeing Oasis with his dad and taking in how much it meant to experience the songs he knew well, but with someone that loved him deeply. He hopes to bring audiences that same love and comfort.

What is your earliest memory connected to music?

The earliest memory of me connecting to music is my father showing me Oasis, Coldplay, John Mayer and U2. Deep diving into their B-sides, hits, and hits he thought were B-sides. Every time I would visit him, he had a new CD mix he made to play for me.

How did your passion for creating music begin?

I was around sixteen years old when I made my first song. A friend of mine who lived down the street had a studio and I had been curious for some time. Hearing my voice on a record for the first time, a switch flipped inside me and it’s been 16 years since.

What’s the story behind your current music project?

Say What You Mean (Album) was inspired by moments I’ve had with different people throughout the course of my life, romantic interests to be exact. Some good, some not so good. Most a reflection of both my insecurities and how I showed up for myself, or didn’t with those people. I think being honest and communicating are two different things. People will say what they want, but not if they might lose someone they really care about. This is a reminder to speak up. Life is hard, and relationships are supposed to be the safest part of life. If someone doesn’t have all the information, how can they truly love and choose you?

How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?

That’s hard. I love and am inspired by so many different sounds and parts of music. The best way I can put it is, no matter what someone may like, if they dive into my catalog– there is something for everyone. It’s less of a sound, more of a roadmap to navigating the human condition. A feeling that is familiar, but new.

What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?

NOT listening to new music. I used to compare my songs to top 40 radio, Hot 100 etc. Once I stopped doing that and only listened to my father’s CDs or vinyls, I stopped subconsciously trying to replicate a song and started to feel like I could be myself because I wasn’t chasing the “sound” the industry was in at the moment. I found my own soul and trust myself a lot more now which I think is why I’m able to release a song every two weeks.

What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?

Always an acoustic guitar or piano around, Ableton Live 12 for production, and Pro Tools 12 for vocals. Having my templates and work flow organized, being able to work as fast as my brain needs when an idea comes through is everything.

Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?

“Adeline” by Joshua Stone has been on repeat nonstop!!

How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?

Everything I make is influenced by my real life or life around me. Whether that’s conversations with friends, grief, loss, heartache, anxiety, worry, fear. As humans we experience such a wide range of emotions on any given day. I used to make music thinking I needed to hide the dark parts of me and seem appealing to everyone. I learned early on, and even through my favorite artists, that honesty and vulnerability are what made them great. I want to be a part of someone feeling connected to the world or other humans at my concerts or other people listening to my albums, not isolated more than we already are. Togetherness is something I will always strive for because that is how my idols made me feel.

What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?

I hope they can feel free, seen, understood and at peace. Life has us outside ourselves constantly chasing something, everyone’s something is different. I only wish that for 3 or 30 minutes or 300 hours they can close their eyes and know that there is more to life and they are powerful.

What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?

Patience. Anything worthwhile takes time to bring to life and it’s only been 4 years full time, 16 years overall. I’ve really learned to balance both a sense of urgency to manifest a dream and do the work, but also trust

What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?

I’ve always had a vision in my mind of playing the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. It’s in SoCal, where I’m from, and also where I first saw Coldplay with my mom and, now, manager.

If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?

Noel Gallagher. I get the feeling we both write in a way where we don’t overthink or let other people tell us how to make the music.

Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)

https://www.youtube.com/@officialjohnwhite

https://www.instagram.com/johnwhitesmusic

Tweets by JohnWhitesMusic

@johnwhitesmusic

Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?

Being a supporting act on a tour in Europe. Europe feels like a second home to me and I want to develop my live show. All of the music I make with intent to be played live with a full band. One day, lights, pyro, LED screen, confetti canons.

What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?