Having previously been preoccupied with depression & doubt, fuelled by a hedonistic and self-destructive lifestyle, 24 year old artist John Parry has now embraced sobriety to help inspire dialogue between people and their loved ones, now turning his attention to the devastation that grief causes.
His upcoming release ‘Good Grief’ touches upon a universal experience, the passing of a loved one and debuts on November 24. The song which acts as almost an inner-monologue, talks about processing the death of a parent and the monumental amount of strength it takes to try and keep it together at the funeral and beyond it, written by John Parry & produced by Oliver Keenan-Lyu.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with John Parry about the latest music, adapting during a pandemic, challenges and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and how do You describe your style of music?
I am an East Londoner who grew up within ear-shot of the Bow Bells, not really conducive to my type of music which is songwriter gone indie!
How did you get here? As in, what inspired or motivated you to take on this journey through music and the music biz?
Jesus, don’t we all sometimes need to reevaluate how we made it and continue to stay in the music industry?
At first, to be honest, hedonism. Now, the knowing I have something new and fresh to offer people to not only listen to but be influenced by.
How does your latest project compare/contrast with your previous release(s)? Were you setting out to accomplish anything specific, follow a specific theme, or explore different styles of creation?
My last release was a love-song to festivals and was very much a happy tune, Good Grief isn’t to put it bluntly.
They’re both anthems and songs I hope will make up a larger piece of work one day.
This one’s only goal was to hold its own against ‘have it up’ and I think it’s surpassed that aim.
Name the biggest challenge you faced as a creative during these unprecedented time? How did you adapt? How have you kept the creative fires burning during all this?
For me, music has always kept my head straight. In a time the world was flipped upside down I cleaned my act up, got sober and took care of my mental health.
A massive part of my MH is dependent on the creative and writing process, so I almost forced the fire to stay on.
By far the biggest challenge is live, it’s so choka-block and now with big bands not having supports anymore (when did that happen btw?) it’s hard to be heard or come across any opportunities.
What was the last song you listened to?
Just checked, it was Foals ‘Wake me up’ what an absolute banger that is eh?
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? 8-tracks? Cassettes? CDs? MP3s? Streaming platforms?
I’m not going to chat sh*t to you here, I love a vinyl but you can’t take it on a morning commute.
Something on my phone, that I pay a little more for would be grand!
Where is the best place to connect with you and follow your journey?
Instagram, I’m well active there! @_JohnParry
I really appreciate Your time. Anything else before we sign off?
Have a lovely day and thank you for featuring my music and giving small acts like me the time of day. Nice one x
