Ex-‘American Idol’ contestant John K learns winning not a requisite for success

John K

An aspiring artist’s performance in a talent search isn’t always indicative of how he or she will actually fare in the industry. And singer-songwriter John K is proof that winning isn’t requisite for success.

While he got cut in the Las Vegas and Hollywood rounds of “American Idol” seasons 11 and 12, respectively, John K would go on to hone his talent, write songs and quietly build his career as an independent artist. Now, he’s signed with Epic Records, has a platinum-selling single and strong streaming figures.

John K didn’t see his past outings in the talent search as failures, but rather, a “glimpse of what could be.”

“It cemented my love for performing. I went from doing nothing at all to a huge stage with all the moving cameras and lights. Everything was thrown at you. I was like, ‘This is so cool.’ But maybe something in me wasn’t ready yet,’” he related in a virtual conference by Sony Music Philippines.

“God gave me a glimpse, as if saying ‘This is something I have for you but you’re not ready for it yet,’” added the singer, whose soul-inflected vocals add texture to the summery pop beats he loves. “A spark started there and I loved it. And I told myself that I’m going to go get it.”

In 2019, the American artist finally got the break he was waiting for with the hit single, “If We Never Met,” which has since been streamed 255 million times and earned good reviews from publications like Billboard and Rolling Stone. The single is part of his recently released debut album, “Love + Everything Else,” which encapsulates his personal and musical journey the past three years.

Excerpts from our interview:

Tell us more about the album.

The title kind of gives it away. When we started doing it, it was composed mostly of love tracks. And I thought, at one point, that we’re going to end up with 10 tracks about love like—“If We Never Met,” “Learning How to Love,” “Days Like This,” and “ILYM.”

So we wrote a couple more songs to mix it up a bit. “Cheap Sunglasses” was the first song that broke the mold. It felt so good we had to put it in the album… Basically the album is 10 songs I personally fell in love with the past couple of years, and we pieced them together.

What’s songwriting like during quarantine?

Quarantine gave us some perspective and time to sit back, listen to music and push it to the finish line.

Zoom sessions weren’t a thing. But people started doing it and we figured that we have to do that. Even if it’s uncomfortable at first, we need to do it enough to the point where it becomes natural.

It was hard at first: Imagine all of us trying to sing, talk and explain ideas at the same time. And because there’s a few seconds of lag, nothing was ever on beat, things were all over the place.

“Days like This” was written in quarantaine by guys in four different states over Zoom. I didn’t think it would be possible.

What was your mind-set like?

The eternal optimist that I am, I think there were good things we were able to grasp in quarantine, and that was connecting. I could be at home in Orlando, Florida, and work with people in Los Angeles without going on a flight.

The pandemic made me appreciate what’s in front of me. You have to look at yourself in the mirror and ask, “What have you got?” You have to be self-motivated and balance your own schedule, because no one else is going to tell you what to do.

What have you discovered about yourself as an artist in the past few years?

Vulnerability. For the audience to really connect to your music, you have to be honest in telling it. That will, in turn, allow your vocals to connect. And you will hear and feel that in the song. It’s really important for it to be true. I have learned how to open up and be vulnerable … and be who I am.

You don’t need to oversing or make a song something it’s not. Just connect to it, find what it means. It’s a nonstop process of self-reflection.

A lot of your melodies evoke the feeling of summer. Where do you draw inspiration?

I’m a Florida boy, born and raised. I grew up by the water, so summer is, in some sense, in me. I’m also an eternal optimist and I always try to look at the bright side of things. And when it comes to melody, it really is a feeling.

“Happiness” is an interesting song. It’s upbeat, but the lyrics are actually sad. It’s a reminder that it’s OK … you don’t always have to be happy. But you’re not alone.

It’s a beautiful juxtaposition. And 2020 kind of needed that song. The song didn’t feel right at first, but all of a sudden, the pandemic happened. And we had to put it out because it started to hit and connect to us in ways it never did before.

Songs need to find the right time, too. They connect differently under different circumstances.

One of your strong suits is singing—you sound as good live as you are on record. Did you have formal training?

I didn’t. I had times when I worked with coaches to find out more about what I’m actually doing. But my foundation is that I got addicted to singing, recording it and listening to the playback when I was child.

I wasn’t only listening to the sound coming out; I was trying to find out how my voice sounded to other people’s ears. And that’s a huge gap you have to bridge early on. Because your voice can sound good in your head. But how does it sound to others?

I taught myself by listening to my own voice. I hated the way I sounded when I listened to my voice on playback. So, early on, I tried to fix it and clean it up, because that sounded weird … this run should be like this. I fell in love with the process without me knowing it. The ultimate journey for a singer is to figure out how to control your instrument.

Who are your influences?

I listened to a lot of male vocalists like Donny Hathaway and Otis Redding. I listened to Eagles, The Beatles, Bob Marley. I just sang every little thing I heard and tried to learn it.

What is your advice to singers who are still looking for that extra push?

Things didn’t really start for me until I met my team, my support system I cherish this journey with.

When I’m in a room with people I trust, I consider myself the dumbest. Find people who are better than you … songwriters and producers you respect. Build a team of people who inspire you.

And when you find a spark or come up with a concept, make sure you iron it all out before you add the melody. The clearer the message you want to convey, the easier the melody and lyrics come, because there’s already a direction.