Words and Photos by Joe Koch
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After releasing his debut, Indiana, on Island Def Jam records, Jon Mclaughlin is now ready to put forth his sophomore effort, OK Now, which hits store shelves Oct. 7. I recently caught up with Jon at his hotel in Niagara Falls, N.Y. before his show with Eddie Money. He filled us in on his new record and what it's like to perform at the Oscars.
After Indiana, Jon felt it was time for a musical and stylistic transformation. His first major label release Indiana was the first time he had to co-write with anyone; he also felt the need to prove how capable he was at the piano.
Prior to this he had released an EP, which was solo piano, that he recorded eight songs in two hours. It was "a throw and go style," said Jon. "I've always been a huge Ben Folds Five fan. I love the mentality of whatever happens that ends up being the record." Originally, Jon wanted Indiana to sound like Ben Fold's album, Whatever and Ever Amen. Ben opted to not record with guitars and let the piano be the driving force behind the music. Jon quickly realized that it really didn't fit his music style. But don't get me wrong, Jon's piano playing shines with impressiveness on Indiana.
Ironically, the opportunity for him to perform the hit song "So Close" from the 2007 Disney movie "Enchanted" did not come from his ability to play the keys. Jon was able to play an old-school crooner. It gave him an opportunity to try something different, ultimately influencing his new record.
The highlight came when he found out at the end of 2007 that the movie was up for an Oscar and he was asked to perform "So Close" at the 80th Annual Academy Awards ceremony.
"I had recorded it about a year and a half before it premiered. Then when I watched it for the first time and then the second ... I was like, 'This is a classic Disney movie,'" explained Jon. He had no idea that it had the potential to get nominated for an Oscar. "The excitement builds about a month before and then you show up a week in advance to do the rehearsals, then you're walking down the red carpet with George Clooney in front of you and you perform and you go to the after party," said Jon. "Then it's over and you go back to your hotel room and you think, 'How do I go back to living my life after I've just been to the Oscars?' It's crazy." He refers to it as a career defining moment.
The Oscar performance was the perfect event to refuel people's interest in Jon Mclaughlin's music. Indiana saw a 1,514 percent overnight sales increase at Amazon.com, which hopefully will peak people's interest in Jon's new release.
Now ready to take his music into a new direction, OK Now you will see that the piano is not the main focus and the core element is the work that went into writing songs that would be more accessible, allowing a broader target audience.
"The Piano is featured, but we pick and choose where we're gonna have it. As opposed to every song starting out with the guy at the piano," says Jon. "As a record I felt like I knew what should happen, pretty early on. It wasn't just writing songs, and then we'll just piece something together and give it a name. All the songs had a theme."
Photo by Joe Koch
Some key ingredients to making this album a possible success is the hiring of producer John Fields (Rooney, Jonas Brothers, Lifehouse and Switchfoot.) Jon also teamed up with some pretty reputable song-writers like 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.")
"I was really excited to work with acclaimed L.A. singer/songwriter Bleau," said Jon. They co-wrote "You Can Never Go Back.
Jon feels fortunate to have the support of his label. With the industry struggling, there’s not many labels allowing artist to grow and develop their music.
"The album feels right for the next move in my career," said Jon. The slow pace is exactly what he wants. He's very content with supporting acts like Kelly Clarkson.
"It's stress-free. I mean you have to work a little harder to get peoples attention, but it always goes over well," he said. With the release of OK Now, he will take a short break and then do the media circuit of TV, radio, football games and interviews. You can currently catch the first single "Beating My Heart" on the VH-1 countdown.
Photo by Joe Koch
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