He signed his first recording contract in 1998, as singer in the band The Motorhomes. Now - two albums, seven difficult years, a couple of “proper” jobs and one family later – he is back again, this time with a solo album recorded under the name JOHN ME. This wasn’t really a path he had considered, having felt that he was pretty much finished with music. But the curse, or gift, of creating music could not be escaped. Melodies flowed through his daily life. An ordinary 9 to 5 job with a paycheck at the end of the month wasn’t enough for him, not if he was to feel contented. So by night Mattias went into his studio and emptied the melodies stored up inside of him. - I had to get these songs out, and the only time I had to work with my music was during the night. When all the day’s events were over and everyone else had gone to bed… While everyone else was on pause, I had hours where I could catch up. I was staying up later and later each night, sometimes not sleeping at all. I was thinking “If I don’t stay up tonight…. which song might I miss out on writing?”. Al Pacino’s chance came with The Godfather. John Travolta experienced it after Pulp Fiction, and now it is Mattias’ turn: Just when you think it’s over, you get dragged back into the game again. Mattias called up Simon Nordberg who had previously produced The Motorhomes, and asked him to help set up some mics so that he could record some of his songs. The snowball effect then went into overdrive. The recording sessions quickly developed into something more serious and when Pär Wiksten, Jocke Berg, Andreas Mattsson amongst others got involved JOHN ME really started to take shape. What had begun as a form of therapy had now grown into something much bigger. The result is an eclectic album full of traditional pop songs, but with a modern production as well tailored as a Saville Row suit. The first single ”Love Is My Drug” is an infectious floor-filler and provides an interesting contrast to the crooner style that characterizes many of the album’s other tracks. - I wanted to write old standards, classics, evergreens… Melodies you can’t resist. Songs that are not bound to one genre or the other. Mattias has a whole bank of ballads inside of him. Full of winter and darkness. Not surprising then that his daughter always asks him: “Why do you always write lullabies?” - I think that all people are tuned in different chords and have different melodies running through them. I have come to terms with my inner melody. These melodies make the mind wander to artists such as Bon Iver and Damien Rice. But those who are familiar with Mattias’ voice know that he soars above many of his contemporaries. That it took him ten years to find his way back home is something we can forgive him for, just as long as he keeps singing his heart out. |
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