Home
« It’s hard for me to explain how I write my songs because there is little method to my madness! It’s about capturing a moment, finding the essence and putting that into a 3-4 minute song...”Jon Norris certainly has an unorthodox approach to songwriting, and this can be heard instantly in his songs; complex and multi-layered, yet sung with only his Fender Telecaster as accompaniment...catchy bitter-sweet melodies are sung in his unique voice, capable of switching from a laidback soulful baritone to a furious, in-your-face rapping. Add to this his guitar style; minor key chords offset by funky rhythmic playing, makes Jon Norris one of the hottest talents on the burgeoning Parisian underground scene...Born to an English father and French mother 27 years ago, Jon grew up in Leicester, England. Having listened extensively to pop and rock (Beatles, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers) and later hip-hop (Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Cypress Hill), Jon’s musical identity quickly developped. “I always had a passion for melody, and I also had an ear for a heavy bass line, but back then I always felt I had to choose between the two.” Jon would later write a song inspired by his hometown: “The Crossing” (“...Muslims and Catholics and Hindus all shop at the Co-Op, or at he local SPAR, those who live in the high-rise at the very top, seem like they’re closer to the stars...”) In 1997, Jon moved with his family to Rouen, France, and played guitar in several bands, but was yet to have his own personal style, still being unable to assimilate his diverse musical tastes. However, such a change in his life would later provide him with a wealth of lyrical ideas, based on his new experiences. Years later, Jon moved to Liverpool and studied at Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts where he obtained a diploma in Live Performance and Sound Technology. It was at that point where Jon’s compositions really started to take form. As Jon explains “I just stopped trying to control everything and just let creativity go, because creativity is a natural force and by definition you can’t control nature! My main love is singing, but I also love rapping. I’m attracted to the emotion and groove in soul, the lyrical and rhythmic aspect of hip-hop and the live energy of rock. Instead of choosing between them, I mixed them and tried to create my own style.” From then on, Jon hasn’t stopped writing and composing, first of as leader of the Rouen band, The Jury, with whom he recorded an album “The Crossing”, and most recently as a solo artist in Paris. If musically Jon’s style is rich and varied, then the same can be said for his lyrics. A wide range of subjects are explored such as the positive aspects of living in a multicultural society in “Miss World (“...There’s treasure at the end of the rainbow...”), the harmful influence of celebrity culture in “The Mic Is A Weapon” (“Who you aimin’ at? Point that mic away from me/You think you know where it’s at, just because you’re on TV?”), a reference to Maupassant’s Le Horla, with depression replacing the subject of madness in “Out of The Blue” (“I think there’s a monster lurking underneath my bed/ my imagination’s overworking, maybe it’s in my head?...One thing leads to another/ I start sinking, something’s pulling me under...” ), the role that music plays in our lives in “Can’t Turn It Down” (“I’m like a puppet on six strings, but what if music simply stopped existing?/ I’d end up like a ghost, feeling nothing whatsoever, a heart of stone and skin made of leather...”) guilt and spiritual redemption in “City of Angels” (“Search for shelter and redemption, and cleanse my heart/ Pray for me, in the desert I’m afraid of the dark”...), self awareness in “Apologize” (“As my pen scratched the paper, I began to scratch the surface...My mind is open as the universe but I don’t know where earth is/ In this first verse I ask God why he put me here in the first place...”) and even a gangster comedy with a romantic twist! “Sofia” (...Some other guy’s there, he looks American/ But once I’ve finished with him he won’t look like anything!”). So what next? “I am currently working with my manager Aude Lalo, and the plan is to build on my fan-base. I have also been writing new songs and I can’t wait to play them on stage! The main objective for 2009 is to sign to a record label and get my songs out there!” Any other plans? “Yup! I’m ambitious for myself but I’m also interested in promoting other independent artists, such as Malka, Pep’s, Hologram, Sang-Sure, Djib, Salamay, Habib Farroukh...I am setting up a site called Cybasound, and I will present on stage every month the hottest unsigned talents who I have had the pleasure of working (and jamming) with, and broadcast them LIVE on the internet. It’s a really exciting project and I’m working on it full-time at the moment.” Any other plans? “Oh yeah...Write even more songs!” Don’t forget to check out Jon on www.myspace.com/jonnorrismusic, or check out his personal website www.jonnorris.cybasound.com for upcoming concerts and all the latest news! Contact: Aude Lalo +33 6 26 09 65 73 audelalo@hotmail.com |
|
|
|
|
|