Johnny Orlando, Canada’s rising pop star who won MTV’s Europe Music Awards for Best Canadian Act in 2019, has officially released his anticipated EP, “It’s Never Really Over”.
The EP will focus on Johnny’s growth as an artist and a person, while also touching on the emotional obstacles he had to face in being ready for “the reality of the real world.”
While talking with Hype through a Zoom call recently, the young singer-songwriter talked about his upcoming EP and how the pandemic has affected him.
Check out our interview with Johnny Orlando below:
1. You’ve mentioned that the “It’s Never Really Over” EP is kind of a farewell to your childhood and innocence. What was it like growing up, to being where you are today?
It’s a hard question to answer. For me, it’s just my childhood and I don’t really have any normal experience to compare it to. I started music early and my life changed at a very young age. It’s a lot of fun (doing music), it is one of the greatest things that can happen to somebody, in my opinion, which is being able to do what you love.
There are some drawbacks of course – being in the public eye that young and being involved in social media, which can be toxic sometimes. But, the benefits definitely outweigh the negatives.
2. Tell us more about the process of making your new EP.
When I first make a song, I usually start with a beat or chords, something to write to. From there, it depends on what song I want to make that day. If I’m really upset about something, I wanna get it off my mind and talk about it.
When you’re writing, you have a lot of time to think about what you’re going to say and how to convey. It’s very therapeutic for me. But if we’re doing a more upbeat song, I’d turn on Spotify and play some upbeat music to get in the mood, and then just go to the booth and start spinning whatever is on my mind.
3. Between the 6 tracks featured in the EP, which one was the hardest to write emotionally?
Probably “Adelaide”, because that song is about a very real experience but I still wanted to make it upbeat. So, there was a lot of balance in there that I had to do in order to make the song still meaningful to me and not have it lose its ‘potency’, while still have it be a fun song that people can jam to.
4. What was the biggest challenge in making the whole EP?
I think the biggest challenge is probably my own mental state. This year has been a very turbulent for all of us (due to the Covid-19 pandemic). For me, there’s so much that has happened and its been hard to have a happy outlook on things, and staying motivated and positive. When you’re making an EP, you have to be motivated and that was a pretty big challenge to me.
5. Did you learn anything new throughout the pandemic? Especially about yourself.
Absolutely, the biggest take away for me is that things can and will change in an instant. You just have to let go of your ego and everything you care about that’s unimportant. When you’re at school for example, and you go ‘Oh, I’m wearing mismatched socks,’ I used to stress about that for the entire day.
Like, I wouldn’t have a good day just because my shirt was wrinkled or I couldn’t find the shoes I wanted to wear. It’s just stupid little things, but when you put it into perspective that there’s a global pandemic going on, there’s way more important things to worry about.
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6. What about your growth as a rising pop star, do you think the pandemic affected it?
I think as a musician, it has definitely affected me. I haven’t been able to do all the things I wanted to do this year, like going on a tour. I was planning to go on tour and it would’ve been a lot of fun.
Every time that you’re stuck on the bus, for a month, you tend to learn some things along the way. I’ve definitely missed out on a lot of great sessions where I could’ve produced some really sweet songs and, you know, more opportunities to be introspective.
7. Are there any plans for an Asia tour in the future, and will Malaysia be included?
Of course! We’ve been talking about it for literally two years. As a Canadian, going to a new continent can be really scary. I could show up to Malaysia and nobody knows who I am, it’s like I’m out of luck.
But I’ve been receiving a lot of support from (the people in) Asia, Malaysia specifically. My fan base over there is just so loud and so loving. I think it’s time (for an Asia tour) and I’m absolutely looking forward to that in the near future, hopefully.
“It’s Never Really Over” will feature 6 tracks, including his latest single, “Everybody Wants You.”
Check out the music video here:
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