mustbejohn is a protagonist. He’s a man of the people, authentic and relatable in his lyrics, outlook and image. Since breaking through with promising early singles like “Jenny’s House” and “Lucy”, the Hertfordshire-based rapper-singer has grown immensely as an artist, showcasing his depth, progression and eclectic approach, highlighted in abundance on his stellar new body of work.

Featuring standout single “Buzz”, the seven-track “Losing Balance” EP sees a stylistic and thematic shift, with John conveying an elevated level of personal and musical maturity. The beats, courtesy of the nuance of Sam Ellwood, are subtle, atmospheric and refined. The songwriting bleeds poignancy, with the artist tackling topics such as romance and nightlife through mature coming-of-age narratives, flaunting his vocal prowess further than in previous work.

We had the chance to speak with John, discussing his essence as an artist, reflecting back on his early work, and dissecting his excellent new EP.

Listen to the EP…

Read the interview…

What influences you?
If I’m being honest, everything I’m going through and the stuff I’m surrounded by influence me the most. I don’t think that will ever change, it would feel strange to write about something that I hadn’t been through or seen.


How did you first find your love and passion for creating?
I realised that I enjoyed writing when I reached my early teens. I struggled with reading and writing when I was younger as I have dyslexia but it improved over time. Realising I could say what I wanted through music was a groundbreaking moment and a massive release to know I had so much creative freedom. It was perfect, considering how much I loved music when I reached my late teens.

 
How would you define your essence as an artist?
Honest. Like an open conversation with one of your pals. I like that when I meet supporters, it feels like catching up with a mate because they already know these personal aspects of my life through the music. I’m never going to be a flashy rapper, I don’t think people need or want that from me. It’s certainly not how I see myself anyway. I’m still local ha.

Your sound is an interesting combination of styles, how have you worked to refine your process to merge the styles so succinctly?
It’s always important to make the track sound as close to exactly how I’m feeling, whether through the lyrics, beat, or it’s usually both. We’ve been grafting at the sound for a couple of years now, and I feel like it’s getting better and more precise with every project.

How does it feel reflecting back on your early work and the sonic progression that you’ve made?
Listening to some of the earlier work is like going down memory lane. It’s nice to remind myself how I felt then and where I was. Getting to perform some of the tracks all these years later and still have the listeners going nuts is a good feeling. I’m proper excited for them to all hear the new sounds.

Congratulations on your new EP! How do you feel about its release?
Excited but nervous as always. Mainly because I’m touching topics I haven’t before. It’s nice that people get to see a new side, but it’s always nerve-racking opening up like that. But I’m proud of the project and can’t wait to have it out there finally.

This feels like your most thought-through and measured project yet, what was the creative process behind the record?
Thank you mate; appreciate that. This time around, the process was to give myself the time and space to create these tunes. I don’t put too much pressure on creating a viral moment, but just make some music I care about. I am experimenting with the beats but still very much keeping it mustbejohn.

What are you trying to convey thematically?
That it’s okay to lose balance. I feel like I’m constantly losing and finding balance in life, whether it’s socially, vices, music, relationships, everything. So I guess it’s me conveying that through each track. All the songs reflect very different emotions and periods of my life.

Talk us through the musical decisions you’ve made across the tape? Who has helped you bring this to life?
There were many very talented producers on this project, including 020whitton, cloubee, ZDOT & Krunchie, but it has been very much me and my good friend Sam Ellwood tackling this one together. He produced five of the seven tracks on this tape and has pushed me to take the music and content to places we hadn’t before. We’ve been working together well over a year, and he’s undoubtedly played a major role.

What do you hope listeners take away from the EP?
I want each person to take something different away from it, but I hope it reminds them that the good and bad times will come and go. Try your best to enjoy both sides wherever you can!

Where do you want to take your artistry?
I just want to keep on making bigger and better tunes. Grow as a person and continue to show it through the music. I want it all: the big shows, the festivals, let’s have it large until they’re sick of me.

What’s to come from you this year?
This new project closes off the year nicely, and we have big plans for the start of 2024. We’re going back on tour across the UK soon, I can’t wait to play all these new tunes live. More shows, more music, more John really.