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1) We’re very excited to have some time today with acclaimed singer/songwriter and producer John Lindahl; greetings and salutations, John! Before we meander down the proverbial musical and celluloid pathway, how is the 2023 holiday season treating you?
My holiday season is going great! I just finished a performance at the Grand Ole Opry for my friend Tommee Profitt’s “The Birth of a King” performance in Nashville. His work is truly incredible and it was an honor to be a part of it. I’m also winding down the holiday season with some final shooting days for my film before we wrap for the holidays. I’m excited to spend the following weeks with family before filming and promotion ramps up in the new year.
2) Major congratulations on your freshly-minted and amazing new album John Lindahl’s CULT CLASSIQUÉ! Starting at the very tip-top, could you give us the VH1-Behind the Music origin story on how one of the very best LP’s of 2023 came into being?
This album was definitely the most sonically cohesive album that I’ve crafted and it was also the most difficult to create. There were a lot of growing pains that I experienced during the creation of this album so the lyrics and subject matter ended up being more personal and painful than I initially intended. I’ve made all of my albums in my tiny bedroom studio of my childhood home. The album covers an area of my life that I don’t feel that I’ve fully moved on from emotionally so it was helpful to tap into those familiar emotions while being in that space. The album follows an alternate universe version of myself called “JOHNNY” which is a name that my first label wanted me to go by. The album/film is an allegory for my experience as an artist in the music industry.
3) We’re big admirers of the tune which kicks off CULT CLASSIQUÉ, the Welcome to Hargrove (Overture). The track achieves what any opening tune off of an album should do: It sets the stage for the remaining twelve songs off of the album as well as the overall mood and listening experience for music aficionados; kudos! Was it always in the creative cards to open the new LP up with this sort of introductory volley?
I thoroughly enjoy overtures. I have one on my debut album and I snuck a medley in at the very end of my holiday album too. The film “Singin’ in the Rain” was my introduction to all things creative and performance based. At the time, it was an industry standard to have an overture to start the film so that the melodies of songs would be familiar to the audience upon hearing them later. This album was the first time where I saw scenes in my mind out of a film. When I had finished the outline for all of the songs I saw definitive scenes in my mind but they didn’t make sense without a script to accompany it. I knew this album needed to be made into a film driven by music so I felt an overture was necessary during the opening title sequence. I also feel that overtures make the songs themselves feel more impactful.
4) As a rightly lauded producer in your own right, is it safe to assume that you did the producing honors on John Lindahl’s CULT CLASSIQUÉ? And, if so, what are the pro’s to producing your own material?
I did produce this album. I had one coproduction credit on the track “Killing Me Loudly” with my friend Michael Barney who is also acting in the film! He’s very unaware of how truly talented he is. He also cast me as the lead in his short film “RUN”! I feel that producing your own material is very liberating if you’re willing to reinvent yourself. It would be very easy to get caught making the same song over and over again. That’s why I love that this album makes a sonic statement and is connected to it’s own script. It forces the songs to exist and be created in a way that I haven’t done before. I also love growing with each album. I feel that the only thing that is worth focusing on as an artist is your own personal improvement from project to project. What better way to do that then create an entire album and world virtually by yourself? I say that it’s the most beneficial to focus on improvement versus results because I used to get way too caught up in the minutiae of numbers. The lack of exposure I felt that I was getting would lead me to spiral and actually was the catalyst for the depression I went through in creating this album.
5) It feels like there’s a whole lot of jaw-dropping world building going on in John Lindahl’s CULT CLASSIQUÉ. As the creator of this exquisite new album, was it easy to get lost in this newly fashioned world, particularly as you began shaping the music and lyrics to the LP?
This album and the script for the film sort of wrote themselves simultaneously. This is the first project I’ve created that takes place in a fictional universe. Diving into cult classic horror films of the late 70s and 80s really helped me shape the world around JOHNNY and the way the music was supposed to sound and feel. I listened to a lot of horror scores as well from that era to get inspired on what impacts they used, synth patches, and just the overall blend in how they created tension. I felt that I could apply that to my project. John Carpenter was a massive inspiration in terms of all things creative but also his DIY mindset in terms of writing and directing his own film along with scoring it. I describe the album musically as euphorically sinister with undertones of horror composers and also shimmery 80s pop sounds of artists like Michael Jackson, Prince, and George Michael.
6) As a companion piece to CULT CLASSIQUÉ you’ve done something so entirely unique and ambitious that it puts most other album releases to shame: The new LP is accompanied by no less than a full-length feature film John Lindahl’s “CULT CLASSIQUÉ” (Part 1): “JOHNNY!” Can you talk to our ever-inquisitive readers about this beautiful film and how it ties in with your new album?
The film and album were being worked out in my head at the same time so a lot of the musical timing within the film was truly crafted from the start. I’m very proud of the execution there. I’ve always loved horror and Michael Jackson was my favorite artist growing up. A lot of the greatest classic horror films existed in the 80s and Michael Jackson’s reign began in the 80s. The idea of a film about a serial killer had been circulating in my mind since around 2019. I think in the midst of my frustration with the music industry and falling into a deep dark depression, I felt that I was living in a nightmare. The music became my nightmare personified, and the film became the vision of nightmare itself. In Part 1 of the forthcoming feature length film, John Lindahl’s “CULT CLASSIQUÉ” We follow JOHNNY (the suspect) traverse the town of Hargrove as his brother and Carpenter (a member of the town police force) try to make sense of JOHNNY’s cassette tape that was discovered to be filled with music created by JOHNNY himself. The music tells the story both on screen and off.
7) The new film was choreographed by the nigh legendary Marty Kudelka. What was it like collaborating with Marty on this major motion picture?
Marty is a legend. Plain and simple. He’s also a great guy and we have a great relationship. We hang out and golf and play poker and sports and stuff pretty much every other week. I also take class from him a lot when he teaches at Millennium because I love being able to retain and execute choreography as quickly as possible in case there are any last minute changes on set. Working with Marty has been incredible because he really personified my vision of JOHNNY and THE SHAPES in a way that only he could. He has made plenty of executive decisions on set that changed the trajectory and edit of Part 1 for the better. He’s wildly fast at coming up with choreography and creating dynamic ways for me and the dancers to interact with each other while still feeling as though we are instruments in the music. That’s one of the signature nuances of his style in my opinion. His musical ear is incredible too. We have this running joke where I feel like he could also be an amazing music producer if he wanted to be. Marty will take my music and choreograph to it and then I’ll come over to his house and we’ll run through it and then go to rehearsal with the dancers at the studio so we can lock in formations. Sometimes he’ll even just send me videos to learn if he’s busy on a job with Justin Timberlake or doing work for the Trolls movie. That helps a ton. Marty shaped an entire generation of dancers and choreographers and his influence is ever- growing. To say that working with him on this film is a dream come true would be a massive understatement.
8) In the wake of the recent release of the new album and its companion feature film, can fans look forward to catching you on the touring and performing circuit in the coming weeks and months?
I am focused primarily on finishing the entire feature length film and promoting the music so that the fans can have a full scope of what this world is. My goal is to create a cult fandom within the world of JOHNNY. I truly believe that when I finish the film, the fans will follow along with the tours and high profile media appearances.
9) Your music has been featured prominently in a variety of film and television productions such as Free Guy and The Fast and the Furious. Has this type of mainstream exposure served to broaden your base of fans?
It definitely has. I would say I am most grateful for seeing what my music sounds like on the big screen. I believe it solidified that I want to present my albums as films. I’m having the most fun that I’ve ever had creatively right now.
10) Who inspires you musically?
Everything and everyone. I do always say that one could study Michael Jackson’s catalogue as any form of musician (singer, instrumentalist, producer etc.) and learn virtually everything that there is to know about music, harmony and rhythm. That’s how dense his music is. I love film composers like John Williams, Danny Elfman, and Ludwig Goransson. I love Marvin Gaye, Donny Hathaway, the Spinners, The Delfonics, and a lot of soul groups from the 70s. That’s what got me into singing.
11) At the end of the day, what do you hope listeners walk away with after not only giving many-a-spin to John Lindahl’s CULT CLASSIQUÉ, but also checking out its amazing companion feature film John Lindahl’s “CULT CLASSIQUÉ” (Part 1): “JOHNNY!”?
I hope that listeners and viewers feel encouraged to express themselves as they are in this very moment however that may look. Whether it’s an expression of sadness, joy, or desperation, I want people to feel safe in proclaiming who they are. We live in an era where so many people, especially the youth, are afraid of being labeled as “cringe” or pariahs of some sort. I’ve spent most of my professional life in the music industry being seen as something that I felt I wasn’t. This album and film is me taking back my power and controlling the narrative while being true to how all of it made me feel. I want people to know that they can do the same.
