12 Questions with John Thacker
John Thacker is a singer/songwriter from Manchester. His debut EP ‘The Recall’ was praised by bloggers and received a play on BBC Introducing, alongside a live performance for UNILAD sound as an artist to watch performing lead single ‘Control’. He has worked as a vocalist and songwriter for various artists, notable ‘Identity’ which peaked at #12 on the Italian iTunes chart. And most recently ‘Into The Night’ with 150,000 streams on Spotify. His music has combined streams of over 300,000+ across all streaming sites. He is particularly passionate about the representation of the LGBTQ+ community in music as a member of the community himself.
SG: As it’s Pride month, who are some LGBTQ+ artists inspiring you right now?
JT: I feel excited about queer artists right now in the music industry. There are so many bold storytellers that are being completely unapologetically who they are, which makes a difference to listeners and the broader society. Janelle Monáe has been a game-changer for me in queer music. Her visuals and sound resonate with me and the music that I aspire to make. I’m also obsessed with Lil Nas X, I’m obsessed with the clip of him thrusting on the devil gloriously!
SG: If you had to pick, which song from your EP ‘John Joseph’ do you think means the most to you and why?
JT: The lead single ‘Don’t Know (Why)’ is probably the most personal song that I’ve ever written. I wrote the song during lockdown last year, and the words just poured out of me. As though my soul needed in some way to form these words. There’s conflict in the song, an inner conflict of peace and happiness against anxiety and self-doubt. In a way it’s an exploration of my masculinity and mental health and sexuality, the outro stripped back to the raw bones as I sing about where I feel like I’m at with my life right now.
SG: Favourite venue in Manchester?
JT: I’ve always loved watching gigs at the Albert Hall in Manchester. I think I’ve seen more gigs there than anywhere else. It feels the right amount of intimate yet still awe inducing when the act comes on stage. Manifesting a sold-out Albert Hall gig for 2022.
John Thacker: DON’T KNOW ( WHY ) Artwork
SG: How long have you been writing music for and do you remember what the first song you ever wrote was about?
JT: I don’t think I ever just woke up and decided that I was going to start writing songs. I grew up in a musical household, my dad was in bands, and my mum a singer. It’s normal for a sing along to just break out with my dad on the guitar and my mum harmonising. I do however remember the first ever song that I wrote. I was called ‘Colour’, and I was about 17 years old, and I wrote it after fiddling on my keyboard. It was very cheesy and I think that it was mainly about being positive, but my mum was a fan so that’s all that counts.
SG: Most memorable gig you’ve ever been to?
JT: I was just flicking through old gig photos to try to answer this question and it’s just got me welling up. I can’t believe it’s been well over a year before I went to watch some live music. It’s an electric, indescribable experience that we need back in place in our society. So many gigs come to mind, but one that stands out will always be watching Regina Spektor at the Liverpool Empire (Manchester was mysteriously left off this particular tour). I’m a huge Regina Spektor fan and her music has been a huge influence on my own. So many songs have been soundtracks to periods of my life and watching Regina command a nearly two and a half hour set with mainly herself and her piano just blew my mind. I’m in awe of everything she radiates.
SG: I saw your band has a Tik Tok account, what are your thoughts on the app and how it’s growing to be such a huge part of the music industry?
JT: I’m new to the whole Tik Tok thing and honestly feel like I need a beginner’s manual to figure it out. But I posted a video singing ‘Light’ from my new EP the other day and it bagged me a new follower and some Spotify streams, so it appears it’s the way forward?
SG: What’s your favourite bingeable Netflix series?
JT: Can we for a second discuss the Santa Clarita Diet?, Three seasons I invested my life into Drew Barrymore becoming a zombie and it’s one of the best pieces of television (is that what we still call shows?) I’ve ever seen. The show was only just starting to get going when Netflix pulled the rug beneath us and cancels the show. Without a conclusion! I’m still not over that and will refuse to be until justice is given.
John Thacker
SG: Your band project China Moon is sonically very different from your own music I’ve heard on Spotify, how different do you find the writing process e.g in terms of what inspires you lyrically/how the songs come together?
JT: It’s very different making with my lovely band and making myself. Our sounds are very different so I love that with my own music I can be my inner popstar where with the band I can explore a heavier rock side to voice and lyrics. But even as a soloist my music is never just a one-man-band. It can’t be. My music is usually created in one of two ways, either I’ve written some sounds and words with a rough melody and then I build it from there, or there’s some instrumental already in place for me to work from with a producer and the song builds from there. My one rule is I never “sit down and write a song”, I only write when I’m compelled to write.
SG: How have you managed to stay creative and keep writing during the pandemic?
JT: One of the best things about this horrific pandemic is the gift of time. During the first lockdown, for the first time in as long as I could remember, I had absolutely nowhere to be. It’s changed my outlook on how I should spend my time. I found myself with complete freedom to make with no set goals – which is in a way how the EP has formed. I wrote a lot, I spent time learning no skills and instruments, I recorded a lot, but I mostly practiced a hell of a lot of self-care which is something I want to carry with me. It’s less productive to have tons of endless busy work. Creativity for me has always felt like it’s something that should be felt and not forced, so as the world starts to re-open again I’m trying to learn to say no to things that take from the gift of time.
SG: In what ways is LGBTQ+ representation in music important to you?
JT: Growing up being queer felt something that was repressed when I look at the music industry, almost as though openly LGBTQ+ artists had to still shy away from talking about their sexuality in order to be accepted. This bleeds into our society, if well-known loved musicians had to dampen their own identity to be accepted, then what chance does anyone else have? Those glimpses where icons openly celebrated queerness had a profound effect on exploring my own sexuality. I remember one specific interview with Madonna where she said that she found the idea of two men having sex ‘erotic’. It blew my mind, someone with power making a statement that changed the game. In my own music, I want to create something that hopefully will resonate with a queer audience. There’s that magic when we hear a story that we can connect with and suddenly you’re not alone. It’s incredible to see other queer artists recently be bolder with their queerness. Throughout the past year, I’ve written explicitly and directly for the first time about my experiences dating both men and women, I think it’s formed some of my best work. It’s honest and I’m so proud of what I’ve been working on. Part of which formed this EP, but this is just the beginning of what I want to explore lyrically and sonically.
John Thacker
SG: If you were stuck on a desert island, what 3 albums would you take with you?
JT: Regina Spektor – Begin to Hope (my all-time favourite album – a masterpiece) Novo Amor – Birthplace (I wake up to this album nearly every day) Ben Howard – I Forget Where We Were (this album makes me feel things I didn’t think I could feel)
SG: Thank you for the opportunity to interview you, is there anything else you would like to add?
JT: If you like any of my sounds, give my Spotify a follow, it can really help with those algorithm things I don’t quite understand. Also, I had a dream that Nelly Furtado made a comeback last night so just want to put that in writing just in case it happens. (In which I’d fully support).
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