UCN Interview at CRS 2013 – JJ Lawhorn: “I’m about telling people the way it is.”

11 years ago Liv Carter Comments Off on UCN Interview at CRS 2013 – JJ Lawhorn: “I’m about telling people the way it is.”

Country newcomer JJ Lawhorn is an artist of the digital age. The Virginia native harnessed the power of social media to grow his fan base, and it ended up providing him with his big break. Now part of the Average Joes Entertainment roster, JJ talked to UCN about how he was discovered from a YouTube video, the hard work that followed, what he has learned from working with some of the biggest names in the industry, and what being an ‘original good ol’ boy’ means to him. He has been very smart about his career, and, through his dad’s sayings, provided two great pieces of advice for other young artists.

 

UCN: What part of Virginia are you from?
JL: I grew up about basically about an hour outside of Richmond.

UCN: I actually used to date a girl from the Norfolk area, and I used to drive the I-64 through Richmond.
JL: How’d that turn out for you?

UCN: The relationship? Or the drive? The drive was great!
JL: [laughs] Nah, the relationship!

UCN: Uh, not so good! [laughs] JL: Yeah there’s some girls from Norfolk that are crazy! [laughs]

UCN: Yeah she definitely fell into that category! I like to feel that it made me a better person. [laughs] JL: Oh yeah, they’ll change you! Whether that’s for the better, I reckon you have to decide that for yourself! [laughs]

UCN: You were discovered on YouTube?
JL: Yeah, it’s crazy how they found my goofy self. [laughs]

UCN: Tell me more about that. Did that lead to you getting the deal with Average Joes?
JL: Well, I basically posted a video as a response to one of Justin Moore’s new music videos and his producer [Jeremy Stover] saw the video and, in a nutshell, he got a hold of me, ended up coming down to Virginia, and hanging out with me for a weekend. We wrote some music together in my barn, I started making trips to Nashville and meeting people, and three years later I got a record deal and a publishing deal, and here I am.

UCN: All that from a YouTube video, that ain’t bad!
JL: Well, it makes it sound like it just happened because of the video, but it was a lot of hard work and a lot of dedication and grinding to get to where I’m at, man.

UCN: So what were you doing between the time the video posted and the time they picked you up?
JL: Basically I was just meeting people, developing relationships, making impressions. Before I had my publishing deal, I got to write a record with some of the greatest songwriters in the music industry. It was ridiculous to be able to have writes with dudes that had written all these hits. My producer definitely played a big part in helping me get with those people. He’s a great guy, incredible work ethic, and kind of a father figure to me. He’s just on his game and very well respected. He’s definitely the reason I got to write with some of these great people. So I was doing all sorts of stuff. Not only was I having meetings with record labels and meeting different people. I was going out and playing shows just me and an acoustic guitar, I did that for years. Now I’ve gotten to the point that I’ve got the record deal, the publishing deal, been writing professionally for a while and just getting ready for this record release. It’ll be coming out this spring. There’s a lot of stuff that I can’t even begin to explain that was part of the process.

UCN: Who are some of the people you’ve been writing with?
JL: When I was writing for the record, I worked with Dallas Davidson, Ben Hayslip, Brian Mayer, Jamie Paulen…just tons of great songwriters. Rhett Akins, Brandon Kenney… The list goes on, just really talented hit songwriters.

UCN: What kind of things have you been learning from them?
JL: Oh man, it’s so crazy, because up until I wrote with my producer, I’d never written with anyone before. We wrote some music in my barn and he was giving me advice, and just writing with him that first time was a big eye opener as far as what you could do with a song. I picked everyone’s brain I could when we were doing these co-writing appointments, like, “Hey man, do you have anything you could pass along to me?” Some of the best advice I got was from Dallas Davidson. He said to try your best to write a song a day, it doesn’t have to be great or anything special, but just try to write a song a day. It’s about that consistency of being in that creative state of mind and just keeping at it. You might not use that song, but you might use a line, or a part of it, but if you do it every day you get your brain into that creative process and have that mentality. It helps out a lot.

UCN: I heard that Springsteen, for every song he released, he had 50 that he didn’t.
JL: That weren’t as good, yeah.

UCN: I saw you at the show last night, and I dug it. And as I was listening I was thinking it would be cool to hear you collaborate with The LACS or Colt Ford.
JL: I don’t do the country-rap thing because, well, I’m not a rapper. [smiles] It’s not that I don’t like rap music or any of that, but I definitely pull influences from all kinds of music and I can respect every genre. I’m into good music whether it’s rap or country or whatever. So if a collaboration is done the right way, I’m all for it. I was on Colt Ford’s new record, Declaration of Independence. The first song on the record, called ‘Answer To No One,’ I was singing the hook and he was rapping the verses. We also did the theme song for the Outdoor Channel TV show Dropzone TV. So there’s a couple songs, two or three that I’ve done collaborations with the country-rap deal. But again I’m not rapping. [laughs] I’m just singing the chorus, you know. I can’t go like…[beat boxes]

UCN: [Laughs] Do some more of that!
JL: [laughs and beat boxes] I’m a terrible beat boxer!

UCN: [Laughs] I’m gonna sample that and there’s going to be a JJ Lawhorn megamix up before the end of the day!
JL: Oh God, no! Harlem Shake! [laughs]

UCN: Everybody keeps talking about that, what is it?
JL: I don’t really even know. Somebody shared a video of people dancing like crazy fools and it’s like one person dancing and then everyone starts dancing. I’m pretty sure that’s not actually the Harlem Shake. I saw this other video and they were interviewing people from Harlem, and they were like “This is blasphemy, that’s not the Harlem Shake! Are you trying to make fun of us?” The people doing it are just trying to get a couple million views and being goofy!

UCN: So tell me more about the record that’s coming out.
JL: I haven’t really talked to anyone about the record because no one’s really asked about it. [laughs] They’re like, “You got a record coming out? Oh yeah? That’s cool!” [smiles]

UCN: Yeah, like, let’s interview a musician but we are not going to talk about music. [smiles] JL: It’s called O.G.O.B which is pretty ridiculous because I’m pretty sure no one that I’ve heard of has had an acronym for a country music record.

UCN: I can think of one.
JL: Who is it?

UCN: It’s this guy from Austin who is an amazing songwriter, named Hayes Carll, and he put out a record called K.M.A.G. Y.O.Y.O which is military slang for “kiss my ass guys, you’re on your own.”
JL: Great! [laughs]

UCN: So what’s ‘O.G.O.B’ stand for?
JL: Well, you know how some old guy from the city might be, “We’re O.G.s” you know, as in “original gansta.”

UCN: [laughs] JL: This is my take on “original gangsta.’ I ain’t a gangsta (laughs) I don’t have chains or a dew rag or nothing but, I am an original good ol’ boy. So that’s what it stands for, that’s my brand. [shows ‘O.G.O.B’ tattoo on arm]

UCN: I like that! And you got the tattoo!
JL: This tattoo is on my album cover. I live it man, it’s not just my brand, or a clothing line, it’s how I define myself. You definitely want to brand yourself well in the music industry, but it’s not just my brand, it’s my lifestyle.

UCN: Talk about that a little more.
JL: Man, I’m just about telling people the way that it is. Even here, I guess people misunderstand who I am. They see this goofy long haired kid with his hat cocked to the side and they may say stuff like, “What’s this kid doing here?” My style’s a little different so they think maybe I’m trying to be something I’m not. But I’ve always just been myself and tried to tell it like it is. If people ask me about something, I’ll tell ‘em, “You really want to know my opinion? You might not like it.” [laughs] I believe that if country music isn’t the genre of truth, so to speak, then I don’t know what is. Because shoot, country music is stories, stuff straight out of people’s lives, relatable, everyday music. I feel like sometimes in this industry, people get away from what it’s about which is telling it how it is. There’s a lot of people out there right now talking about stuff they have no idea about. I don’t care, if you sing country music and you aren’t from the country, I don’t feel like it should be defined like that. I don’t want people to sing about things they don’t know about because if you’re doing that, you’re lying to people. And country music is three chords and the truth. If you ain’t telling it like it is, you’re lying. I just want to be straight up with people whether they like me or not. I’d rather be hated for what I am than loved for what I’m not. Whether or not you wear camouflage or drive a pickup truck or are a redneck, you can listen to it and get it.

UCN: Well that “tell it like it is” thing definitely comes across in the music. You’re walking that walk outside of the music as well.
JL: If you know about a city block, tell about a city block. If you know about a farm, a ranch, a holler, sing about that, because that’s what you know about. You can fool people for a good minute, but after while people latch onto what’s authentic and they see things for what they really are.

UCN: When’s the record coming out?
JL: We don’t have a release date quite yet, but it’s coming out this spring. We’re trying to build a fan base to have people to buy this record when it comes out. We haven’t done any radio promotion or any radio tours yet, so it’s just been trying to get the music out there so they can hear it. I’ve been waiting for this for a while.

UCN: Is the record done?
JL: Oh yeah, It’s been done for about 2 & 1/2 years man! [smiles]

UCN: Do you feel like you’ve moved on from some of these songs?
JL: It’s not that I’ve moved on but I’ve been playing some of these songs for 3 years. (laughs) So it’s like, obviously I’ve written plenty of things since then. Some of em I think are better and some…(laughs)  I do get tired of singing my songs sometimes because I’ve heard it a kajillion times and I’ve sung it 50 kajillion times, but I always remember to take into consideration that every time you’re playing for a different crowd and they’ve never heard it before. It’s cool to see their reaction and I’m definitely not complaining.

UCN: What was the experience of making the record? Had you ever been in the studio making a record like that before?
JL: I hadn’t, man. When I went to record for the first time we tracked the song and I was blown away how it all went down. I’d never been in a studio before I went in to record my record.

UCN: Tell me about your producer.
JL: My producer is Jeremy Stover who produced Justin Moore, co-wrote a couple #1 hits, he’s written a ton of great songs, has had a ton of cuts. He’s a very well respected guy. Super, super talented guy! He’s a workhorse, his work ethic is incredible and he’s on point. He makes hit records. He’s freaking incredible. He stuck his neck out for me. He didn’t know if I could do what I’m doing now, I was just some kid from the middle of nowhere that he decided he wanted to help. So I can never thank him enough or show enough appreciation for what he did for me. He’s an incredible guy and incredible asset as well as being my friend. He’s invaluable.

UCN: What are a few things you had to grow into as you were making the record?
JL: Well, songwriting, for sure. But the whole process, tracking, doing the vocals. He taught me the whole process and definitely gave me a lot of advice about the best way to do certain things, whether it was singing in the booth or whatever. It wasn’t just one specific thing that I learned. I didn’t know jack squat! Everything I know more or less about the studio and the process and all that good stuff, songwriting… I attribute it to him. He taught me a lot!

UCN: How long did you guys actually work on it?
JL: A couple of months. We wrote for a month or two and then just went in the studio and cut the record. I recorded enough songs for two records. I’ve been sitting on this material for a long time! I got all these people going, “When’s the record coming out?” So how do I explain to them that I have to build a fan base of enough people to buy it so it doesn’t flop? It’s hard to explain to them what’s really going on. So it’s frustrating, but in this business you have one chance to pick up traction and it’s been a long calculated process. I hope it pays off.

UCN: I think it’s good that they’re trying to lay the groundwork instead of just putting it out and see what happens…
JL: Which could be disastrous.

UCN: The slow-build thing is probably the better way to do it because it gives you more of a chance to grow.
JL: The label I’m on definitely has a different approach to marketing their artists than most major labels because, like, Colt had the number one record in the country yet he has hardly any radio play. So the only way they can do that is to develop a fan base of people that’s so ridiculously huge and hardcore, so that what they’re doing at radio doesn’t matter. They take the same approach to building my fan base. We’re working on it man, just getting people that will buy the music.

UCN: What’s the plan for ‘Stomping Grounds’ once things get going? Are you going to put it out and promote it?
JL: It’s actually out on P2 radio and XM. That’s the first thing we’ve put out to radio. But we’re not doing radio tours, we’re just testing the water, see what kind of reaction we get. I can’t tell you what song we’re going to release to P1 radio, but we’ve gotten a good reaction and we’ve gotten really good data.

UCN: To wrap up, I want you to give me a good road story or an inspirational quote that’s stuck with you.
JL:  Yeah, I’ll give you a quote. I’ll even give you two of ’em! These are two things that my dad said that stuck out to me the most over the years. He’d say, “Son, you eat the chicken and spit out the bones,” which means you take what you can from every situation and learn from it and throw the rest away. And another thing he told me was, “You walk in the shadows, you’ll be accused of being in the dark.” In other words you’re a product of the people you surround yourself with. And I’ve tried to surround myself with people who are not only great individuals, but know more about the things I don’t. You’re only as strong as the weakest link in the team. If you surround yourself with positive people, you win one.

UCN: That’s definitely great advice! JJ Lawhorn, thank you so much!
JL: Thank you, man!

 

Liv Carter

Liv Carter

Liv is a career coach for creatives, and the people who work with them.
She holds several certificates from Berklee College of Music, and a certificate in Positive Psychology from UC Berkeley.
Her main influences are coffee, cats, and Alexander Hamilton.
Liv Carter

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