#Freshfind: We chatted with Johnny Orland about The Ride, Kia Souls, and Tattoos.
LA-via-Ontario rising star Johnny Orlando shares The Ride: Part 3 (via Universal Music Canada/Republic Records), the third installment of his ongoing project that explores all the stages of a relationship when looking back on a failed first love. The final chapter of Johnny’s vulnerably crafted story. The Ride: Part 3 dives into feelings of nostalgia, yearning, and romanticization with tracks “Close To You” and “Thinking Of Me" and their accompanying visuals.
Photos by Lex Gallegos
On the desirous “Close To You” Johnny captures a transcendent longing for a past partner. Utilizing liquid electric guitar runs and celestial cymbals, Johnny’s ethereal tenor floats above the lush instrumentals, capturing his earnest desire to go back in time. The tender simplicity of Johnny’s lyricism delivers an emotional gut punch as he sings, “However many miles / however long it takes to find my way back home to you / I know it’s been a while / but any time I’ve found someone they don’t come close to you.”
The Ride presents the story of love, hate, confusion, and hope in three parts. Orlando unveils raw emotions through lyrics about first love and the journey he's experienced along the way. Crafting this body of work was a cathartic experience for him while processing these significant life moments shared by his generation. Each part delves into two contracting perspectives, from blissful and confident to sad and low moments, showcasing all their infinite complexities.
We had the chance to chat with Johnny about The Ride Part 3 and The Ride series.
You were just in Asia for a hot minute, how was it? How were the fans over there?
It was insane. Any time you do a show in a place that you’ve never been before there’s always an energy that's hard to replicate after that night, and that was every show. The fans were amazing as well. So respectful and kind, but went nuts when it was time to go nuts.
Did you take any time to do a little sightseeing?
Yes! There isn’t usually much downtime in each city, but we try to see as much as we can. I’m not really a sightseeing kind of person, in general, though. I’m more interested in meeting people and being immersed in the culture as much as I can while I’m there. Love all the different trees too.
I’m curious as to why you pair “Close To You” and “Thinking of Me” in this album series.
They both make me think of closure. I don’t think closure really exists or is attainable if you lose someone who you truly love. Those two songs are as close as I’ll get.
When you were writing “Close To You”, was there a particular person you had in mind? If so, do you think they will know it was about them?
Yes, and I’m sure they do.
I would love to know what was the thought process when recording these songs, especially for “Thinking of Me.”? I really enjoy that this song is a more acoustic setting, but it doesn’t feel like you're performing this in a room so much as a soft daydream movie scene.
I wrote that one with my sister, Peter Fenn, and Ricky Manning. It was honestly just a stream of consciousness. It was exactly what I was going through at the time, so it all just kind of spilled out.
I am curious as to why you chose to break apart an album into three parts.
They represent the different phases of healing. The first being naivety and raw emotion, the second being bad bad bad decisions and impulsivity followed by a false sense of earned maturity, the third being true reflection and the closure I was talking about before.
For the cover of the albums, you are featured in them with three different tattoos. Is there a connection between them and the song or was this just a highlighted feature because they are such great designs?
They represent the feelings above. As much as they represent The Ride, they’re a reminder to exercise patience. I often get ahead of myself and act before I think, so these tattoos are a reminder of this album that I love so much, and to slow down a little
You’ve worked with a lot of writers on these album parts, what was the one song that took a bit longer to create? Was the added help of these writers that boost you needed?
“Close To You” took months to finally put together. It wasn’t really a writing thing, I just wanted to make sure it was perfect. And it took the help of my band, Dave Shaeman who produced it, and lots of people that I forced to listen lol. The production is super intricate, but the goal was to make it sound as simple as possible.
On that note, what was that last song you were like “That’s it, I’m done.”
Honestly, I never have that moment. I never really stop writing. The label eventually tells me that it's time to start putting the pieces together, and then I do.
What is the weirdest thing you are afraid of?
I'm not really afraid of things unless they’re about to kill me. Then I'm afraid. Kia Souls are terrifying, though.
If months were people, which one would you rather go on a date with?
January's sexy as hell because that's when all the hot people are born.
Orlando wrapped the North American leg of his “The Ride Tour” in October, which spanned across North America, including a stop in Toronto, before heading over to Asia for November tour dates. Stay tuned for much more from Johnny Orlando by signing up for his mailing list here.
JOHNNY ORLANDO SOCIALS:
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About Johnny Orlando:
Toronto-born singer, songwriter and actor Johnny Orlando is this generation’s rising pop superstar impacting a global music stage. Signed to Universal Music Canada / Republic Records Orlando has generated over 3.3 billion global streams, sports an enviable social media with over 25 million+ followers, acclaim from the likes of Billboard, Variety, Paper, and more – Johnny is the voice a generation needed to hear. He’s garnered JUNO nominations for Breakthrough Artist of the Year and Pop Album and has been awarded the MTV Europe Music Award for Best Canadian Act for four consecutive years. In August 2022, Orlando released his highly anticipated debut album all the things that could go wrong, which since amassed over 150 million global streams. Stay tuned for much more to come from Johnny Orlando at JohnnyOrlandoMusic.com
