Interview with Jono McCleery

by Samuel Hernandez

Jono McCleery is a London-based solo artist who blends genres to create a classic sound with modern elements. His music has been simply described as “indescribable.” All attempts are the marriage of seemingly disparate artists in odd configurations: Imagine if x had a baby with y and then asked z to be the godparent.

His first album, Distant Light, was released independently and funded by the generosity of his fans.

Samuel Hernandez: How do you recreate your sound live? Is there a special process that you follow to get ready?

Jono McCleery: We’re about to find out how to do it. I am going to use a live drummer and he’ll be using a drum pat as well as live drums so he can recreate some of the samples. I’ll also be learning how to play the piano, as I usually play the guitar during shows, and piano is going to be more integral to this album. In the past, my brother played and then I played with my trio.

SH: How did you get started in music?

JMC: When I was 17 I started to teach myself how to play guitar. It felt natural for me to sing, play, and write. I use nylon strings and am influenced by jazz and classical guitar players.

SH: Do you have a personal routine?

JMC: No routine. If I get a chance, I try not to use my voice. Which can be a bit weird when you have a full band.

SH: There are a lot of comparisons getting made about your sound. Is there a singer you aspire to or admire enough that you might say, “Yes you are seeing exactly what I would like to do”?

JMC: I don’t think there is someone I aspire to. I would love to build into when people stop comparing. Outgrow those influences in a musical sense. Though perhaps I have already done that and others are finding it harder to do. People just need to become more familiar with my music.

McCleery’s sound is at times otherworldly. Listening to his cover of Wonderful Life, you are charged with a deep passion, resonating through the minimalist EDM elements that are present in the song. His vocals evoke a jazzy haze, but on top of the finger snaps and electronic blips, the song is heightened to a modern unique expression. There is a dire melancholic bleeding from the vocals, a desperate attempt to wring every conceivable emotion from the song.

SH: Your music is beautifully “minimalist.” While deciding on the composition, for example your cover of “Wonderful Life,” does the instrumentation give you anxiety at all?

JMC: I try to be overminded with new ideas. We recorded the demos [for the new single “Fire in My Hands”] and showed them to Ninja Tune, and then we sort of developed it into a record. The longer I’m in music, the better I am at knowing when a song is finished. I’m getting to a point where I’m happy with song and performance. With “Wonderful Life,“ it was a collaboration with Fiber. He came up with the production and I tried to come up with a sympathetic vocal for it.

SH: Who do you find coming to your shows and how do they interact with the audience?

JMC: I don’t do interaction when I perform. I find my best performances are when I’m immersed in the music. But before and after the show I get a sense of the kind of people who show up. They’re really really nice people, all types and all ages. My first album was funded by the fans. A fan and his friend from the US offered to fund the album, to sponsor and support me to get the album done. I decided to open it up to all of my fan base. Quite a bit of people were turning up at shows with checks and money to donate to me.

The latest single Fire in My Hands is out now in anticipation for a forthcoming album. It is husky piano in a dimlit room, with the powerful vocals of McCleery and a distorted snare drum creating a song that is unlike either jazz vocals or EDM, a hybrid that pushes the tempo forward and ensnares the listener in something truly unique.