Out of the blue, into the spotlight

MANILA, Philippines - “DJs are the new rock stars,” said Jonas Blue, the British DJ/record producer behind new EDM hits Fast Car, Perfect Strangers, By Your Side and the fresh single Mama in an exclusive interview with The STAR. “I do believe that.”

While Jonas Blue (real name is Guy James Robin) declared this matter-of-factly, citing what he has simply seen in the music scene today, it can also be said that his own success makes a good case for how the genre has evolved. Once confined to small clubs and warehouse raves, Electronic Dance Music (EDM) in recent years has been elevated to stadiums and festival center stages, not to mention top of the charts.

The STAR recently caught up with Jonas when he headlined the Hong Kong edition of #FlyToTheBeat, a series of live shows jointly produced by American Airlines and the Universal Music Group.  

Articles have described Jonas as someone who has come out of the blue last year, with his remake of Tracy Chapman’s Fast Car that went multiplatinum, occupied UK charts for 11 weeks and reached No. 1 in 21 countries. However, he had been working for that big break to happen for as long as he could remember.

Fast Car (feat. Dakota) became the biggest single globally from a “debuting” British act in 2016 and consequently, earned him two BRIT Award nods (British Single and British Artist Video of the Year) this 2017. He has since released Perfect Strangers (feat. JP Cooper), No. 2 in the UK Official Singles Chart; By Your Side feat. Raye; and Mama (feat. William Singe) last month. According to the record label MCA Music, Inc., Jonas has received over a billion streams and sold over 10 million singles to date.

Jonas still finds it hard to believe this is all happening to him now. Here are excerpts from the chat with the 27-year-old DJ/songwriter about his beginnings, creative process (a fine combo of the traditional and millennial) and whatever he’s enjoying at the moment (which is borne of consistency and hard work).

You came to Manila early this year. Did you get to do touristy stuff?

“When I was in the Philippines, I was finishing Mama. I was literally in the hotel room every day writing Mama, which was really bad because I didn’t (get to go around) but we got Mama done, so well and good (smiles)… It’s been non-stop, to be honest. My schedule is so busy at the moment that I just use any (free) time to work.”

How would you describe your career at the moment?

“Everything that’s happening is so surreal. It feels very dream-like. I’m just so happy to be in this position, doing what I’m doing. But it does feel very weird. I feel like I’m moving at 200 miles an hour; you know, I’m here (in Hong Kong), I was in the Philippines three weeks ago...”

In articles about you, you’ve been described as someone who has come out of the blue…

“I think people obviously (think that way) when they hear the name Jonas Blue and see Fast Car come out of nowhere, but I’ve been making music for already a long time… I started around seven or eight years old as a musician. By the time I got to age 11, I got into DJ-ing. I’ve got a big love for house music. At the age of 12, I got free pieces of software in a box of cereal which allowed me to make music, like really early demos, and then I just never looked back. I’ve been making music every day since the age of 12 and I’m 27 now… I’ve definitely been waiting for this moment for a very long time.”

What’s the story behind the Fast Car remake?

Jonas Blue pumps up the crowd at the Fly to the Beat show in Hong Kong with hits and new songs

“It was my Mum’s favorite song. I was born in 1989, the original came out in ’88. It was always on the car radio; it was such a big song in my childhood. Later in life, I wanted to become a DJ. I wanted to be able to play Fast Car on my DJ set, but the original was way too slow, so I wanted to create a new version for my DJ set. I had this crazy idea of how Fast Car should sound. It happened in one evening (in 2015), which is very rare.

“I made it in my spare time. I was working on another project at that time. Not Jonas Blue but something else. I was more concentrated on that project than Fast Car. Little did I know that I would do this crazy thing around the world. That song changed my life. That’s the power of music, really.”

What’s your creative process like?

“The first thing I always do when I get into the studio is that I never sit in the computer. I think most electronic dance producers would be on the computer, kind of kick drums, bass lines. I’m the other way. I kind of write in a very classic way. I sit in the piano, working on some catchy, cool melodies and coming up with song concepts for those melodies. I kind of write in a very traditional way ­— how people have written since the early ‘40s.”

You performed new songs at the #FlyToTheBeat show. Are you releasing an album?

“There’s possibly an album, but I like working on singles. I’m always on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat, and listening to what people want. And people want music quick. As soon as I release a single, one month after, (they’re like) what’s your next song? So, for me, I like singles because I can release them quicker and people understand me as an artist a lot quicker. If I do an album, it will be next year.”

Just curious, do you sing?

“I don’t. I think a lot of people get us confused. I don’t sing. I’m the worst singer in the world! If you have a dog or a cat, I sound worse than them (laughs)... When I’m in the studio making the song with the singer, I would kind of sing them my ideas, but I never sing on my own.

“(How do I choose the singer for my song?) I have an ear for what I want, for sure. A lot of the singers I’ve had on the record ­— I am not sure if you believe in it but it’s like the gods and the powers put these people with me. Dakota (Fast Car) I found in a bar. William Singe (Mama), I found on YouTube. So, it’s a different story every time.”

What’s your music background? 

Around seven or eight, I had lessons on playing the flute, then I got into theory but (I’m) self-taught in piano. I’m the first musician in the family. My parents loved music but they weren’t involved in music in any way. Now, they can’t believe (about my career). They think it’s the craziest thing, honestly. Because I just went from years and years of just making music in my small studio to now being here in Hong Kong with you. My whole family is very supportive.

“It is tough, it really is tough. There was a lot of years when people just said to me, ‘No!’ So, I had a lot of people telling me, ‘No, there are no doors opening for you,’ and then thankfully, when I made Fast Car, it just changed everything. I’m very, very grateful for this position. I’m not going to ever take this for granted.”

You’ve been quoted in a past interview saying that DJs are the new rock stars of this generation…

“I think so. I’ve done festivals recently where you have the main stage where there are rock bands and then you have the small dance tents where you’ve got DJs, and those dance tents are busier than the main stage. I think the day and age we’re in, you have DJs like David Guetta, Tiesto — those guys set the way for this kind of big rock star DJ image. I do believe DJs are the new rock stars of this generation. Well, music evolves the whole time. (But) I think we’re in a great time, with great people making great music.”