Start Listening To: J Mahon

Capturing life's melodies: J Mahon's journey of reflection and resonance.

Hailing from the vibrant landscapes of Australia, J Mahon, an artist whose melodies are woven with threads of introspection and authenticity, stands poised on the precipice of a musical chapter. As he prepares to release his upcoming single 'Charly (Romantic Heart)' from his debut album Everything Has A Life, J Mahon invites us into his world—an intricate tapestry of emotions. From his days in Australia to his journey to Berlin, J Mahon's musical evolution is a testament to the power of transformation and introspection.

For those unfamiliar with your music, can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make?

I’m originally from Australia, I grew up in Townsville then moved to Brisbane at 17 where I then played in bands until I moved to Berlin at the end of 2019. A lot of the music I create is in forms of diary entries, a lot of stream of consciousness, in terms of lyrics specifically. I’d say my style ranged from early Daniel Johnston tapes to now a mixture of REM and Sparklehorse.

Your upcoming single ‘Charly (Romantic Heart)’ is the final release from your debut album 'Everything Has A Life.' Could you delve into the inspiration behind the song and its significance in the context of the album?

I originally wrote and recorded the demo to Charly in 2020 when my friend Charly was staying with my partner and I in our apartment. It has always been one of my favourite songs to perform and also there’s something about it that seems to have a greater meaning to me. It’s the song that seems to resonate the most with my audience too when I perform it. I think in terms of where it is in the album it’s a breather track, but also seems quite mature in my songwriting to this point.

The music video for ‘Charly (Romantic Heart)’ features your friends performing in it. How did the collaboration with them contribute to bringing the song's narrative to life visually?

I knew I wanted the video to show a different side to the J Mahon project. A lot of shows I've been doing of late have just been myself with a fuzzed out guitar and big backing track. I wanted to show that the project can be performed in different ways. Showing that in the video - with the influence of the Pastels early clips - was a nice way to open up this new world of mine. Having my friends perform in the clip was a celebration of sorts too. Magda [McClean] who plays violin in the video also performs violin throughout my album; Callum [Brown[ who is hitting the snare also performs on that track and ‘All I Know’ on the album. It was the first time we had actually met in person, as when I was recording the song it was done over zoom and I could only hear his voice. Tyler who plays bass in the video has been a close friend of mine for a few years - he was one of the original ‘live’ members of my Emerson Snowe UK band.

Could you elaborate on the connection between the song's theme and the experiences you had while working in an upcycle workshop? How did this setting impact the song's creation?

I’m not sure if the song stemmed from sanding wood every day in a workshop, but maybe it did in a sense allow me to relax a bit. The jobs I have always had have been off kilter or random things here and there, but sanding wood when I first moved to Berlin (where I knew nobody) was good because it was so far removed from anything creative. It was nice knowing that I had a physical thing to do and that I could see my work at the end of the day. It sounds silly, but it helped me out a lot. I know of artists who work in bookstores and then even when they found fame they continued working at the bookstore because they enjoyed having something removed from their art.

Your transition from Emerson Snowe to J Mahon marks a significant evolution in your artistic journey. What led to this shift, and how has it influenced the direction of your music? 

While writing under Snowe I guess it was a way to push myself creatively into different areas, whether it was a year being obsessed with Johnny Thunders, a year being obsessed with Lou Reed or, at other times  being very into Beck and Nico. It allowed me some kind of mental freedom to do whatever, and also release music whenever I wanted -which is how I ended up releasing 13 EP’s and 5 or so full albums.  I think they are all still up on my Bandcamp now. When I went into record ‘Everything Has a Life’ it was meant to be the debut Snowe studio album, but after mixing it months later I finally decided to go under my own name. I felt like I had found my own lane sonically and maybe even aesthetically. I’m unsure if going under my own name now has influenced my music writing - it’s definitely a lot more precise and I spend more time on songs now then I did before.  I was almost terrified of spending time on songs - I would write something in 30 minutes and be adamant that THAT is what it is and nothing else would be done to it. But now after doing the album I definitely spend more  time on fleshing out a lot more.

Relocating to Berlin played a pivotal role in your creative growth. How has the city's environment and culture impacted your songwriting and artistic expression?

The people I have met here and the genuine support I have received is something I needed. It’s something I felt I had lost in the past, but I was also just growing at the time and trying to understand who I was. Maybe I stopped trying to over analyze myself so much and let a lot of great expectations of where I thought I was meant to be career wise dwindle. I was also faced with the notion that I had nothing else to lose,, so having that pushed me to have to make things work. I had to learn to meet people again; I had to learn to have conversations and actually listen to others; I also had to learn that not everything was so intense, and most of the time people aren’t thinking about me. It definitely was a lesson in letting go of what ego I had. Also my drug use at the time had a big impact on how I perceived a lot of things around me. Getting clean in Berlin changed my life.

Your debut album Everything Has A Life captures a range of emotions and experiences. Could you highlight some key tracks that showcase the album's diversity and the stories they tell?

I have always wanted to make an album where it’s meant to be listened from start to finish. Having just written that I realise that maybe that is a pretty obvious thing to say, but it’s true. My best memories of listening to music were lying in my bed in high school and listening to Sufjan Stevens ‘Illinoise’ album, or Bright Eyes’ ‘I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning’. It felt like those albums have such a perfect song order; they also have tracks that feel like they let the album breath. I knew that on my album I would have the tracks ‘I Can’t’ and ‘My Man’ to end each side of the record. They’re the 2 live tracks I performed -  I find them very important. I have always been gravitated to the slower songs of bands. like ‘June’ by Pinback, or ‘Twin Falls’ by Built To Spill. These are tracks that I find so different to the rest of their work and for whatever reason touches me more. A lot is also said for Deerhunters’ slower stripped back tracks like ‘Sailing’ etc.

The album recording process involved collaborating with producer Syd Kemp. How did this partnership enhance the album's sound and contribute to maintaining its Lo-Fi aesthetic?

Syd reached out to me saying he’d love to do the album. I looked at what he had worked on before and I couldn’t believe that someone who had created so many things wanted to be a part of my own work. I really love Syd and what we’ve created. He’s a very genuine and open person, which made things very easy. Also his understanding of string arrangements and his way of hearing is beautiful. If Syd is reading this right now, I'll say I'm just joking and the experience was terrible!

What do you love right now?

My life.

What do you hate right now?

My life. No, I don’t hate anything right now. Something that ‘grinds my gears’ though is online streaming platforms as an artist and the sometimes constant comparison with others’ streaming numbers. But other than that… I hate how much I can allow something like that affect me I guess.  

If your music could be the soundtrack to any classic movie, which one would you choose, and why?

I’d like to think Edward Scissorhands, as that’s my favourite movie. Maybe the scene where Edward gets tricked into breaking into the house and then they lock him inside and trap him.

'Everything Has A Life' encapsulates themes of love, loneliness, dreams, and dependency. What do you hope listeners take away from the album's emotional journey?

I hope that this album resonates with a certain perso -  if someone feels the same way listening like I did lying in bed listening to the albums I mentioned above then that would be great.