Biography
Jonathan Jeremiah’s music comes from a world far away from the quick fix, pre packaged production line. The North Londoner has spent the best part of a decade defining a sound rooted in a rich legacy of bespoke English folk and confessional soul.With a deep, naturally dramatic voice, stunningly arranged orchestrations, delicate finger picked guitar and songs that make a lasting impression Jonathan’s sound is the result of a journey that began with guitar lessons age 6.
It has taken in family childhood singalongs with his 5 siblings on summer holidays to his mother’s native Tipperary and progressed through the discovery of influences by listening to his fathers extensive vinyl collection. Artists such as Scott Walker, Cat Stevens, Serge Gainsbourg and John Martyn made a formative and lasting impression.
While his friends were listening to contemporary pop and Indie Jonathan dug deep into the past, his own sensibility coming into bloom. At 21 Jonathan made a road trip across America - painting pointillist art in a New York hotel lobby and singing for his keep in the evenings before setting for the west coast.
“I always thought I was going to meet Carole King or Carly Simon but in LA I wasn’t hanging out with the 60s crew, there was no Mamas and Papas. It was not at all what I imagined it to be. I’d gone there thinking I’d find like minded people but I felt quite lonely coming back, it actually gave me a deeper appreciation of what I already had.”
That American journey wasn’t wasted though - songwriting inspiration came and key songs Happiness and especially Solitary Man, a track inspired by a 90 year old Great Aunt he met in California, were written there.
Back home the discovery of an analogue studio in Dollis Hill provided the breakthrough he needed. A further vital step came when he met The Heritage Orchestra, a young group of classical musicians attuned to his working methods. With the string arrangements being handled by Jules Buckley, Jonathan produced and engineered the tracks one by one.
“It was important to produce the album myself. If I said to a producer I want a 24 piece orchestra with flugelhorn they would say it can be done on a keyboard. People don’t always have the ability to visualise your idea so you have to do it yourself. Jules knew exactly what I was looking for from day one”
Working nights as a security guard at Wembley Arena helped finance the album he envisaged.
“One night would pay for a violinist, another would pay for a double bass player.”
Studying classic production methods by The Beach Boys and Motown he realised the organic, analogue live way of working was obviously best suited to realising his songs. But he kept the music close to heart and home, the way he’d always imagined it. Undoubtedly a major factor in the sound is Jonathans rich sonorous vocal.
“When I was 14 my voice developed an incredible deep baritone. At the time it wasn’t the greatest thing, everyone wanted to sound like Jeff Buckley . I felt like a man out of place but in time I embraced the baritone.”
The other significant element is his fluent and luminous guitar, inseparable from the voice.
“I can’t imagine singing without playing the guitar, I’ve tried it and it just doesn’t work. Even when recording the vocals for the album I played the guitar at the same time. We actually had to re-record the guitar parts for the instrumentals as you could hear my voice in the background! ”
And as the songs developed they became expansive, full bodied and mature.
On his debut album Jonathan specialises in dramas of the heart and human longing. Sometimes his emotional landscapes are mapped from the most unlikely beginnings. The Same Old Line, for instance, had its unlikely origins in Lee Horsley’s 80s fantasy cult movie ‘The Sword and The Sorcerer’.
“I visualised a King having problems with his Queen and the jester whispering in his ear ‘tell her the same old line, like you used to’.”
Now after all the searching, the night shifts and the learning from past masters Jonathan has arrived at an album grounded in the deep wellsprings from where he first charted his course.
“I felt I had a duty to keep the music as untouched as it was back then and not be tainted with whatever else was out there.”
Jonathan’s live band has recently been expanded to include percussion and brass, but upfront its his naturalistic guitar and voice leading the way. Those stints at Wembley didn’t just help him finance the album, they fuelled and sustained his musical dream.
“I’ve always treated playing live like a conversation, talking to someone. When I was working at Wembley you’d see people like Bruce Springsteen and Neil Diamond up close. That definitely rubbed off. In the middle of the night after Springsteen was on the place was empty and being locked up. I’d go onstage and imagine the crowd, how can you not be affected by it?”
Proof that sometimes the best things take time, hard headed determination and careful nurturing to come into bloom Jonathan’s music is ready to be unveiled. The time to take his songs into your heart and soul is here.
It has taken in family childhood singalongs with his 5 siblings on summer holidays to his mother’s native Tipperary and progressed through the discovery of influences by listening to his fathers extensive vinyl collection. Artists such as Scott Walker, Cat Stevens, Serge Gainsbourg and John Martyn made a formative and lasting impression.
While his friends were listening to contemporary pop and Indie Jonathan dug deep into the past, his own sensibility coming into bloom. At 21 Jonathan made a road trip across America - painting pointillist art in a New York hotel lobby and singing for his keep in the evenings before setting for the west coast.
“I always thought I was going to meet Carole King or Carly Simon but in LA I wasn’t hanging out with the 60s crew, there was no Mamas and Papas. It was not at all what I imagined it to be. I’d gone there thinking I’d find like minded people but I felt quite lonely coming back, it actually gave me a deeper appreciation of what I already had.”
That American journey wasn’t wasted though - songwriting inspiration came and key songs Happiness and especially Solitary Man, a track inspired by a 90 year old Great Aunt he met in California, were written there.
Back home the discovery of an analogue studio in Dollis Hill provided the breakthrough he needed. A further vital step came when he met The Heritage Orchestra, a young group of classical musicians attuned to his working methods. With the string arrangements being handled by Jules Buckley, Jonathan produced and engineered the tracks one by one.
“It was important to produce the album myself. If I said to a producer I want a 24 piece orchestra with flugelhorn they would say it can be done on a keyboard. People don’t always have the ability to visualise your idea so you have to do it yourself. Jules knew exactly what I was looking for from day one”
Working nights as a security guard at Wembley Arena helped finance the album he envisaged.
“One night would pay for a violinist, another would pay for a double bass player.”
Studying classic production methods by The Beach Boys and Motown he realised the organic, analogue live way of working was obviously best suited to realising his songs. But he kept the music close to heart and home, the way he’d always imagined it. Undoubtedly a major factor in the sound is Jonathans rich sonorous vocal.
“When I was 14 my voice developed an incredible deep baritone. At the time it wasn’t the greatest thing, everyone wanted to sound like Jeff Buckley . I felt like a man out of place but in time I embraced the baritone.”
The other significant element is his fluent and luminous guitar, inseparable from the voice.
“I can’t imagine singing without playing the guitar, I’ve tried it and it just doesn’t work. Even when recording the vocals for the album I played the guitar at the same time. We actually had to re-record the guitar parts for the instrumentals as you could hear my voice in the background! ”
And as the songs developed they became expansive, full bodied and mature.
On his debut album Jonathan specialises in dramas of the heart and human longing. Sometimes his emotional landscapes are mapped from the most unlikely beginnings. The Same Old Line, for instance, had its unlikely origins in Lee Horsley’s 80s fantasy cult movie ‘The Sword and The Sorcerer’.
“I visualised a King having problems with his Queen and the jester whispering in his ear ‘tell her the same old line, like you used to’.”
Now after all the searching, the night shifts and the learning from past masters Jonathan has arrived at an album grounded in the deep wellsprings from where he first charted his course.
“I felt I had a duty to keep the music as untouched as it was back then and not be tainted with whatever else was out there.”
Jonathan’s live band has recently been expanded to include percussion and brass, but upfront its his naturalistic guitar and voice leading the way. Those stints at Wembley didn’t just help him finance the album, they fuelled and sustained his musical dream.
“I’ve always treated playing live like a conversation, talking to someone. When I was working at Wembley you’d see people like Bruce Springsteen and Neil Diamond up close. That definitely rubbed off. In the middle of the night after Springsteen was on the place was empty and being locked up. I’d go onstage and imagine the crowd, how can you not be affected by it?”
Proof that sometimes the best things take time, hard headed determination and careful nurturing to come into bloom Jonathan’s music is ready to be unveiled. The time to take his songs into your heart and soul is here.
