Rising star Johnny Orlando is quickly making himself known as an artist you NEED to know. The Canadian singer-songwriter rapidly built a supportive fanbase that have followed him since he was posting YouTube covers of some of their other favourite artists. From there he started releasing his own original music and has evolved over time from this young kid who was experimenting with music to this impressive artist who has truly found his feet as a writer and musician. And his 2022 debut album “all the things that could go wrong” proved that. 

2023 saw him following that record up with the three-part project “The Ride” which explored the different stages of a relationship when looking back on a failed first love. It features the breakout tracks “A Man Like Me”, “Boyfriend”, “July” and “Close To You”.

I recently chatted with Johnny Orlando about the cathartic emotions behind “The Ride: Part 3”, explored the vulnerable journey this three-part body of work has detailed, and reflected on what he’s learned from touring over the past year. Check it out BELOW;

THOMAS BLEACH: “The Ride: Part 3” hears you diving into the feelings of nostalgia, yearning and romanticization. So when you listen back to these two tracks does it feel like a cathartic duo, a heavy duo, or a coming of age duo for you?

JO: It feels like the end of something. It’s a bit of a combination of everything you just said, but mostly it’s just my own conclusion to something that was a huge part of my life for over a year. Writing was cathartic, listening to it was heavy, and the whole experience was part of growing up and experiencing things that make you who you are.

TB: “Close To You” has this really gritty but beautiful production that is complemented by these very raw and relatable lyrics. So can you explain the creative process behind this track?

JO: I wrote the initial demo alone in my room in the middle of the night which I think kind of comes through when you listen to that dramatic ass chorus *laughs*. I brought that demo into a session a few months later and ended up writing the rest of the chorus and verse with my sister Darian and Liv Miraldi. I think the references I gave were “The Great Gig In The Sky” by Pink Floyd, and “Fade Into You” by Mazzy Star. Dave Schaeman did the production and it took a really really long time to find it. There were a million revisions, but I’m so stoked about the way it turned out. 

TB: The lyric I really love in this song is; “I wanna see you tonight. It’s not what we need, but it would feel nice”. Because it feels self-aware but also is a mindset that I think we’ve all drifted to. Can you tell us a bit more about this lyric and where it came from for you?

JO: “Close To You” literally came from me thinking to myself one night “wow I miss this person a lot and it’s been a while. I wonder if something really bad happened if they’d make sure I was okay?”. It’s making an excuse in order to indulge yourself which we definitely all do.

TB: “Thinking Of Me” hears you singing “Yeah, I hope you’re living your dream, and this life has become what you thought it’d be. But now and then I hope you’re thinking of mе”. And that is genuinely such an honest reflection of those feelings. Do you remember where you were mentally and physically when you wrote that line, and how it felt to say that outloud?

JO: I was just fired up that we could make it all rhyme, but I was also in that sort of place for sure. Ricky and I were both dealing with breakups at the time so it was easy for all of us to get into that space. These songs are the sunset of the whole thing. I have this mental image of watching that last little bit slip away, but not in a sad way. At that point it wasn’t sad anymore.  

TB: The production has this cinematic touch that gradually grows throughout the duration. How many versions did you go through to get it to where it is now?

JO: A whole lot. For both songs on Part 3 there were a bunch of versions on the producer’s side. I also usually put songs into an abelton session and fuck around and see if I can come up with anything. On “Thinking Of Me” I ended up doing some strings and synths that were in the final version. It’s easy to get a little nitpicky with stuff that you really believe in so there’s definitely a point where I had to be like okay this is good enough.  

TB: If you were to describe each part of The Ride as a different mood, what would you associate for Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3?

JO: Part 1 is raw. Part 2 is arrogant. Part 3 feels calm. 

TB: Each part of this ongoing project is about the different stages of a relationship when looking back on a failed first love. So what part of this reflection has been the hardest for you to look back on and write about?

JO: Part 2 was a hard one to figure out. Mostly because I simply could never have realised where I was at that moment. So much good was happening, but there was also this thing hanging over my head. The concept for that part was something we had to figure out after the fact.

TB: You’re creating a sonical world that is genuinely going to nurture people through their own experiences with grieving of a first love. So what/who were some of the important soundtracks for you during your own reflection? 

JO: To be honest I tried to take the least amount of inspiration as possible for this album. The production and things I wanted the producers to do were absolutely driven by things that came before me, but I wanted the writing to be as raw as possible. I tried to just get lost in what we were doing every day. I think “Close To You” and “Party For Two” were the only songs that had strong references. Party For Two” was inspired by old Drake stuff. I was really loving “So Far Gone” at the time and “November 28th”. 

TB: Last year you conducted “The Ride Tour”. So what did you learn about your own evolving connection with the songs from performing them live and seeing the fans’ connection to them?

JO: This tour has been an absolute dream. North America and Asia were such incredible experiences, and Europe is still about a month away. I’m not ready for it to be over. I’ve been doing this for so long that we’ve basically all grown up together. It feels like we’re all on the same page when I get out there. Or maybe the music is just better, but these songs just seem to feel different in the best way when we play them.

TB: We’ve just stepped into 2024, and I’m not a big resolution person but I love the idea of goals. Do you have any personal goals for the year you’d like to share with us?

JO: I’m also not really a resolution guy. My friend Sadie Jean asked me what my resolutions were a few days ago and I didn’t have anything to say. If I tie it to a month or the beginning of a year there’s no way I would stick to it. I just have to become what I want to be. 

“The Ride: Part 3” is out now!