“I fucking love Chappell Roan. When I start talking about her music I get a little emotional,” says John-Robert over Zoom from his LA home. To some extent his story mirrors that of everybody’s favourite mid-west princess. Born and raised in a one-horse town, John-Robert followed his dreams to LA, got dropped by a major label and was left to his own devices.

“When you come out to LA there are communities that are lively but it's just hard to get your footing - you're building a support system from scratch.”

“I didn't feel a sense of community in LA so I hired my friends and that was part of the goal to feel more at home or bring home to LA and [folk] music was always the most comforting to me,” says John-Robert, who notes he was “wildly depressed” after he was dropped. That sense of depression gave him a newfound appreciation for his simple roots away from pop music.

“Because of where I grew up that kind of music is everywhere. It's where I cut my teeth. I don't know what took or why, but I'm just glad people came around to folk music out of nowhere.”

While John-Robert still loves the likes of Mk.gee, he found himself turning to the comfort of the Appalachian sound. “I fell in love with this artist Blaze Foley. He wrote what I call top tier simple songs, where it feels simple but it also seems very brilliant…it just really cut me to my core. I was like, ‘I wanna write like that.’”

He also cites The Blasting Company who scored the Cartoon Network miniseries ‘Over The Garden Wall’. “These songs sound timeless. No matter what time or what fad is in, that song is always gonna be incredible.”

“I wanted total creative control, but it was so scary betting on myself in that way because I don't really know what I'm doing,” says John-Robert of his decision to produce the EP, adding “I have a clue; I have a hint but not the answer.”

“A lot of it was just plugging things in and seeing what sounds nice and not really knowing what the proper way to do it is, and then having it mixed by someone who knows what they're doing” he notes, laughing, “That's where I invested.”

Being dropped forced John-Robert to reassess the direction of his career and his musical output, opting to put aside a set of material he had been working on in favour of starting afresh; a brave move which ultimately paid dividends.

“I ended up shelving it because it felt very angsty and I didn't want to feel that way anymore. I wanted to find a sense of closure in my writing and that's what I got out of ‘Garden Snake.’”

“I don't know if I'll come back to those feelings but right now it's just whatever I feel in the moment, I jump on it.”

Having learnt many lessons recording 'Garden Snake', John-Robert is cautious about jumping into an album too soon and instead wants to take his time and explore this new vein of songwriting at its own pace.

“It's a lot to orchestrate. An album's a big investment. I got off a major label and have total ownership of the things I make, so while I love the previous ones, with the last EP I was a little more settled in my skin and it feels like the first EP I ever released.”

“It's the first time I'm going oversees period. I'm really excited,” says John-Robert at the mention of his show in Whelan’s.

“I'm excited to go. This has always been the dream. I had it on my whiteboard for the longest time. I want to go to Ireland. So, I'm so grateful for anybody listening to the EP. The response is the reason I'm afforded the privilege of travelling over” 

John-Robert is a big fan of The Cranberries. “I've been copying her vocal style forever. I was always trying how to add that little-bit of yodel inflection that she uses in some of her tunes. I think the Cranberries are sick.”

He also has a surprising love for Dermot Kennedy’s drummer Micheál Quinn. “Dermot on his own is fabulous, but him paired with that drummer is insane.” He also sat in on a session with our very own Biig Piig once who he describes as “a very special artist.”

For John-Robert’s first shows on foreign soil, he promises lots of audience participation.

“I hate the feeling that there's a glass wall between you and the audience. I'm working with these fellows The Thistle Brothers. They're huge Stevie Wonder heads and they really elevate the music to the next level.”

The Thistle Brothers will, of course, be no strangers to John Robert fans as they appear on the version of Come Pick Me Up that went viral on TikTok, the origins of which was a spontaneous accident.

“It was the first time I met The Thistle Brothers. I was doing the final day of production I was just asking them their opinions,” recalls John-Robert. “They really liked Come Pick Me Up and they were kind of learning it as I was playing it through playback.”

“I just set up a phone and asked them if I could record a little bit of us playing Come Pick Me Up. That was the first time we all played it together and I just posted it and it went quote unquote viral. So, I got the phone recording mastered and just slapped it up.”

John-Robert likes to nurture such moments of spontaneity whenever possible. “I opened for Liam Gallagher at this new spot called Brooklyn Paramount. I felt bad because they put me on the bill for that show after it was sold out. So, for anyone who wanted to hear my music, I did a little meet-up in the park.”

“I hate it when I can't see artists I like for my own budgetary reasons. So, we did a little park thing and some people came out and it was extremely sweet.”

John-Robert uses the opportunity to record some live video of him performing n Washington Square Park in New York, which is located right beside NYU’s music campus; a brave move in a NYC busker mecca where standards are extremely high.

“The thing about New York is everybody is doing their own thing in the best way possible. They do not give a fuck about you, so when I was walking around, I didn't feel like a bother.”

And like most people, John-Robert would like like to see Liam and Noel patch it up and take a victory lap. “I know there's a deep-seated history with him and his brother but we're all hoping for a reunion tour.”

While you wait for hell to freeze over, why not head along to see John-Robert in Whelan’s (upstairs) on Wednesday August 21st with support from Maria Kelly. Tickets €13.00