Roarin’ 20s: Interview with Singer Johnny Bloom

“Roarin’ 20s” is a new jazz-inspired song that harks back to the post-war era when the Charleston and the Shimmy were all the rage.

It is the debut track from musical artist Johnny Bloom, a young musician who aims to make his mark by presenting unconventional sounds inspired by music from the early and mid-twentieth century. The song mixes elements of blues, ragtime, marching music as well as African folk rhythm.

Johnny Bloom recently discussed “Roarin’ 20s” and his music via an exclusive interview.

Meagan Meehan (MM): What got you interested in jazz, especially the older style of jazz?

Johnny Bloom (JB): My interest in older jazz came directly from my grandma. When I was younger, she used to sing songs like “Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra, “Hit the Road Jack” by Ray Charles, “Don’t Cry Baby” by Etta James, and “Dream a Little Dream of Me” by Ella Fitzgerald to me, and that’s what really sent me on the path of appreciating that style of music.

MM: How did you realize that you had a knack for songwriting?

JB: I realized I had a knack for songwriting around the fourth grade when a group of my classmates and I had to come up with an anthem for Benjamin Franklin and why the turkey should’ve been our national bird.

MM: What typically comes to you first, the lyrics or the melody?

JB: The melody always comes to me first. I love audio loop-back recorded music, so I try to come up with a melody before I think of the lyrics and message of the song. Coming up with some of my own melodies helps me really shape the meaning of a song deeper than just through the lyrics.

MM: How long did it take you to write and record this song?

JB: When I started writing this song, it was around the end of December 2023, and in that process I honestly kind of fell out of love with the song. I deleted everything I had written the week before I was scheduled to record, and I was really stressed out because I genuinely had nothing written, so after putting it off for the rest of that week, I decided to just rewrite the whole song on the drive to the recording studio in Chicago. I live in Springfield, Illinois, which is around three and a half hours from Chicago, so I knew I had a little bit of time, and during this drive, I ended up writing what I titled “Roarin’ 20s”.

MM: How many songs have you written? Of all, which are your personal favorites?

JB: I would estimate I have around 15–20 full songs written, scattered throughout multitudes of Google Docs, but as of right now, I have eight fully written songs with one recorded and one in the process of being finished with my producer Velvet Code from So Fierce Music.

MM: Have you any ideas for music videos related to “Roarin’ 20s?”

JB: To be entirely honest, I have just about 800 million different ideas for the direction the music video could go, but I really want to incorporate ’20s cabaret but with a modern touch.

MM: What is the best part of being a musical artist?

JB: To me, the best part of being a musical artist is the feeling I get when my lyrics and resurgent style of music intrigue and excite my audience.

MM: What are your ultimate musical and/or career goals?

JB: My ultimate goal in my music career is to be an artist that never stops trying to innovate and create new and exciting music. No matter the amount of success gained throughout my career, I will never stop trying to give recognition and honor to those who came before me musically, and I will never stop trying to inspire those who’ll inevitably come after me.

MM: What is coming up next for you and is there anything else that you would like to mention?

JB: I definitely want to mention that I plan to incorporate many different styles and genres of music into my releases, so if you expect anything, expect something new every release!

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Johnny Bloom’s “Roarin’ 20s” is being released by So Fierce Music and distributed by The Orchard/Sony Music. It is available now on Spotify and all major music platforms. Follow Johnny Bloom on IG @ official_johnnybloom and on TikTok @official_johnnybloom