A decade ago singer John West was perched on a stool front and center on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, CA. Surrounded by the noise and chaos of this oceanside mecca of street performers, John was simply focused on his guitar. He attracted huge crowds with his soft falsetto and heavy melodies that harkened back to his southern roots in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Growing up in a family of educators, he was influenced early on by the blue notes of jazz guitarist Grant Green, the warmth of Erykah Badu, and the melancholic beauty of Nick Drake and Radiohead. Having busked the streets of LA for years, John soon found himself signing a deal with Mercury/Island Def Jam, recording with household name producers (Benny Blanco, Pop & Oak, Ari Levine of the Smeezingtons), and collaborating with rappers like Pusha T and Big Sean.
But something got lost along the way. The city of lost angels can eat you up inside and if you’re not careful, the strain of fame can take its toll. Emotionally exhausted by his experiences in the music industry, John consciously decided to take a break from all the madness, start a family, and go back to school to become a therapist. He started a journey of self-healing and went back to creating new music in his spare time.
Fast-forward several years, John is a new man. Recently relocated to Japan, he now helps soldiers and their families as a mindfulness-based therapist. Days are spent riding his bike through the narrow streets, getting lost on the train with his wife and 5 year old son, and meditating in the natural landscape of Japan. John is slowly finding his way back into the limelight with renewed energy and a newfound purpose.
Richard Bach said: “If you love something, set it free; if it comes back it’s yours.” There is probably no quote more fitting for John’s relationship with music. Having tried to walk away from music, their relationship has been at times a bad romance and more than a bit traumatic. But music also gets him like no one else does, lifting him up and at times helping him forget himself and his surroundings. It has taken him to the bottom of his experiences, but he also never felt more alive than when he closes his eyes, strumming his guitar on stage in a way that is truly his own.
Being in the twilight of this 30s and exploring the beautiful, sometimes lonely landscape of Japan with its crowded streets and ancient shrines, the shores of Tokyo and the beaches of Kamakura, John still loves to share his gift with the world and is still down to be the messenger – all while keeping Louisiana in his heart.
