Posting covers online since he was 15 years old, John Concepcion has now garnered a following of over 49K subscribers on YouTube. He originally began by creating remixes and rapping to his favourite songs. It wasn’t until later that he tried his hand at singing, which he has since fallen in love with. His channel now features high-quality video and audio productions for all of his singing covers. He is an amazing musician (he also plays piano, guitar and drums), and is definitely an exciting talent to watch out for!
We recently interviewed John and asked him some questions about his musical journey, achievements and aspirations.
What is it that you love most about music?
“It’s a battle between expression and creativity for me. I love the feeling of literally singing your heart out. I feel like I can connect best with my audience when it comes to singing with powerful emotion behind it. “
“And for creativity, it just speaks for itself. The creativity level is beyond what you can imagine. From making nothing into something – the process always amazes me.”
Who is your greatest musical inspiration?
“Growing up I listened to all types of music. I didn’t know that I was going to be a singer, so I never really looked up to anybody in that way when I was younger.“
“When I started taking singing more seriously, I was watching and listening to Chris Brown a lot. I feel like I can relate to him as an artist because he loves to do it all – dance, sing, direct etc. You can name almost anything and he’s great at it!”
“I can say of myself that I like to do more than just singing. I’m not afraid to try new things and work hard at them.”
Do you have any significant musical achievements or memories?
“Yes! Anything to me is an achievement, whether it’s big or small. All of the performances that I’ve been booked for and have done are achievements. I’ve been flown out by big name labels, received emails from A&R people, and had lots of show opportunities. Even reaching another thousand subscribers – all of these things to me, mean a lot.”
Have you ever struggled with performance anxiety?
“I struggle with performance anxiety every time I get on stage or think about getting on stage. I’m still battling that to this day. That is the one thing that’s been in my head for the longest time and it still affects how I perform. I will overcome it as I keep doing what I love and work hard towards mastering my craft.”
Has social media benefited your singing career? If so, how?
“It definitely has. The world is full of opportunities that are now easier to obtain than ‘back then’ without social media. At the moment social media is definitely a huge factor behind my singing career.”
What made you want to start putting your music and covers online?
“Honestly, I never thought about that. I just felt like doing it and then kept doing them. I’m glad that there were many benefits that came along with that.”
Where do you see yourself in five years time?
“I see myself achieving goals that I’ve set. All of these short-term goals are leading towards the big goals. I see myself doing what I love full-time – and music is exactly it.”
What advice would you give to other aspiring singers and musicians who are just starting out?
“I’d say just go for it! I feel like a lot of people overthink things and it really stops them from ever trying.”
