e8: J. Hartley

Nashville transplant J. Hartley released his new single, “John Wayne,” in November 2018. The track, which blends country songwriting with pop and beat-driving elements, was produced with Lalo Guzman and Academy of Country Music Award nominated Brad Hill, and solidifies Hartley's place as an independent singer-songwriter with tactful metaphors and a strong vocal range, all while appealing to a growing fan base. Here, Hartley answers his e8 and talks about the song, the importance of being humble, the Super Bowl, beef jerky, and more!

​Is there a story behind your new single John Wayne?
This song was written four years ago and I think everyone who has heard it at the live show has been waiting for me to release it. We kinda got the inspiration from the song “Tom Ford” by Jay Z. When we all got to the studio to write, we were talking about how it would be cool to do a song about John Wayne. We asked each other “How was John Wayne in the movies?”. He was the good guy, who had to stand up for what was right and prove himself. We pulled from my own life experiences and wrote about the way I try to live my own life. The song is definitely true to me. When it is time to get work done, I have my sleeves up and it’s time to go. You have to hustle and get things done in life. I am not the type to start a fight, but I will finish one – just like John Wayne.

Please share the story behind the album’s artwork?
Every time I listened to “John Wayne”, I thought it was an impactful song. It’s about a tough guy. So, when I started thinking about the album artwork, I wanted it to have a twist – to be funny, but still relatable to John Wayne. I thought, “how are we going to do this?” and then it came to me, “I’m going to sit on a toy horse!”. Chase Laur and Allan Gieger made the vision come to life. We shot the photo outside of a Kroger in Nashville and at the very end, this old lady stopped and asked what we were shooting for. So we told her and asked her really quick is she wanted to walk through and be in the shot. She took her glasses off, fixed her hair, walked through and said “Next stop, Hollywood!”

What’s the best advice to give to a musician just starting out?
The best advice I could give to a musician is to be humble, be nice, be patient, and work hard. It sounds simple, but you need to always try to be nice because you don’t know what other people are going through and you don’t want to give them a reason not to like you. And then, you have to be patient. This is a lot of work and it doesn’t happen overnight. I’ve been in Nashville 5 years and I have learned you just have to stick with it, and enjoy the journey. Whenever anything happens that is cool and on the way up – don’t let it go to your head.

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What’s your favorite/”go-to” food on the road?
When I am on the road, you will find me eating a lot of beef jerky. Pepper beef jerky, to be exact.

How do you kill the long hours in the van/bus/etc?
To kill time on the road I have my go-to podcasts about weird stuff like Aliens, ghosts, and conspiracies. I listen to ‘The Last Podcast on the Left’ and ‘The Things They Don’t Want You To Know’.

What’s your dream venue and why?
My dream venue constantly changes but I would love to play halftime at the Super Bowl. I guess because that’s pretty much the top of superstardom. It would be even sweeter if the Detroit Lions were playing, that’s my team!

Which song of yours gets the best crowd response?
“John Wayne” it really knows how to hype up the crowd. The chorus has a good build up and when I say “John Wayne”, it is unexpected and the crowd goes crazy. It has this really cool guitar lick and a good bass line. When I’m playing it out and include it in my set, my cover show people dance along and act like they’ve heard it before.

What’s the most frustrating thing about being on the road?
I became a father this past year when we welcomed our son into the world in July. The most frustrating part of being on the road is being away from our baby boy and Holly. But I think now, having a family makes me appreciate the road even more because I am going out there to support my family. Even though I miss them every second, I know I am lucky to get to be on the road doing what I love. Holly is great, she understands when I have to be away and it helps that she sends me pictures and videos when I am away from home. It means the world to me.

If you weren’t a musician/songwriter where would we find you?
If I weren’t a musician you would find me in Colorado somewhere in the mountains. It is just beautiful out there. Every time you turn the corner there is a brand new beautiful landscape that is mind-blowing.

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