By Eunice Moseley
“I studied Michael Jackson as a kid,” said R&B’s John Alex Gatsby about his ability to dance when I asked him. “I’m really attracted to up-tempo music to be honest. I see myself as an up-tempo artist.”
However, Gatsby still sings of romance and heartbreak. On his new single “Maneater,” from his recently released debut album “Mayday,” he speaks of heartbreak layered over the sampling of Darryl Hall and John Oats’ 1982 hit single “Maneater.”
“I started working with producer B.A.M. (Usher, Chris Brown, Mary J Blige), when I decided to get back (into his music). A song came on (the car radio), Hall & Oats’ ‘Maneater,’ and I said that’s it,” he recalled to me when I asked about the birth of the new single “Maneater.” “But in a different key. We sat down and wrote the track (lyrics) based on our own stories.”
The “Maneater” single is also accompanied with a music video. A Brooklyn, NY native, John Alex Gatsby, currently resides in Los Angeles. He has released a number of singles up to now, such as “Bedroom,” “Ghost,” “Make Her Dance, “Saucy,” “Miss You,” “Slow It Down,” and his last single “Therapy” was released in 2023. It is also accompanied by a music video that has accumulated over 439,000 views on YouTube. That “Therapy” single also reached #68 on Spotify and is featured on Apple’s Brown Sugar Playlist, peaking at #19. Gatsby has also generated 33,000 followers on Instagram.
“Since I was a child I had a passion for music,” he said when I asked about his musical influences. “My father was a DJ.”
John Alex has garnered the #30 spot on Billboard’s Adult R&B Chart with “Maneater,” which has assistance from John Cromer (DJ Humidity), composer Omari K. Messenberg (Trey Songz, Swae Lee), and Grammy winning producer/audio engineer Wil Anspach (Jon Baptiste, Tori Kelly, Killer Mike).
I asked John Alex Gatsby about how he sees his future in the music business, and he said, “I started a business 12 years ago…and it was successful. It made me realize I can do anything I want in life. There is no ceiling. It would be amazing to sell out Madison Square Gardens and tour and see the world.”
After seeing him and hearing him, you will believe as I, that this will surely happen for him. You can reach-out to John on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
