With Blue now on shelves, we spoke to the DJ about why he decided to do an album now and his plans for 2019...
Guy James Robin, better known to us all as Jonas Blue, has been producing hit singles for the last three years.
So far, he's scored five Top five singles and headlined huge clubs all over the world, but he's yet to drop an album. That changes today with the release of Blue, his debut full-length effort.
The album includes the DJ's monster hits 'Perfect Strangers' and 'Mama', with the likes of Liam Payne, Zak Abel, JP Cooper and Nina Nesbitt among the guest singers.
With Blue now on shelves, we spoke to the DJ about why he decided to do an album now and his plans for 2019...
You’ve been putting singles out for a couple of years now, why did you decide that this was the right time to put an album together?
“It felt like the right time. I’ve been doing singles for three years and a lot of my fans were asking for it, they made it clear that they wanted more than just a single. Also, I wanted to do it, I wanted to show off a full body of work.”
How did you decide which tracks would make the cut?
“I went off gut instinct and there were a lot of songs that didn’t make it. You have to think about it as an album and how you can take people on a journey.”
There’s a great roster of collaborators on there, how did you get such a good line-up together?
“It’s different every time. Sometimes it’s management, they’ll find someone for me, or another label have been in touch, but not always. I found William Singe three years ago on YouTube, I discovered RAYE sat in the back of an Uber. Collaborations come in all shapes and forms for me, it happens everywhere, I like that.”
Is there a song on the album that took a particularly long time to get right?
“‘Polaroid’. There are 28 versions of that song. I had demo-itis on that song. I start all my songs on piano and then build them for there. I had a version with the bells on the intro for three minutes and I couldn’t think how to build it up. I went over and over it. In the end, I left it alone for a few weeks and then came back and nailed it.”
Where are lyrics in the mix for you? Do you leave it up to your collaborators?
“Every single song starts with a concept and that’s always my idea. Whether I’ve got a title or a concept for the whole song, that’s always from me and I oversee the whole process, working with other songwriters.”
When did you decide that Blue would be the album title?
“It felt right for music and the songs I’ve got. It’s easy to overcomplicate things. I didn’t want to give it a pretentious title, like ‘My Next Chapter’ or ‘Unforgiven Words’, it doesn’t need to be deep. Blue matches my music, it reminds you of the sea, it reminds you of the sky.”
Does that tie into the album’s cover? It looks like you’re floating…
“It’s me floating within the room and looking like I’m underwater. The music I make is meant to transport you to a different world and make you feel happy. It will bring out a melody in your head that you never knew you had.”
How are your live plans coming? Are you looking to do your own live show or focus on DJing?
“There isn’t a specific tour planned. I’m not sure if I will, I do a lot of DJ sets and you need to be in the right mindset for a tour. I’m not there yet.”
Finally, you’re always working on new music, do you have your next release already lined up.
“It’s collaborations, that’s what I’m focused on. I’m working on a lot of collaborations with other DJs as well as other artists. I’m lining up my next singles for after the album. I’m ready for next year!”
Jonas Blue’s debut album Blue is out now and available here in hmv’s online store.
