Jonathan Henrich

Hey Jonathan, at what age did you first realise that music had such a deep meaning for you?

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I was still a toddler when I noticed that I could make funny sounds when pressing the keys on my dad’s piano. The first thing I ever tried to play was the anthem of the Hamburg football team. After that it turned into an obsession. I would spend hours trying to recreate sounds and melodies by ear. Eventually I began making up my own melodies. It was fun but also served as a type of self-expression growing up. 

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How much of a person’s talent do you think is innate and God given.

Can skill be developed and nurtured through practise? 

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In my experience, dedication and hard work are equally, if not more important than talent. Sure, if two people put in the same amount of effort, the one with talent will end up on top. But if you sleep on your talent, a person with discipline will outwork you.

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What was in you to be so natural at the piano from such a young age? 

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It just felt right. It was never really a decision or an active choice I made. I just always found myself doing it. 

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Is there a large difference between the energy of playing a piano

and playing a keyboard? Is a piano a piano?

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Keyboards can be fun. I enjoy playing around with synths and creating cool sounds, but as a player, a ‘real’ piano is a different story. Every instrument has a different personality. Every piece of wood, and the overtones it creates, sounds and feels different. Sometimes, when I really connect with an instrument it doesn’t even feel like I’m operating it whist playing. It’s more like I’m listening to what it has to say whilst my hands translate and merge our two languages. I was always drawn to grand pianos. It’s just such an epic sound I get lost in again and again. 

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Do you only play the piano or are there other instruments that you play?

What made you decide to focus on the piano?

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I connected with piano first, but my first actual lessons were in guitar when I was 6 or so. I remember, despite my teacher being super nice, I never quite connected with the instrument. Practicing felt like homework to me, and the first thing I’d do when coming home, was always walk straight to the piano.  Sometimes I’d even forget to take off my coat until my father reminded me that it might be more comfortable practicing without a jacket on. So, I dropped guitar after two years and signed up for piano lessons at 11. I started playing guitar again many years later after Ed Sheeran made it look cool. 

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What is it about you and your music that you feel is most important to know?

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I am a storyteller first-and-foremost. I do not have a powerhouse voice like Adele or Beyonce. I’m no vocal acrobat doing crazy runs. I am a piano player who will sit down and tell you a story. I write about heartbreak, new love, the excitement of connecting and discovery, and the feeling of failure when it all goes wrong, whether romantically or simply in life. Distance plays a big role in my music since I moved away from my family when I was 15. My songs catch the wonderful feeling of new love and its’ promise; as well the feeling of melancholy that descends when it all goes south. There is a search for the romance in life, and for finding the way to adapt within oneself. It’s the ‘stuff’ we all go through. 

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What or who are your main influences? Do you seek to emulate anyone in particular?  

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My heroes are Finneas (Billie Eilish’s brother) and Chris Martin (lead singer of Coldplay). Both in their own way, embody what I seek to find and become in music. Their honesty, skill and taste are something I was drawn to the second I discovered them. Jamie Cullum is my go-to inspiration as a piano player. I had the honour of meeting him a couple of times after watching him perform. When he plays piano, he is free - a feeling I know all too well. I remember transcribing his jazz solos, including the occasional ‘mistakes’ he made on stage. I thought the way he incorporated the imperfections made it somehow even cooler. So, I learned to purposely ‘fail’ like he did. 

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Is there anyone who has been super supportive of your career path?  

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I am so lucky to have had the support of my family. They have never passed any concern on my ambition to be a successful musician. They have encouraged my journey and have rarely put pressure on me to “get a proper job.” When I told them that I wanted to dedicate my life to music, they did not shut it down. Music comes first for me. My father is musical and has experience in the business, so he understands my drive and purpose, and fully supports, and even encourages my obsession. I first went to a boarding school London for school at 15. Originally for just four months. But I loved the music program so much that after intense and quite emotional family discussion it was decided I would stay. I am so grateful for the opportunities it then brought my way. My parents’ support has shaped my career path in ways I could not have anticipated.  

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Where is home? Anywhere the music takes you?  How do you see things progressing?

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That is tricky to answer. I lived in London for three years, in Boston for two. and Los Angeles for one. My home is in Germany, but all these other places, kind of feel like secondary homes in a way. It’s weird: good but also disorientating. Since graduating from Berklee College of Music I have spent time at family bases in Cologne and Hamburg, but I am also still in the USA quite often. My new material for the album is the result of a collaboration with DQ (David Quinones) who is based in Nashville. He is a writer and producer who has worked with the best in the business: Beyonce, The Jonas Brothers, Nikki Minaj, Demi Lovato, to name but a few. I am lucky to have the background support of my friends and family, and increasingly I am seeing that this focused dedication is paying off. I have a good level of first successes in my home country of Germany, and my connections in the USA have led to some rewarding collaborations, with colleagues from Berklee, and the LA writer-producer Colin Riley who worked with me on one of my favourite tracks “Change of Character.”  I also seem to be making waves in Asia through my TikTok live streams and the collaborative support of two high profile Asian friends of mine Francis Karel and Erica Rae. So, I guess the world is wide open. I am only 23 and not looking to settle down yet, and really anything can happen; and probably will! 

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Can you tell us how the connection with DQ came about?

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Funny story, I attended a seminar about two years ago. DQ was the industry guest on one of the days. He spoke about what it is like to work with superstars and what life as a major producer/songwriter looks like. I emailed him afterwards, thanking him for his time and expressing my admiration for his work. He came back to me saying he really likes my songs and asked if I would like to visit him in his Nashville studio to record some of them. Guess what: I did! 

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Do you write your music as a pure form of self-expression,

or do you have a certain audience in mind? 

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I write primarily as a form of self-expression. But of course, there is always the goal of writing something that resonates with people. I usually begin by putting everything I want to say both musically and lyrically into the song. After that I try to turn the composition into a viable track that isn’t ten minutes long. When I collaborate with seasoned pros like DQ the consideration is how to commercialize the song without losing its artistic integrity. The first words and melodies are often not contrived to fit a template or comply with a formula for success. I must write from an authentic place. The rest is an informed layering of the sound to create a song that ‘hits.’ 

Tell me about the “Merry Go Round” song on the new album. How did this song come about for you and what message are you trying to convey with it? That song is probably what I’m the proudest of on my new album. Without going into too much detail, I was going through quite a bleak time. A new kind of ‘low’ that I had never felt before. Naturally, I tried to somehow convert this into music, but nothing I wrote felt right. “Merry Go Round” is my third attempt to make a song about this strange time. I was spinning in a never-ending self-destructive mind-carousel. After pouring my heart into the verses my collaborator Charlie Wallace and I finished it up, before DQ and I recorded it. 

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When you’re writing a song what comes first in your mind the music or the lyrics?  

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I play around with chord sequences and melody initially. Sometimes playing other people’s songs allows me to get a feel of riffs that work and sound good, and that I can then modify and apply in some way. After finding a progression I like, I begin to randomly hum along to the music, and then the words sit on top of that. I spout lots of verbal nonsense just to get a feel for the groove and find where the rhythm of words might fit. The music comes first though, the melody then inspires the words and the concept. Oddly I do not generally sit down and think “I want to write a song about this person, or that place.” The music births the melody, and the lyric sometimes even writes itself, depending on the feel of the sound. Yes, I will write about a lost love, or the trauma of a long-distance relationship, and the meaning of the song remains forever present to me. But once a song is out there, it then belongs to everybody, and people project their own meaning onto it. How a song makes them feel may be completely different to what I had in mind. But that is where a piece of music or lyric becomes ‘universal.’ I am not very good at releasing my material out into the world and then detaching from it. I gather some writers can release their songs, leaving them out there to see how they are received. Of course I do this too, but the original feeling and meaning of the song remains with me regardless of how it ‘lands’ with other people.

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What is your favourite musical key to work with? 

Have you noticed which key tends to yield the most hit songs?

What makes for commercially viable music? 

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For a long time, I was totally obsessed with “Hall of Fame,” a song by The Script which is written in B flat major. When I was 14, I would play this obsessively on the piano, on repeat. It was the one song I perfected, and it became something of a mantra. After that my hands would somehow magically fall onto the key of B flat whenever I sat down at the piano. It turned into quite a synchronous manifestation as one of my Professors at Berklee years later turned out to be Rodney Alejandro, piano player for The Script! My Irish connections find me all over the world. In September I performed on The Talk Show in Hamburg; a Prime-Time TV performance on the same show as Irish singer songwriter Rae Garvey who is hugely successful in Germany.

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Do you have one important takeaway from your USA college experience at Berklee in Boston? 

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Whenever we were late or inadequate with our assignments the professor would simply say I can give you a poor grade and we can move on – but this reflects on you. ‘HOW badly do you want this? (At this point she wasn’t talking about assignments anymore). That has stuck in my mind. ‘How bad do I want this?’ “How much am I willing to give to make it? If I already struggle to hand in assignments on time, how on earth am I supposed to achieve all these dreams of mine out in the ‘real’ world?”Some aspects of the formal training were challenging. I could perform and play purely by ear from a young age. I never thought I would be a big musical theory person. I do not have the most mathematical or technical brain. My Major in songwriting changed all that. To pass the exams I had to master all kinds of scales, ear training and harmony. But now I realise it was invaluable. All the practice until the early hours of the morning paid off. I now find all the theory gives another dimension to how I play and sharpens my instincts. When I play piano, I’m free: the very thing I’ve always admired about Jamie Cullum. 

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How did attending Berklee help your development as an artist and person?

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At school in Westminster, London, UK, I was a big fish in a small pond, and top of the class. That all changed when I arrived in Boston, USA. The level of work ethic in my colleagues was daunting. Suddenly, talent wasn’t enough anymore. You only had to walk along the piano corridor in the college to be greeted by the craziest players you’ve ever heard. At the time, my piano skills were mediocre at best. Whilst being highly impressed by some of the musical sensations I met in Boston, it also showed me how much work I still had to do. Again: “HOW bad do I want it?” In songwriting class whenever there was the sharing of an assignment you might think you have been received well enough, only to be blown-out-of-the-water by the next song enlivening the room with chat for the next twenty minutes. It was challenging, humbling and inspirational all at once. Yes, it affected the ego, but an appreciation for fellow musicians and artists grew. and we all became firm friends and learned from each other. Quite a few of us remain in touch and collaborate regularly. Although relocation to America brought a lot of personal sacrifice and adjustment it has shaped my destiny and opportunities in ways I could not have imagined. My work alongside Grammy award winning artists likely would not have happened – or not have happened so quickly – had I remained living in Germany.    

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Who would be in the Berklee 'band' and why? 

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Excluding myself: Ryan Peter Murphy on lead vocals, JP on drums, Ben Baumewerd on bass, and Dean Andreas on guitar. Some of the best musicians I’ve ever met. I’m so grateful and honoured to call them my collaborators and more importantly: friends. I guess if they need a piano guy, I might be able to help!

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You are very active on TikTok live @jonathanhenrich0,

and across social media you have around 70,000 ‘follows.’

What about being on TT do you find inspiring?  

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I started posting videos on TikTok during the covid pandemic. For the past three years, occasional videos did well, but nothing crazy really happened. Unintentionally, I slowly built a platform, which eventually allowed me to progress to live streams. These daily ‘lives’ now enable me to make a living doing what I love, whilst continuing to build a community. Though, I always make it very clear I am grateful for anyone who just comes along to enjoy the music, I feel very blessed by those who are generous enough to “GIFT” while they listen. It is like busking for a living online really, and most of the time it works well. I am getting better at rolling-with-the-punches, and I am grateful for the growing reach of my music.    

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You already wrote for The German Eurovision Entry in 2023?

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Yes, I had two songs in the final running for Germany’s Eurovision entry for Liverpool. “Cologne” a song about living away from home from a young age, but in full appreciation that the anchor of home is always there to return to. The selectors loved the song but ultimately favoured another song I had written called “Day After Day.” A song about dwelling on a past relationship, haunted by memories that just won’t loose their grip on you.  

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How does writing a film score compare to songwriting?

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When I’m film scoring, the director Marcello Mantero stipulates a brief I must stick to. He does not allow me all sorts of angles and options and sets a limited boundary. I have a limited palette to work with, and sometimes that is helpful. A specific boundary brings structure and discipline and can aid creativity.

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Do you have a specific goal or dream for your career? 

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I really want to tour soon, perhaps initially as a support act. The TikTok live rehearsals are great preparation for this. But ultimately my wish is to headline my own tour and have the audience singing back all the lyrics to me. That would be a dream come true. I have this vision in my head of where I want to get to. A performance I saw of Coldplay performing “Viva La Vida” in a huge stadium swimming in coloured armbands, whilst everyone was chanting the lyrics. “THAT is the goal.” I said to myself when I was 11, and I have held onto that vision ever since. Time will tell!   

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What is your personal favourite of all the songs you have written and why? 

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The song that brought me nationwide success in Germany “There’s You” is up there. It holds a special place in my heart and has opened many doors for me. I am also proud of “Change of Character.” It means something personal to me of course, but it seems to describe an experience many of us have had. It depicts that frustration when you realise how someone you once loved dearly somehow loses their ‘glitter.’ We have all got caught up with someone that sparkles for a season, who then changes like a chameleon before our eyes. The song reflects that moment when you finally ‘see through’ someone, and your stomach sinks because you realise you got it all wrong.     

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Is there anything you can tell us about your new album coming out in September?  

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This album almost serves as a concept album. The songs follow a thread telling a story of my past year or two. I struggled with completely new challenges that took me to weird places in my mind I didn’t know existed. At the same time, I fell in love with somebody who made life feel lighter than ever before. The highest of highs and the lowest of lows are merged into a total of four songs. On top of that, there are three short musical interludes; tracks in between the songs, connecting everything. I wanted to make this album feel like a show: a performance. 

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When you are feeling at your lowest is there one go-to song that you listen to?

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The 1975 are one of my favourite bands. They inspire me as a major musical influence; and they are my go-to if I am feeling introspective. Lyrically and musically, they inspire a feeling of being understood. They ‘get it’ and there is a shared synergy. There is authentic but abstract truth and unusual poetic expression. I saw them live twice and still can’t get enough. 

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Alternative career choice if you hadn’t given over your life to music: 

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Astronaut! The idea of being up in space with a handful of people with the earth distantly below is mind boggling to me. It appeals to my sense of adventure. The weightlessness of defying gravity. The idea of all the planets, galaxies, all that space… I am compelled by anything expansive, indescribable and ‘overwhelming.’ The ‘unknown’ on such a big scale is fascinating. The limitlessness of ‘space’ is perhaps an escapist antidote to The Earth’s confinements. I was useless at maths though. So, it’s a non-starter.     

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Advice for anyone wanting to develop musical talent? What is involved?

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Giving advice is always tricky. What worked for me might not work for you, and the other way around. If anything, I believe you should truly enjoy making music for the sake of making music. Not for any kind of wished for success you project onto it. When I say, “I’d love to be an astronaut,” I’m talking about being on spaceships and floating towards the big unknown. But the countless hours of training, skill and dedication in science, maths and the physical training it takes to reach that ‘reality’ would probably make me quit after the first week. “How bad do I want it?” Not bad enough! With music it is completely different. I obsess over practicing scales until 1 am, transcribe harmonic progressions to improve, and practice every single day for hours. In those moments, there is no ‘end goal’ in the room. I just love doing it. 

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What is your life philosophy: approach to achieving your goals?

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I always find it a little peculiar when people in their early twenties give big philosophical advice about life. I don’t think I’m able to lecture anyone about anything. I’m 23! But I can pass experiences forward in songs and share what I’ve learned from them. I do think that “The Law of Attraction” holds some truth. I’ve always been a big daydreamer. I would go on walks for hours, listening to music, and imagining how I would take over the world with my music. Of course, I’m still far away from achieving that, but painting that picture so vividly over-and-over, makes it seem more realistic, and less intimidating. The vision becomes more viable.  

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Did you find cultural, humour, or language barriers being German living in the UK or USA?  

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I feel like people in Europe are easier going when it comes to humour. I noticed that in the US people get offended a little quicker. You have to think a bit more about how to phrase things in order to not come across as rude. 

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Do you believe the fates align with a meant-to-be synergy

or is destiny met through smart decisions and hard work?

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I do believe that the universe sends things your way if they’re supposed to ‘be.’ But I think you can also influence your luck. Ed Sheeran once said: “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.” And I 100% agree. 

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Why are certain brilliant songs of yours not recorded yet?

Do you feel you outgrow some songs, or can you revisit them? 

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Yes, and yes. I definitely outgrew some of my songs. Maybe I waited too long to finish them at the time, and now I don’t really connect with them anymore. But I do also revisit old, unused songs and recycle parts of them.

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Also, some of your cover interpretations are amazing

- any chance you will record those too? 

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Oh, thank you! Covers can be fun to look at a song from a new perspective, but you can’t recreate the original magic. Some songs just can’t be covered: it won't end well! 

Considering your career so far, what do you think you have missed

or want to focus on in the future?

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I definitely want to focus more on playing live. As I said, going on tour is a big dream of mine. I will give my full attention to this after my album comes out in September. In terms of recording, I’d love to record a duet with some of my super talented friends. 

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Alternative career choice if you hadn’t given over your life to music: 

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Astronaut! The idea of being up in space with a handful of people with the earth distantly below is mind boggling to me. It appeals to my sense of adventure. The weightlessness of defying gravity. The idea of all the planets, galaxies, all that space… I am compelled by anything expansive, indescribable and ‘overwhelming.’ The ‘unknown’ on such a big scale is fascinating. The limitlessness of ‘space’ is perhaps an escapist antidote to The Earth’s confinements. I was useless at maths though. So, it’s a non-starter.     

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What is one thing a person can do or say to you that always catches your interest: 

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Great question. I love curiosity in people. People who have curiosity for life. People who try to ‘catch a feeling,’ or express something they cannot quite put into words. I love when people think about the bigger picture, think out-of-the-box, describing something they can’t fully pin down. 

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What is your ideal holiday? Favourite place in the world?

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Depending on what is needed, a chill recovery holiday in the Tirol Austrian Mountains is amazing for disconnecting and unwinding. My family is obsessed with Italy and love the way of life, the culture and the vibe. I’ve had the privilege of visiting Thailand once. Stepping off the plane is like stepping into another world. The beaches of Koh Chang are some of the best I have ever seen.   

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Three words friends and family would use to describe you?

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UNpatient! “Oh wait that’s the German in me. Is that a word? It should be a word!” IMPATIENT. I am still trying to learn to discipline myself with patience. ADVENTUROUS. I love to push boundaries and explore. FUNNY. I very much connect with humour. 

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Would you describe yourself as a heart breaker or someone who gets their heart broken? 

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Oh dear – I guess most of my songs hold the answer to that one. 

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What would be the name of your autobiography? 

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I’m way too young for an autobiography. 

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Epitaph – remembered for?

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That is not for me to say. But some kind of recognition that

I or my music touched people’s lives would be cool, I guess?

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Your red flags?

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I know people are interested in the red flag thing – I’m just not that into it. I take people as I find them on merit. No judgment. Really unless you’re a Neo Nazi you’re human and that is all that matters. Dodgy politics would be the only one. 

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Ultimate dinner date with someone you admire: 

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Paul McCartney. Pure admiration for this man and the Beatles. The band who has had the biggest impact in musical history which I do not think will ever be surpassed. 

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Ultimate Musical Collaboration? 

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Paul McCartney for sure. Elton John is amazing, and Ed Sheeran. But if I had to choose one it would probably be Coldplay or The1975.

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Additional talent you would like? I would love to be able to paint.

Painting is fascinating to me. Favourite Movies? 

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“Love Actually,” “How to Train your Dragon” and “Interstellar.” All three are masterpieces. “Love Actually” closes with my favourite song of all time “God only knows” by the Beach Boys. 

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Which movie would you like to have created the soundtrack for? 

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The movie scores for “Interstellar” and “Inception” are spectacular. I have major admiration for Hans Zimmer. Melodically “How to Train your Dragon” is my favourite ever film score though. 

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Favourite Marvel Hero: 

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The Iron Man is super cool. The coolest of all of them. No contest. Iron Man! 

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Desired Superpower? 

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To be able to fly! 

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IF you could be an animal, which one and why?

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Love Dolphins; but in keeping with the flying theme: an Eagle! 

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Serena or Blair Gossip Girl: Initially I liked Blair, but then she becomes kind of annoying.On Balance: Serena.     

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Favourite Comedian

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Ricky Gervais. His irreverent coverage of “The Golden Globes” was genius. I love how he roasts everyone explaining how and why he is doing so. Especially in the age of cancel culture, it’s refreshing to see somebody breaking free from that.  

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Find Jonathan’s new releases on Spotify, You Tube, and Apple Music

@jonathanhenrich from mid-September. 

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Web site: https://jonathan-website.vercel.app/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

——I feel like we have pretty identical question up there no?

 

Life has been full of moving around but there have been several places I consider home, where I feel safe and grounded. Currently I am based in Germany between family homes in Hamburg and Cologne. There is a grounded-safe feeling with this anchoring me for the moment after all the years of living and studying abroad. But it also feels temporary, and I need to travel and move around to avoid that feeling of having ‘regressed.’ Sometimes the feeling of ‘never having left home’ is an odd sensation. It is enjoyable being ‘home’ but also emotionally confusing at points, having already lived all over the world. I made my way in London, Boston, and LA from a young age, and the early independence inspired me to tap into a spirit of adventure, amidst the challenges. I cannot be in one place for too long. I need to be on the move and connecting with the places and people who inspire me. I have great friends and colleagues in Boston, and although home while I was at college was a dorm room, I consider Boston a home-from-home. America remains alluring personally and professionally; but ultimately, I feel the pull of Europe as a home base. LA did not really become home and although it was great creatively, I felt restless there having landed straight from a ‘preppy’ London boarding school. I felt like an alien in a strange land. The transfer to Boston was heaven-sent and led to many opportunities, friendships and the development of my skills.  

** additionals /overlaps 

 

*** Best compliment your songs could receive ?

***Do you get more inspired by people or locations?

*** Is there anything that you do that puts you in the correct mood or inspires you the most to do the song writing….. 

Innocent til proven guilty or vv?

 

Qualities you most value in yourself and others?

 

Do you keep yourself to high standards - hard on self?

 

Jere or Conrad for Belly

Dessert island – music books company?

Favourite sport to watch or play

Fav childhood memory

Fav actor

***Cheese of choice

** Trade places with?

*** Go to concerts – fav?

***Staycation or adventure? Move around a lot or chill

***What do you think about when you lay down in bed each night

*** Proudest moment

**IF life were a video game what would your three cheat codes be?

*** Best and worst pick up lines you’ve heard

** worst text ever sent accidentally or intentionally

*** Nickname? Funniest

*** The most surprising thing about you

** Gonna tell us a secret you have never told anyone

**Recurring dreams that haunt you?

***hot or cold worse?

***Rather write a best seller or paint a famous piece of art

***Driver or passenger?

*** Three wishes

*** One thing you would change about the world if you could