It has been three years since Secondhand Serande’s last album, and a decade since his tunes rocked our teenage playlists. This year, we caught up with John Vesely to find out what he has been up to and what we can expect in the near future.
What ever happened to Secondhand Serenade? With hit songs like ‘Fall For You’ and ‘Your Call’ taking over the airwaves (and our playlists) close to a decade ago, no one expected the quiet retreat from the limelight. But this year, which marks the tenth anniversary of Secondhand Serenade’s debut record Awake, John Vesely (the man behind the famous name) is slowly reclaiming the spotlight with a re-release of his first effort. Titled Awake: Remixed & Remastered, 10 years and 10,000 tears later, Secondhand Serenade’s beloved hits got a 2017 update without leaving out any of that nostalgia and heart-wrenching sentiment the act is known for. And following closely on its musical heels is the release of Secondhand Serenade’s first musical release in three years – a single titled, ‘Lost’ that we can’t stop replaying.
This year, Secondhand Serenade celebrates its tenth anniversary. Has your career gone how you’ve envisioned it?
John: When I started Secondhand Serenade I honestly didn’t know where it was gonna go. I just really love making music and I love writing music. I wanted it to potentially impact the world. And to be completely honest, it is such an amazing thing for me to be on the phone with Singapore right now, and yes, that’s exactly what I wanted it to be – to reach people across the world. I love it.
What were the most pivotal challenges you faced in your singing career?
John: Honestly the challenge lies in how every artist strives to stay relevant, and at the same time, make good music. There was awhile when I was making music and I tried to evolve with the currents. When I decided to come back and do the tenth anniversary, I realised I was not where I started in the first place and I kinda missed writing purely from the heart about my personal experiences. This time, I wanted to go back with that so I ended up writing two new songs for the tenth anniversary release and they are written in the same way as the first album.
If you had one word to describe the process of songwriting, what would it be?
John: Honest – because you know people won’t relate to your songs unless you are true to yourself and true to everyone else. It really comes down to writing a piece that means something to you in a very real way. Because if it means something to you, people will then connect well with it.
What is one song off Awake that you love the most?
John: ‘Your Call’ is one of my favourite songs.
If you can collaborate with one artist, who would it be?
John: If I could collaborate with one artist … my gosh, there are so many very talented people right now. Not necessarily because of the genre, but I would love to one day work with Bruno Mars just because he can do so much with so many different genres and he is just a very talented writer and producer – always pushing boundaries. I really appreciate what he is doing.
Photo: Amy Lane Photo on Tumblr
It has been a while since you’ve released new music. Tell us more about your single, ‘Lost’. Is there a story behind this song?
John: I was writing differently for the past few albums and admittedly, I have evolved musically for the past ten years. However, I really wanted to stimulate the same experience that I had when I wrote Awake so I wrote a very simple, honest song about something that really happened to me. I feel like a lot of people can relate to that song because it’s about taking someone for granted.
It’s about when you get comfortable in a place where you feel like you have it all, and that’s when you neglect some things that are important and don’t realise it until it’s too late. And when it’s too late, you feel like you’ve really lost everything. Uh… I took a long while to bounce back but y’know, it’s a special song to me and I want the production to be as simple as possible so that it comes from the heart.
If you aren’t an artist now, what would you be?
John: If I wasn’t an artist, I’ll probably be a chef. I love to cook. I cook almost everyday in my home and it’s something I’m really passionate about. I mean, it’s the same kind of thing as writing music. You create stuff from scratch and you make something beautiful. I really appreciate that a lot.
So what is your favourite dish to cook?
John: My favourite dish… honestly, I cook a lot of stuff. I like cooking tacos for me and my wife. And I love cooking traditional Czech dishes that my mom taught me every once in a while.
We saw those tacos on Instagram! Now tell us three facts about you which many people do not know about.
John: Okay one, I’m newly married. I just married my wife on 1 April and we have been together for almost five years. I think many people know that through my social media. Two, I used to skateboard for a long time, for about eleven years. Three, I did martial arts for about twelve years. I did taekwondo and I competed very heavily during that time, but not anymore. Now I take care of my body because I can’t get hurt. (laughs)
On the topic of your marriage, what does your wife think about your romantic songs?
John: (laughs) The great thing is, she’s a writer herself. She makes songs and we often write together. She loves the fact that I write romantic songs and it’s just something she really connects with. In fact, that’s pretty much the reason why we met in the first place: it’s the music that brought us together. So yes, she’s definitely behind it.
Can we expect a collaboration?
John: Yes, definitely. One hundred per cent.
What advice would you give to aspiring independent artists?
John: Honestly, my best advice is to write as much as you possibly can. These days, it’s a lot easier to create music than it used to be with the help of technology; you can even record on your phone. So just record and write as much music as possible. Write what means something to you and if you never stop, you’ll get somewhere with it. You’ll make some sort of ground. You have to work constantly in order to get somewhere. It’s just one of those things you can’t get discouraged no matter what.
Listen to ‘Lost’ now:
Featured image: Universal Music Singapore
Which Secondhand Serenade tunes will you be playing on repeat? Share your playlist picks with us in the comment section!
More related stories: Can You Tell These A-List Celebrities And Their Doppelgängers Apart?, 6 New K-dramas To Put On Your Binge-watch List, 20 Ways Mean Girls Changed Our Lives Forever
