John Aleks is the solo project of producer/songwriter Jonathan Alexander Cordova. Mixing the energy and soul of upbeat 80’s pop, with the raw garage rock revival sounds of bands like The Killers and The Strokes, John Aleks is continuously evolving and experimenting with his sound.
After being behind the scenes as a producer and mixing engineer for some years, John decided to come back into writing and releasing his own original music. Fresh off the release of his latest single “Boys & Girls,” the evolution doesn’t stop for this emerging creative.
Pulling heavy influence from the nostalgic electro-pop era of the ’80s, this specific single hones in on tight drum patterns, layered timbres filled with passion, as well as electric and feathery synths coming together for a dreamscape beyond your imagination.
Buoyantly dripping in optimism, the colorful vibrations pour from lyrical motifs such as, ‘Cuz we're just boys and girls. We're living it up and we're ru- ru- running to nowhere,’ have us fully immersed in the voyage that humans undergo during their lifetime. Playing upon the amusing undertones of a life that shouldn’t be taken too seriously, John Aleks has us charged up and out of our seats as the formation of this musical arrangement sits in a place of pure bliss.
“Boys & Girls,” is a sonic rollercoaster of expectant hues that shine glimmers of hope towards the fan base that John Aleks is rapidly growing. The sounds contained on this record make a modest splash in the quirky yet breezy spirit of John Aleks. Wrapping our minds around the power that this solo project holds, we commend John Aleks on the brilliant display of intriguing vibrations.
Hello John Aleks, welcome to BuzzMusic, and congratulations on the release of “Boys & Girls,” John Aleks. Where did you draw the inspiration for such a beautifully created song?
The song is a story of two lovers trying to start their life together while at the same time fighting the insecurities and expectations that society and they put upon themselves. It’s about not understanding why everyone is always expected to be something. Isn’t it enough to just be happy? To be happy together? It doesn’t matter if you're young and you don’t have everything figured out yet. You will figure it out together. It’s the story of real love. Young love. Not a love that breaks away easily at the first sign of struggle though. But one where you learn to love each other even if you’re not where you both want to be in life at the moment. You stick together and support one another as you both reach your goals. It is a romantic, sarcastic coming-of-age tale and I guess if I’m being completely honest it’s very closely inspired by the story of my wife and I.
Growing up in the small town of Eagle Pass, do you find that this solo project of John Aleks has taken any form of influence from your upbringing?
It most definitely has! Growing up between two cultures and two languages has exposed me to a huge variety of music, stories, and sounds. I am really proud of my Mexican heritage and I am a huge believer that “Rock en Español” and “Indie Latino” have some of the best musical artists out there. While I love all types and genres of music, a huge part of my sound and influence comes from Latin American rock bands such as Soda Stereo, Zoe, and Enjambre. Also, since I grew up and live in a small town, I don’t have a lot of resources or musicians to collaborate, write, or simply connect with. So I actually had to not only play all the instruments, but also record, mix, and produce the songs mostly all by myself. I feel like that really brings an involuntary flavor to the songs as well.
Could you please share a glimpse into the creative process of “Boys & Girls?" Did you find that the creation for this song flowed in a fairly easy manner or did you have to dig to portray the vision you wanted?
I want to start off by saying I began writing this song in 2015! I had not written original music in a really long time. When I had to quarantine on New Year's Eve of 2020, due to coming out Covid positive, I started digging through my old voice memos. I came across a melody I had written down 5 years ago, which was the intro synth melody for Boys & Girls. Believe it or not, that little lick not only inspired me to put lyrics to the song, record it, and finish it, but to ultimately pick up writing and releasing music all over again. As in executing the vision for the song, I recorded everything in my living room in the span of a couple of days. Along with the song “Things I Used to Know” and my next release, “Shout of the Wild.” I think being stuck in the house without being able to go outside really helped this song come together, as everything flowed perfectly in those couple of days where I lost myself into purely making music. It was truly beautiful!
What are you hoping that your listeners take away from the messaging and theme of “Boys & Girls?"
This is a happy song. I want people to dance and really feel the vibes that this song brings. The story is a love story after all. One with a cheesy and happy 90s rom-com ending.
What's next for you?
Releasing a lot of music! I have some songs recorded already, and some more still being written. But I will be releasing tons of new music for the next few months along with tons of more content on my Youtube channel, Instagram, and TikTok. I am also currently experimenting with tons of new ideas and I’m even thinking of releasing some music in Spanish. I’m excited to explore and see how I develop my own sound as I dig into more of my heritage, culture, faith, and influences.
