I think when people try to force something , they end up writing something or doing something that ' s already been done . Or just recycling , because they ' re like , " Oh , this is successful , so let me write like this ” or “ This is what ' s playing on the radio . Let me write like this ." And I think we limit ourselves when we do that . So , I ' m like , " Let ' s just get out these raw thoughts , raw emotions " and boom ! But I love writing , period . I love writing by myself , to answer your question , because it ' s a little bit easier . But then , when you write with other people , you get different perspectives , different backgrounds , a different texture .
[ WM ] Just three years ago you released a selffunded independent project that had regional notoriety and was picked up for distribution by Motown Gospel . And now that ’ s morphed into a record deal with them . It ’ s a prestigious thing to be signed to Motown Gospel . Your friends and family must be blown away by that . Did you grow up listening to mainstream Motown ?
[ Jonathan ] Oh man , I grew up listening to everything , but I love The Temptations and watching the biopics and stuff . I love Smokey ( Robinson ). And I didn ' t necessarily grow up just listening to them . I listened to a lot of things . I loved Boyz II Men . I also love Coldplay . So , it ' s just different . I love Kirk Franklin , Yolanda Adams , and CeCe Winans . These are people I grew up on . But everybody knows Motown . That ' s historic , man . So , it was cool to be able to sign with them . When I tell someone that I ' m signed with Motown Gospel , they ' re like , " Motown ? What ?" It feels cool , man .
[ WM ] I distinctly remember listening to Motown in the early 60 ’ s , and recall , and have read about , the significance that it had in reshaping much of the U . S . white population ’ s attitudes and opinions . I ’ ve also read that your hope is to make music that helps not just the church but the unchurched , and that you want to make music that connects and brings everyone to the table . Tell me more about your vision .
[ Jonathan ] The church always needs encouragement . And it ' s good to always help , but there ' s so many people outside the church who are going through stuff and they need something . They need hope . They need to know that they ' re seen that they ' re loved . And I think Jesus was really big on that . He didn ' t just preach inside the four walls of temples . You know what I ' m saying ? He was out in the streets . If you look throughout the Bible , he used to break traditional religious customs in all their ways just to remind everyone it ' s about people .
I remember reading about Him healing a man with leprosy . And it ' s like , back in the day , if you touched anyone with leprosy , you were deemed unclean , and they ' d cast you out of the city as well . But it said He didn ' t just heal this man . He touched him . He touched him first . And I feel like that was a reminder - this is about people first . This is about loving first . This isn ' t just about the miracles and the big thing . This is about people . So , I ' m really big on