Are you tired of people telling you to cheer up when you share that you’re feeling depressed, sad, tired, or worried? Like its that easy to just shake it off with the words ‘cheer up.’ Charlie John’s vibrant and latest release, “Cheer Up,” tackles this careless response to depression and anxiety. In his own words, he says, “The song is a celebration of mental illness and aims to spread awareness to those who aren’t as informed on the subject.” We had the pleasure of interviewing Charlie John, and here’s what he had to say:
Q: What is your best memory from the recording of “Cheer Up”
JOHN: The actual writing of the song was my favorite part. I wrote it so quickly and it just poured out of me so easily.
Q: What is one thing you’d really like listeners to take away from this song?
JOHN: The fact that you don’t know what people have been through until you ask and you shouldn’t assume anything about their lives.
Q: I absolutely love the lyrics because I’ve heard people just go “cheer up” or “be thankful” when someone expresses that they feel depressed. So, what was your songwriting process like, and when did you feel you were ready to share this song?
JOHN: I knew the song was ready to go immediately after I wrote it, but it was the production that I didn’t want to screw up. With songs that come very quickly, they can sometimes be ruined by overproduction or just overthinking.
Q: What do you enjoy most about creating songs?
JOHN: The songwriting aspect is my favorite part and exploring a part of yourself that maybe you didn’t know was there.
Q: What’s your favorite genre for creating songs? Which do you think allows you to express yourself in a way that most matches your personality?
JOHN: I think Pop/Soul would be my answer for favorite genre to write, which is kinda the opposite of this song actually. This song was just such a statement that I wanted it to hit harder so I went with a more pop/rock sound with electric guitar.
Q: What do you think is one of the biggest misconceptions about depression and anxiety?
JOHN: That is can be easily fixed with two words – “Cheer Up.”
Interviewed by Zoey King
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