Today we’d like to introduce you to John Porter.
Hi John, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I go by the name of J.P. – I was born and raised in south central L.A. in the streets of Crenshaw and Florence, and I grew up with a passion for music. I grew up in the church attending Hamilton United Methodist Church where every Sunday, my parents would sing in the choir. I was inclined to music wanting to play drums, but my parents could never afford to get a real drum set for me, so I played on pots and pans. My dad had taken the family to the music center in Downtown L.A. to see the orchestra perform a few times. I had an opportunity to play a small role in a movie called Panther; Panther is a 1995 cinematic adaptation of Melvin Van Peebles’s novel Panther, produced and directed by Mario Van Peebles. The drama film portrays the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, tracing the organization from its founding through its decline in a compressed timeframe. It was the first narrative feature film to depict the Black Panther Party. When I played that small role, I knew career in entertainment was something I wanted to pursue but I still had music for a passion while I would imitate the church choir director and play on the piano I had at home. I also had this fascination with microphones as a kid.
In 1995, I joined a drill team called “The Jazz Drill Team & Drum Squad” to explore my talents as a drummer. We would meet every Tuesday and Thursday at St. Andrews Park located on Manchester. I was heavily involved and the program for several years and a wonderful experience performing for the NHL and L.A. Clippers. I attended Horace Mann Middle School under the direction of saxophonist Donald Johnson and joined the band and played percussion and later joined the Crenshaw High School band in 1999 under the direction of Trombonist Al Traver where I was able to advance my music career playing percussion, and bass guitar. I landed many roles and opportunities while attending Crenshaw High School, being involved in a musical session with Usher performing “You don’t have to call” for Mad TV, doing several commercials and working with Dancing with the Stars with Hines Ward and Kym Johnson performing their freestyle dance for the season finale. Would with the band Vampire Weekend performing on the Jimmy Kimmel Show while being active in the band and slowing fading away from the drill team.
Actor Dwayne Shepperd introduced me to Director/Producer Felix Washington where I worked with him behind the scenes for tv production and upcoming artist. When I turned 18, I was playing Bass guitar doing freelance work for many different bands and events. My dream and goal was to become a professional musician and become a member to an artist like Tank, Usher or Ginuwine and go on tour and perform in different venues. While covid happened, I didn’t have lots of opportunities. So, I’ve decided to take on the R&B music as a singer and to write and produce music in 2020. I spent the entire lockdown moments of covid writing and producing and taking on vocal lessons and recording music and I consulted with other writers and producers as well. R&B singer Tank has been a big inspiration to how I came out to be a singer and create music I’m stuck in the 90’s vibe because that where I feel where the real music is. I Don’t think artist and labels today know what real music is, so I took the initiative to make music today.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have definitely been some rocky roads because making music is not cheap. You have to pay to protect your craft with legal fees and contracts. You have to pay for studio time and sometimes things are not always right on the first session. There was one song where I’ve spent several hours and thousands of dollars on to get it right and some songs were only a few hundred dollars and got the song done in one session. I’ve been wanting to collaborate with certain artists but sometimes it’s either a legal, financial or agreement issue or lack of communication. Writing a song is sometimes a complex process because it has to be entertaining to the listener and often can have writer’s block; maybe the dialog is not that interesting to the listener. Then marketing my brand and music is the most important and challenging part of my craft. I’m working alone and put everything out myself. When I look for support to spread my content everyone wants an arm and a leg, and you have beware of the scammers you claim they can make your content go viral. I just take it one day at a time and I reach out to my family and friends to help support and spread my music.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I used to be a dj and done several live shows and events audio engineering. I also am a videographer and photographer on the side. I’m better as a cameraman than a photographer. I haven’t done much work in photography. I love playing bass guitar and percussion.
Currently I’m most proud of my singing because it’s something I never imagined doing. I remember playing bass for a funk band and they put a mic in front of me and wanted me to sing and I had refused. When I began this project in 2020, I was amazed at how successful I was.
What sets me apart from others is that I’ll never forget where I come from, and I would always remain humble. I would not let the Hollywood fame get in the way of my blessings and stay close to my fans and everyone that supports me. I would continue to be positive and do great things with my music and the community
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I think the most surprising thing about me is that I love to travel, and I’m fascinated with airplanes. I actually know how to fly planes and I’m a very versatile person taking on different jobs and roles from security, knowledgeable about technology, and customer service roles and more including working in theme parks.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @iamjohnporter
- Twitter: @iamjohnporter_
- Youtube: @blueskymusicentertainment
