F.A.Q. (Frequently asked questions)

Below are just a few of the most frequently asked questions that people want to know the answer to. John's replies based on different articles and interviews.

Question: Is John on a diet?
Answer: Yes, he has been working out a lot and he has changed his diet that now consists of lots of lean meats (like chicken, turkey, fish), vegetables, and grains like wheat and oats. No white bread. Very little sweets. Very little rice, pasta, potatoes and other starchy foods. Also, John doesn't drink much alcohol (mostly to protect his voice). John has a trainer on the road as well. They work out 5-6 days a week, for about an hour a day. He runs about 2 miles a day and also lifts weights everyday. In addition, he boxes and jumps rope.

Question: What inspires him the most?
Answer: John gets an inspiration from his love of music. He loves performing. He loves the feeling he gets when he's on stage and the crowd is singing along to the songs. That inspires John to keep writing. He also gets inspired by other creative people like: Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Lauryn Hill, Nina Simone, Fiona Applae, Jeff Buckley, Kanye, Common.

Question: What is John's favorite movie and favorite tv-show?
Answer: His favorite movie is "Coming to America" by Eddie Murphy; he watches that all the time on his bus. John's favorite TV show right now is Entourage on HBO. He also likes the Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Comedy Central. His favorite shows of all time: Seinfeld, the Cosby Show.

Question: Which 5 songs would John put on his Ipod if he could choose only 5 favorites?
Answer: John would choose: "Got to Give it Up" by Marvin Gaye, "Ex Factor" by Lauryn Hill, "I love You Porgy" by Nina Simone, "I Believe When I Fall in Love it Will be Forever" by Stevie Wonder, "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley.

Question: What artist would John like to work with?
Answer: He has already worked with some great people like Alicia Keys & Lauryn Hill. He would love to do a duet with Beyonce.


Question: Where does John get the inspiration to write songs? Are some self-biographic?
Answer: Some of the songs are more auto-biographical than others. But none of the songs are strictly auto-biographical. As a writer, he always reserves the right to create and embellish on the story to make it a more compelling song. That being said, he primarily uses his own experiences and the ones he talks about with his friends to inform his songs.

Question: How did his musical experience begin?
Answer: He started playing piano when he was 4, he started singing in the church choir when he was 6, so he has always loved singing and performing. Now, it's a dream come true for him to be able to do that all the time in front of millions of people.

Question: How does Jesus affect his life?
Answer: His teachings are very wise and John tries his best to live up to them. John has written gospel songs, and he admitted that he would probably write some more in the future.

Question: Which place would John like to visit again and why?
Answer: He really loves Paris and says that it's a very beautiful city. He also loves Italy - "It's such a charming place with great food and wine and great people".

Question: How did John meet Kanye West?
Answer: He met Kanye back in 2001. John was introduced to him by his good friend DeVon Harris, who is Kanye's cousin.


Question: How tall is John?
Answer: According to the Daily News he is 5-foot-10".


Question: Has John ever been with a girl without cheating, as some people think that his lyrics are not very optimistic in that department?
Answer: Of course, he has. He just reckons it can be hard sometimes, and he writes about this because he knows a lot of men and women struggle with it.

Question: From where did JL get the inspiration for the melody on "Ordinary People"?
Answer: Some of the inspiration for the chords of "Orindary People" came from Stevie Wonder's "My Cherie Amour".