John Norum is most famously known around the globe as being the lead guitarist and a founding member of the band Europe. Together they are Sweden’s most prominent rock export selling over 10 million albums worldwide with songs like “The Final Countdown,” “Carrie,” and “Rock the Night.” Recently the song “The Final Countdown” reached 1 billion views on YouTube, an unprecedented endeavor.
Most may not know that John has also fostered a tremendous solo career, and this September/October, he will be releasing his ninth solo album, “Gone to Stay”, via Fifth Island Music/Sony Music. To date, John has released two video singles, “Sail On,” which has received over 100K on YouTube, and on July 1st, released his second single, “Voices of Silence.” In just one week, it has garnered over 50K views.
Both songs, as well as the entire album, offer hard-hitting riffs with tremendous blues bravado. John taps into the hard rock blues vein similar to Gary Moore, Frank Marino, Jimi Hendrix, and Mahogany Rush. Couple that with his unique playing style, and songwriting puts the songs over the musical edge. “Gone to Stay” is a testament to John‘s rebellious spirit that drives these finely crafted tunes. As an added benefit, John enlisted his good friend, Åge Sten Nilsen of Wig Wam, to sing on three of the tracks “One By One,” “Terror over Me,” and the epic “Norma.” Listen, download, or buy HERE.
Correspondent Robert Cavuoto had an in-depth discussion with John about the writing of “Gone to Stay”, enlisting Åge Sten Nilsen to help sing on a few tracks, why lyrics are so important and personal to him, the role his amps and guitars play in the creative process, a look back at his first solo album “Total Control,” working with Don Dokken on “Up from the Ashes,” and an update on Europe‘s 40th Anniversary tour for “The Final Countdown” album and a possible new Europe studio album in 2023. Check out their conversation below, remember that for more interviews and other daily content, make sure to follow Sonic Perspectives on Facebook, Flipboard and Twitter and subscribe to our YouTube channel to be notified about new content we publish on a daily basis.
Podcast: Download (Duration: 41:22 — 95.0MB)
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