We were lucky to catch up with John DeMena recently and have shared our conversation below.

John, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I was born and raised in Spain, and grew up in the bosom of a blue collar family. I was raised by a single mom and lived a somewhat normal childhood by middle class standard. Nothing too fancy, but there’s always food on the table, populous family and friends circle, and the perks of growing up in a small town. Then I decided to leave that somewhat ‘comfortable’ life behind and move to the U.S. to pursue my musical dream, which led me to trading that certain life for uncertainty, warmth of friends for the coldness of loneliness, and the sympathy of a small town for the austerity of a big city.

My first years in Los Angeles where quite challenging and lonely. This is something that everyone experiences when they migrate to another country or move to a large city. The process itself is already hard per se, but in my case the timing and series of challenges I faced when I moved to L.A. got me off to a very rocky beginning. I got here a few months before the global recession and got on a spiral of sporadic jobs, multiple layoffs, uncertainty, family problems, and no healthcare. I also didn’t have credit and couldn’t even rent a place, so I lived in hostels and other inhospitable places with six-seven people in the same room. Then you’re alone and don’t know anyone, so meeting other musicians, starting bands, etc. took a while. Momentum started building after a couple of years and then I started to play more, work with other artists, etc. but there was never a band or group of people artistically aligned with me, so I took the DIY route that led to the inception of my current chapter as a solo rock artist. It was the longest road, but the only way to make it happen.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a rock singer and guitarist from Los Angeles, originally born and raised in Andalusia (Spain). I’ve worked with producers and musicians of Alice Cooper, Jane’s Addiction, and Jimmy Kimmel. My music has appeared on outlets such as MTV, Rock Hard, and Metal Hammer. I started playing guitar in my teens and joined a couple of bands in my high school years that led to my first musical experiences and performances in Spain. We recorded a few albums and played shows, festivals, and small tours all over the country. I then spent some time on the East Coast and the U.K. before migrating to the United States.

My debut album “Dreams and Lies” was released on 3/3/23 and the opening track ‘I the People’ was included in Loudwire’s Weekly Wire Best 50 Rock & Metal Songs of that week’s playlist. I wrote this album entirely by himself because, after moving to Los Angeles and not being able to find anyone artistically aligned with me, I had to take a DIY approach and make the impossible possible. As I like to say, it was the only way forward. For a couple of years, I wrote nonstop, picked other instruments, penned all lyrics, and used software to program drums and other instruments in pre-production. I then self-released an early mix of this album in 2020 that earned him two Hollywood Music in Media Awards nominations, caught the attention of several record labels and earned me endorsements with brands such as Ernie Ball and PRS Guitars, a deal with ADA (Warner), and an invitation to participate in a The Doors tribute compilation for which I covered the band’s iconic 1967 classic ‘People Are Strange’, a cover released by Rhino Records and featured on MTV Germany.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

To me, the most rewarding aspect of my artistic and creative expression is the human connection and effect my music has on people, how a song can help them in a particular moment of their lives, and also the sense of accomplishment I feel after creating something that didn’t exist a few moments, days, weeks. or months ago.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Well, I basically stay true to my integrity and remain a very honest type of songwriter. I just couldn’t put out a song or album driven by inertia or chasing the latest sound or flavor of the month. I think if you have nothing to say artistically, then it’s better to not say anything. I just couldn’t stay behind a hollow type of song/album for the rest of my life. Plus it’s magical when you stay true to yourself and a song you wrote in the most intimate and vulnerable aspect of your life becomes universal and people from all over the world tell you that the song conveys certain emotion to them. It’s fascinating as you wrote this song in the most intimate setting thinking that it was quite personal and unique to what you were experiencing, and then once it’s out there in the world you realize it’s not your song anymore and it becomes universal.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.johndemena.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johndemena
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johndemenamusic
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/johndemena
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@johndemena

Image Credits
Main photo: Mike Kindel Photos 2-3: Ezra Spurrier Photos 4-5: Juan Antonio Quesada Photo 6: Mike Kindel