Nashville-based queer pop artist Clinton John’s debut EP is chock full of brutally honest tales about coming out and coming of age. But despite title, his ‘Embarrassing’ EP is a bold feat of truth-laid-bare lyrics and slick electropop beats that is worthy of nothing but pride, and in a double whammy, PopWrapped are delighted to unveil the new collection and the video for its title track.
 
“Being straightforward is the only straight thing about me,” John jokes. “My writing is always honest. It took me some time to get comfortable being so vulnerable with the things I’ve experienced and not sugar-coating them in my songs, but I’ve found people relating to that honesty even if that exact same scenario didn’t happen to them.” Getting kicked out of his private Christian high school for being gay prompted Clinton to finish early online and relocate to Nashville at 17. After the move, he attended the Darkhorse Institute for audio engineering and spent the last 8 years working behind the scenes with songwriters, producers, videographers, and photographers to fine-tune his craft and fully prepare to release music that was true to his vision. The result is a blend of hyper-vulnerable lyrics and captivating pop soundscapes that draws inspiration from fashion-forward, boundary-breaking artists like Troye Sivan and Kim Petras.

In the process, Clinton has managed to build a name for himself, amassing over 22k TikTok followers and performing at the Nashville Pride main stage and in Lee Jean Company’s “Artists at Home” performance series. The journey to new music also led him to rethink his relationship with alcohol and how it was affecting his career. “The fact that I’m sober is something that I am becoming more comfortable with and has become a big part of my journey especially getting to this place of releasing new content,” he admits. “I was afraid for a while that if I stopped drinking, I would stop experiencing things to write about but the complete opposite happened. Not drinking made me much more in touch with my emotions and allowed me to be more productive with my time and energy. Had I not stopped drinking I don’t think I would have been able to achieve this visual EP.”
 
Each song on the new EP is accompanied by visuals conceptualized and styled by Clinton himself. With the help of a small team of collaborators, including director Ren McConville, each music video for the album is a homemade work of art with a big-budget feel, including the new reel for Embarrassing’s title track. “The whole song is very vulnerable and honest and we wanted something that would match that energy,” he explains. “I have never done a choreographed dance before and the whole idea of it scared the shit out of me, so we decided we had to go for it. The whole process came together in about 2 weeks from when I contacted the choreographer, found the dancer, booked the space, had two rehearsals and started filming. My relationship with my ex was on and off for almost 3 years and we wanted to represent that push and pull of loving someone but being conflicted with the hurt and continually running back to them.”
 
This is your debut EP. What made you decide to release it now?

There were a couple factors that made it possible and feel like the right time to release an EP. Getting sober was a game changer for me. I stopped drinking in February of 2020 and I don’t think I would have been able to finish the writing of the EP and complete the visuals had I not. Sobriety gave me a sense of clarity and focus that I hadn’t had in years and the opportunity to self-reflect and write from a place of vulnerability that I wasn’t able to access before. When we finished the track “Embarrassing “, I looked back on the songs I had and it felt like a very complete chapter of my life as well as a solid representation of the type of artist I am and I felt like I was ready to close that chapter in a sense on my early 20’s and the place I was when I wrote those songs.

You made the decision to film a music video for every track of the record. What was the thought process behind making this this both a visual as well as audio project?

One of the biggest reasons I decided to do a visual for each song is because during quarantine I was looking for a creative outlet. I’ve always written music about my real experiences and during lockdown there wasn’t the opportunity to go out and meet people to make out on the dance floor with and write a song about it. I knew that visuals were something I wanted to be a part of my music because I consider myself a pop artist and one of my favorite parts of pop music is how the combination of visuals, fashion, and performance can compliment and elevate a song but was hesitant because if the visuals suck it can do the opposite of elevating your music. Being in lockdown took away social interaction but for me that also took away my social expectation and view of what people thought of me in a positive way and made me decide to go for it and make visuals for every track. 

How did you come up with the concept for the “Embarrassing” music video and what was the filming process like?

The concept and filming of the “Embarrassing” music video came together two weeks after deciding to have a choreographed dance music video, finding a choreographer, rehearsing, finding the dancer, location, and wrapping filming. It was an incredibly fast process and had it not come together so quickly and easily I think I would have backed out on the concept. I am not a trained dancer and have never learned choreography like this which scared the hell out of me because of, no pun intended, how embarrassing it could be, but that also excited me. I knew this would be the title track of the EP and it is one of the most vulnerable and honest songs I’ve written, so I wanted something that would push me out of my comfort zone in the same way that writing the song itself had. I was super lucky to work with an amazing choreographer Daniel Wayne Thomas and dancer Terin Christopher as well as friends who offered their help in making the video possible, so the process was so easy and by far the scariest but most enjoyable video from the visual EP. 

If you had to pick a favorite track from the new EP, which one would it be and why?

My favorite track from the EP is definitely “Embarrassing.” The song spans the time period of 8 years with the experiences that were written about and I felt a sense of nostalgia and closure from being able to release it. Writing is not always a cathartic experience for me but during the whole process of making this song and creating the visual it felt like a therapy session in a good way. I haven’t heard many songs talking about the embarrassing feelings that come from looking back on things that you’ve done in the past, which is understandable because it’s literally embarrassing and no one wants to relive those memories and bring them to light but I think it’s a very real feeling that people can relate to wondering if someone else is embarrassed by dating you. I never go into writing a song trying to be “relatable” but just trying to be honest with what I’m going through because I think in the end someone will relate to that. 

What do you hope listeners take away from the new EP?

I really wanted to give people a glimpse into the type of artist I am both sonically and visually. The EP feels like a stepping stone to me as I plan to continue releasing songs and music videos so I just hope that people like what they hear enough to want to follow along with what’s coming next. 

Finally then, what’s in the pipeline for Clinton John in 2022?

More music, more visuals, and hopefully getting to start playing shows again once it’s safe for everyone to pack into crowds and dance together.

Check out the video for “Embarrassing” above and give the EP a listen below. For more information on Clinton John, follow him on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok. Header photo credit: Ash Hurst.