American singer John Duff has just released his new album Greatest Hits Deluxe Edition, and you’d be forgiven if you’re not familiar with Duff or the songs on his new collection.
Duff’s been getting our attention for a few years with a series of provocative gay themed music videos.
The album presents a collection of ‘hits’ from an artist who never existed, weaving together elements of American popular music from the 1950s through the 1970s. The themes and content are up-to-date issues of today, but the style harks back to previous eras.
For Duff, the album represents a creative breakthrough. Having gained attention in recent years with provocative music videos and overtly gay-themed songs, he began to feel that his brand was overshadowing his true talents as a songwriter, director, and vocalist.
“I was starting to feel boxed in,” he acknowledges, “and I have always hated boxes. I found it difficult to get producers to follow my lead in LA. They wanted to push me in a direction they thought was ‘cool,’ but I’ve never been interested in being cool. My primary interest is in being creative.”
The turning point came when producers Eren Cannata (Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, Demi Lovato) and Koil PreAmple (Timbaland, Lenny Kravitz) approached Duff in 2020 with a rare offer:
“We will make whatever you want.” they said. Having already collaborated with the duo in 2019 on his single Do It, Duff was impressed with their speed, skill, and musical knowledge.
The trio retreated to a house in Laurel Canyon, where they spent a week diving deep into the music that shaped Duff’s artistic DNA.
The sounds of Motown, doo-wop, gospel, disco, musical theatre, and the Great American Songbook filled the air as Duff introduced Cannata and PreAmple to the artists that moved him: Janis Joplin, The Temptations, The Beach Boys, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, and so many others.
It was during this period that the idea for Greatest Hits Deluxe Edition began to take shape.
The end result is a sound that defies easy categorisation. While it nods to the great pop writers of the past, such as Burt Bacharach, Phil Spector, and Berry Gordy, it refuses to be pigeonholed into any one genre.
Some might label it “theatrical,” but Duff contends that’s a product of today’s music landscape, where Broadway is dominated by jukebox musicals. He challenges listeners to ask themselves: “If Tina Turner released ‘Proud Mary’ today, what genre would it be?”
John Duff’s Greatest Hits Deluxe Edition was released on Friday, September 27. It is available on Apple Music, Spotify, and all digital platforms.
