John Christopher Thomas🇺🇸

"One of the best pieces of musical advice I ever received was from a BMI representative who told me not to worry about fame or money, but just to focus on improving my craft." John Christopher Thomas' eclectic musical roots have helped him create songs with a uniquely international appeal. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1965 and raised in San Antonio, Texas, John began playing piano at seven years old. His style developed in his early teens while studying jazz piano. During the mid-1980s, local bands in the city were searching for the few available keyboard players, so John began to play in various styles, including rock, funk, blues, and fusion jazz. While attending the University of Texas in Austin, John primarily performed as a sideman with artists at local clubs to help pay his way through school. In 1991, after completing his bachelor's degree in fine art, John moved to South Korea to teach English as a Second Language (ESL). There, he recorded numerous songs, first on four-track reel-toreel and eventually on eight-track digital formats, in his apartment in Gangnam. John also befriended many local musicians in Seoul and eventually joined a Korean group called Joybox, whose pop single "Special" reached #23 on the K-Pop charts in 2000. Adding acoustic and electric guitar to his repertoire, John recorded over 200 demos during this time to further develop his songwriting craft. After returning to the United States in 2003, John completed his MA in ESL and proceeded to teach and edit educational materials in San Antonio. Constantly recording in the studio, which was primarily a closet or a storage room with vocals recorded in the bathroom, he was able to create tunes that reflected his earlier musical roots in San Antonio. Since the late 1990s, John has released his EPs and full albums online, which led to his song "In December" being featured in the 2016 Cannes Grand Prix-winning drama "It's Only the End of the World" and his song "Have Some Fun" being heard in the 2015 comedy "Ana Maria in Novela Land." John's song "She Wants" is based on a real relationship of a friend of John's. " I changed some things around to keep things private for them.” It was composed over a period of three years; the verses were recorded earlier, and the bridge about changing one’s perspective was added two years later. "Sometimes it's best to just sit on an idea and come back to it later". John thinks the songwriting process doesn’t have to follow rules or pressure. He reflects on the advice he received from that BMI rep many years ago: "That advice about working on my craft allowed me so much freedom to focus more on creating interesting songs."