Interview: John Lloyd Young Creating Art & Singing In the NEW YEAR

Tony and Grammy winner John Lloyd Young's not letting lockdown keeping him from working his melodious pipes. Fresh from this livestreaming concert VEGAS HOLIDAY earlier this month, John takes to the Feinstein's at Vitello's stage to livestream his show HAPPY NEW YEAR 2021. In between rehearsals and creating new rhinestone works, John found a few spare moments to answer a few of my queries.

Thank you for taking the time for my second interview with you, John.

Thank YOU!

Last year when I interviewed you, you had just celebrated your fourth of July birthday. Such a different time from a year ago. How have you been staying safe and sane? Creating more of your gorgeous rhinestone art pieces?

Yes, my, how times have changed. The first thing I did when we went into lockdown in March was go into my storage facility and get all my art materials back together. I've made and sold at least 200 pieces since then, entirely new series, and I'm really enjoying the quiet time in the art studio again. I was so busy with club and concert dates that I had put things away for awhile, and what better time to get back into it than when YOU HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE!!

Will your New Year's Eve set list be completely different from your recent online concert VEGAS HOLIDAY you filmed at The Space in Las Vegas? Less Christmas carols, maybe?

Well, we'll be past Christmas, so there will be nary a carol in sight. It will be an energetic mix of the driving and exciting songs that I always bring out to play around the New Year. My specialty, of course, are those great early R&B songs I love to dig into, and of course a couple JERSEY BOYS numbers, how could I not?

Speaking of carols, what was your favorite holiday song growing up?

I loved the sad, melancholy, beautiful ones. "Silent Night" and "Do You Hear What I Hear" are two top favorites.

Your music director Tommy Faragher will be backing you on piano. Who else will be giving you musical support on the Feinstein's At Vitello's stage?

We planned to reunite our whole L.A. band. But new quarantine restrictions are in effect and for safety's sake, it will be just me and Tommy. Me and Tommy alone works though, we've done it that way so many places around the country that the energy will still be high and it'll be great. We'll get the band back together when we can do so safely.

What originally brought you and Tommy to make beautiful music together?

I was doing my own art openings and singing sets at them, surrounded by my pieces on pedestals. One of the galleries I was in, was owned by the stepmother of a music producer who had worked with Tommy, and we were introduced. I was looking to make my debut album to follow up the big success of JERSEY BOYS, and Tommy and I hit it off. Our first project together was that album, My Turn... and we've played live together since.

Tell us your safety routines for rehearsals and for New Year's Eve on the Feinstein's at Vitello's stage.

There will be minimal staff, Tommy and I will not share the small dressing room, we will all wear masks and be properly distanced. I'll take off my mask for the concert, but there will be no audience in the room, just a small crew - masked and distanced - to capture it on camera. Tommy will be about 12 feet away at the piano, which is how we've done it for our livestreams in Vegas.

Aside from New Year's Eve 2006 when you performed at Time's Square with your fellow JERSEY BOYS, how many other New Year's Eves have you headlined before 2020?

It must be three or four. I'd say the holiday I'm asked to do the most is Valentine's Day, which is no surprise, given the nature of my set lists. But we've done a few New Year's Eve's and they're always fun. Lots of champagne popping and streamers and all that. Balloons.

Have you counted the number of performances you gave as Frankie Valli?

It's at least 1,300. Now don't get me started on how many times I've sung "Sherry Baby," though.

Any JERSEY BOYS audience response/reaction that you still remember to this day?

Those mid-act, sometimes even mid-song standing ovations I'll always remember. I understood for the first time what putting over a literal showstopper, numerous times a show felt like.

You're already booked into Feinstein's/54 Below for six nights in March. Was this engagement planned before the pandemic? How easy and quick can you and your band pivot from live to livestreaming?

The engagement was a re-schedule of a July run, which couldn't happen. I'm going with the flow on these things. I really would rather wait than to endanger myself, my colleagues, and most importantly, the audience. The pivot to livestreaming is easy for the band, not much changes for them. For me, I'd say it's a shift from playing the room to playing the cameras.

What is your wish for the New Year?

My wish is that we can safely congregate and travel as soon as possible. I'm a natural introvert, but this is getting too much even for me.

Thank you again, John! I look forward to ringing in the New Year with you online!

See you on the interwebs!!

For tickets to John's HAPPY NEW YEAR 2021 livestream December 31st (8p PST/11p EST), log onto www.feinsteinsatvitellos.com

To check out John's latest rhinestone art pieces, go to www.johnlloydyoung.com/shop

To read my previous interview with John, click here.

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