Interview with Jonah Marais — Galaxy Magazine

Interview by Yising Kao + Exclusive photos by Jason Koenig

Check out our September 2024 issue featuring Jonah Marais on the cover HERE!

Jonah Marais recently released his first solo project after Why Don’t We disbanded two years ago, called The Jonah Marais Mixtape, a collection of songs mixed with a variety of genres, such as alternative and pop. Marais showcases his unique artistry through this mixtape with earnest lyrics and invigorating melodies. With a dedicated fanbase, he’s an accomplished artist who’s passionate about creating genuine connections with people and sharing his stories through his art. I got to chat with Jonah Marais on his EP release night, before he kicked off The Young & Optimistic Tour!

Congrats on your mixtape coming out tonight (June 28th)! This is your first solo project after Why Don’t We. You’ve shared you went through a rough year with your mental health and the lawsuit.

How does it feel to finally be free and introduce yourself to the world as an independent artist?

It feels like exactly that – it feels freeing and like the next step in this journey of life. And I feel proud to have pushed through some of that hard stuff and know that I'm still me and I'm ok. You know, my friends are still my friends and it’s taught me a lot. I think I'm a better person because of it.

I really think that shows like you can just get through and it’s all about surrounding yourself with people who care about you so you should be really proud of yourself.

Thanks.

You’ve worked with Jason Koenig and Ryan Lewis on this mixtape. You’ve mentioned that Ryan Lewis has been one of your musical inspirations, so this was like a full circle moment for you.

What’s something you’ve learned that really stuck with you from collaborating with Jason and Ryan as a solo artist? It’s obviously a whole different process from your past experiences recording with Why Don’t We.

I think that just my relationship with them is so important and that were on the same page. And we’re friends first before working together. And then having it be fun, that’s a big thing. If we’re not having fun doing this then why are we doing this? And that’s something that they taught me for sure. And really pushing for the best idea and excellence, whatever our view of excellence is, each of us. And elevating each other, wanting the best for each other. It’s really interesting working in a three-way partnership with them, it’s been cool. Like you said, I grew up listening to Ryan Lewis and Macklemore, they had one of my favorite albums growing up so being able to really know Ryan on a personal level and create with him has been such a great thing.

Did Jason have any prior experience before this? I know he films a lot of videos and stuff like that.

I think he’s been around a lot of writing sessions, filming in the room or whatever but this has really been his first time stepping into a writing role. So, I think this is new territory for him which I think is exciting for him.

I really like how this mixtape has a song for everyone. It’s got alternative vibes, pop punk, pop acoustic.

Did you go into the studio knowing what types of genres you wanted to include for this mixtape, or did you kind of experiment with different sounds during the production process?

I didn’t go in knowing what it was going to sound like at all or even an idea of what it was going to sound like. We just kind of started tinkering around with the instruments in the room and some prior beats that Ryan pulled up, we were like that’s really cool, we should write to that. I mean different songs came together in different ways but I would say it was pretty much usually kind of following some sort of trail of the flow with the song.

You’re already getting so much positive feedback from your fans so that’s amazing.

Yeah, it’s been amazing to see everyone’s reaction and I feel really lucky that people care.

You’ve shared that “TWISTED LULLABY” is about having imposter syndrome and feelings of doubting yourself.

Did you have any moments where you were hesitant about expressing your vulnerability and sharing it with the world?

What influenced you to channel your darker thoughts into this song? I know you’ve said Jason asked to write down some things that you don’t want to say publicly, as a writing prompt in the studio.

Yeah, I came in that day with the idea of “I'm hearing voices in my head tonight” and I really was the night before. I wasn’t sleeping very much. I was really worried about – “What’s the next step for me? Where’s my life headed? I don’t know. Do I need to stay with my same manager? Do I need to sign with a major label?” You know, I had a lot of these ideas that are like, this means a successful artist or this doesn’t. I was really kind of torn and I came in and Jason was like, “Alright, what do you think the hardest things are to say right now? What are those voices? What are they actually saying in your head?” and that’s what prompted me to sit down and kind of sit at the window and write that whole first verse and into the hook. I was a little hesitant to like, say those things because it’s just raw and real but it’s also like that’s what art should be. You can be raw and real and put it out in the world and it can make others feel safe to also talk about their stuff. And I think everyone’s going through their own version of that, bad times at times in life and I don’t want it to feel like we have to hold that in and fake it.

Yeah, and that was the perfect first single to put out too like you just went all out and shared that, so I love it.

Yeah, like hey this was what’s been going on, here are my thoughts!

Ryan Lewis & Jonah Marais in the studio by Jason Koenig

Jonah Marais, Jason Koenig, & Ryan Lewis in the studio by Jason Koenig

“A MILLION MIDNIGHTS” is my favorite song from the mixtape and I feel like it’s the perfect song to blast for a late night drive. I love the acoustic pop vibes of it. How did this song come together?

That song came together on a trip up to Washington. Ryan has a cabin studio up there. I brought my friend Liza up there, she’s an amazing songwriter and we all hung out and that song was one of the few that came that weekend. I had been hanging out with a couple of friends who are a couple, and I was kind of third wheeling a lot. And I was so inspired by their like fairytale love vibe that was happening that I was like, I want that so bad, and what would that feel like. I’m a big romcom fan and a hopeless romantic guy so like I wanted a song that could capture that.

And I feel like the song could definitely be in a Rom Com or coming of age movie.

Yeah, I think that’s what we were going for.

You’re going on your first solo tour which is super exciting! What are you looking forward to the most on this tour? Are you planning any production aspects like what you want the stage setup to look like with any props and stuff?

I’m so excited for the tour. I’m most excited to just see fans again and actually hanging out and interacting with fans. I get so much energy from that and I love meeting people in different cities. And I'm excited to sing all the songs together. And I've been trying to go on tour since 2020, you know what I mean? And theres been different obstacles that have come up in between and it feels like finally ok I get to do this and I'm so excited. In terms of that stage setup, I'm bringing my two friends Isaac and Bennett, guitarist and drummer. They actually play other instruments too so we’ll see, we’ll get creative. I’m going to play piano a lot on stage and we’re working on some production element ideas. I’m about to get intro rehearsals and I feel like in a few weeks from now, I’ll have a better answer, but I know it’ll be a really fun night, I can promise that.

Yeah, I'm excited, I’m coming to the LA show!

You’ve recently done a couple of fan meetup events. And I personally love when artists have in-person events to celebrate their new music because it’s so intimate and you get to put a face to the people who are listening to your music.

Nowadays a lot of artists aren’t doing meet and greets but I saw you’re including a meet & greet package on tour, and you always try to meet as many fans as possible regardless.

What’s it like to have such a dedicated fanbase and what inspires you to host these type of events?

It’s interesting. I don’t take it for granted that I have a lot of amazing supportive fans. I think a lot of people think of their fans as like a tool to get more popular or a tool to like, you know, be more successful or whatever. But from the beginning of this, I’ve looked at fans as friends more than anything. And it’s a really special connection. When I first started off at like fifteen years old I was kind of like in a hard spot, my mom had breast cancer, she’s good now but I was just kind of in my room alone and going on a website and starting to livestream and talk to people was kind of what got me out of that and what started this whole journey for me. So like, I have such a deep appreciation for the connection aspect of hanging out with the supporters. You guys are everything to me, that’s the only reason I get to do this. I’m excited. Obviously, there is a meet and greet for the tour but I’m really going to try to meet everyone who comes to the show.

I love that. You have such a genuine perspective of that and a good relationship with your fans.

What message do you want people to take from your mixtape?

I would say I just want you guys to enjoy it, have fun, go on a drive, put it on. I hope that it makes its way into your lives in different ways where it’s on in the background of some amazing moments. And it can kind of be a part of your memories of life. That’s the dream, like actually impacting people. For me, I can think of certain songs that I was listening to a lot in one period and when I think of it, I get certain like smells and images from that era of life. So, I'm hoping that like you guys can just intake this music and I hope you like it. I hope you connect with it.

Since you're a baseball fan, I was wondering if you’ve heard of the Savannah Bananas? They’re a baseball team that performs choreography to popular songs at their games.

I love them. I'm actually friends with a guy named Jackson Olson. We met in like 2022 and we’ve stayed Instagram or TikTok friends since then. We message each other once in a while and it’s so cool. I think they're doing a lot for the sport of baseball.

You should play a game with them.

Yeah, I’m so down, please.

You’ve mentioned that you auditioned for The Idea of You movie. Are you interested in exploring acting in the future? What type of genres are you interested in?

Definitely interested in exploring acting. I think that would be a really cool step for me and I think I’d be good at it. I feel like I could do it. And I was auditioning for a while and then just stuff picked up at the studio. I called my agent, and I was like thanks so much for getting me all this. And there were like two or three that I got far, and I was on a call with the production and all these people on the zooms and they were interested in me. When I was locking in with this project, I was like, I just gotta focus on this right now. It’s a lot when you're trying to memorize lines for an audition everyday and do your best and all that, it’s hard to balance both of those. But I think down the line, I'm super interested in picking that back up.

RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS

What’s a song you wish you wrote?

I’m trying to think of the perfect answer.

Or what’s your favorite song right now?

My favorite song right now is “Devil Is A Lie” by Tommy Richman.

A song that I really wish I wrote is “All of The Stars” by Ed Sheeran. I love that song.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

I think just listen to your gut is a big one. Sometimes it’s like everything looks and seems amazing but your gut’s saying, “no, be careful here, this isn’t it.” Or sometimes everything’s like “I don’t know if this is it” and then your gut’s like, “Yep this is good.” You gotta pay attention to that stuff.

If you were the ruler of another planet, what would you make the first law be for everyone?

I would say everyone has to dance.

That would be amazing, it can be like High School Musical everyday.

Yeah, it sounds like a good time.