Jonathan McLaughlin (born September 27, 1982) is an American
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
singer-songwriter, record producer and pianist from
Anderson, Indiana
Anderson, named after Chief William Anderson, is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Indiana, United States. It is the principal city of the Anderson, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses Madison County. Anderson is ...
. His debut album ''
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
'' was released on May 1, 2007, preceded by his first
EP ''
Industry
Industry may refer to:
Economics
* Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity
* Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery
* The wider industrial sector ...
'', also known as ''Jon McL'', in February 2007. His most successful song is the 2008 single "
Beating My Heart", from his second album ''
OK Now''.
Early life
McLaughlin grew up in
Anderson, Indiana
Anderson, named after Chief William Anderson, is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Indiana, United States. It is the principal city of the Anderson, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses Madison County. Anderson is ...
, playing piano since early childhood, though he disliked the lessons, and often sought to avoid them. While attending
Highland High School, McLaughlin shattered both wrists in an accident that interrupted his musical career. Rediscovering "his muse," McLaughlin attended
Anderson University to study music.
Career
McLaughlin released an independent album entitled ''Up Until Now'' in 2003. This quickly led to McLaughlin becoming the first artist to sign on with the school's burgeoning record label, Orangehaus Records (now Orangehaus Entertainment). The self-titled album released in 2004 to local and regional praise. He began touring throughout the Midwest and working up a grassroots following.
In 2005, McLaughlin recorded an 8-song EP, ''
Songs I Wrote and Later Recorded''.
Touring expanded to across the country as support continued to grow for the independent artist. He also increased his fan base by playing at Timber Wolf Lake, a
Young Life
Young Life is an evangelical Christian organization based in Colorado Springs, Colorado which focuses on young people in middle school, high school, and college.
Week-long Summer camps are a major focus, and these have a definite evangelizing asp ...
camp, with his first album entitled ''Jon McLaughlin''. He caught the attention of other independent artists and began touring with artists such as
Dave Barnes
David Mckee Barnes (born June 20, 1978) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee. He has released eight studio albums, including two Christmas albums. His most recent full-length album, ''Dreaming in Electric ...
and
Matt Wertz
Matthew Stewart Wertz (born February 17, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter. Originally from Liberty, Missouri, as of 2014 he lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
Life and career
Born and raised a Christian in Liberty, Missouri, Wertz's intere ...
.
In 2005, he signed with record label
Island Records
Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...
.
Since then, McLaughlin increased his presence at well-established musical venues and festivals such as Feeling Better Than Everfine (Cleveland, OH), Waterfest (Oshkosh, WI),
Milwaukee Summerfest (Milwaukee, WI), Northwest State College Fest (Archbold, OH) and
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza (Lolla) is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991 but several years later made Chicago the permanent location for the annual music festival. Musi ...
(Chicago, IL). He has toured with
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...
,
O.A.R.
O.A.R. (short for Of A Revolution) is an American rock band, founded in 1996 in Rockville, Maryland. The band consists of lead vocalist/guitarist Marc Roberge, drummer Chris Culos, guitarist Richard On, bassist Benj Gershman, saxophonist/guitar ...
,
Sister Hazel,
Cowboy Mouth
Cowboy Mouth is an American band based in New Orleans, Louisiana known for fusing alternative rock with album-oriented rock, roots rock, and jam band influences. Formed in 1992, the band saw early mainstream success in the 1990s, including th ...
,
Paolo Nutini
Paolo Giovanni Nutini (born 9 January 1987) is a Scottish singer, songwriter and musician from Paisley, Renfrewshire, Paisley. Nutini's debut album, ''These Streets'' (2006), peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart. Its follow-up, ''Sunny ...
, and
Marc Broussard
Marc Broussard (born January 14, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter. His style is best described as "Bayou Soul", a mix of funk, blues, R&B, rock and pop, matched with distinct Southern roots. He has released eight studio albums, one liv ...
.
Major label debut
After signing with Island Records, McLaughlin increased his public image by providing music for the NBC comedy ''
Scrubs
Scrub(s) may refer to:
* Scrub, low shrub and grass characteristic of scrubland
* Scrubs (clothing), worn by medical staff
* ''Scrubs'' (TV series), an American television program
* Scrubs (occupation), also called "scrub tech," "scrub nurse," o ...
'', episode "
My Conventional Wisdom
The sixth season of the American comedy television series '' Scrubs'' premiered on NBC on November 30, 2006 and concluded on May 17, 2007 and consists of 22 episodes. The series moved to Thursdays at 9:00 pm as a part of NBC's Comedy Night Done R ...
," on May 10, 2007. McLaughlin's song, "Human" was included in the episode. The same song appeared at the end of the episode "The Walk-In" of ''
Ghost Whisperer
''Ghost Whisperer'' is an American supernatural television series, which ran on CBS from September 23, 2005, to May 21, 2010.
The series follows the life of Melinda Gordon ( Jennifer Love Hewitt), who has the ability to see and communicate with ...
''. "Beautiful Disaster" can also be heard in the TV series ''A Little Thing Called Life'' in the season two episode titled "The Greatest and Worst Halloween Ever." "Beautiful Disaster" sold over 420,000 digital copies.
To date, three Hollywood-released films have included songs from McLaughlin. The song "Another Layer" appeared on the soundtrack for the motion picture ''
Bridge to Terabithia'' and "Beautiful Disaster" is used in the 2007 film ''
Georgia Rule
''Georgia Rule'' is a 2007 American comedy-drama film directed by Garry Marshall, written by Mark Andrus, and starring Jane Fonda, Lindsay Lohan, Felicity Huffman, Dermot Mulroney, Cary Elwes, and Garrett Hedlund. The original score was composed ...
''. McLaughlin also made an on-screen appearance and performance of the song, "
So Close" (written by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz) in the
Oscar
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People
* Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms.
* Oscar (Irish mythology), ...
-nominated
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
film ''
Enchanted''.
The song received an
Oscar nomination
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
.
This led to McLaughlin performing at the
80th Academy Awards
The 80th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2007. The award ceremony took place on February 24, 2008, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. During t ...
, which he attended with his wife Amy.
Rising fame, collaborations, Academy Awards
McLaughlin opened on
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...
's
My December Tour
The My December Tour was the fourth headlining concert tour by American pop rock recording artist Kelly Clarkson, and followed the release Clarkson's third studio album, ''My December'' (2007). Originally a large-scale summer tour timed to coinci ...
beginning in October 2007, a role announced on ''
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014.
The fourth incarnation of the ...
'' on August 7, 2007. He has also toured extensively with similarly styled and popular singer-songwriter,
Sara Bareilles
Sara Beth Bareilles (, ; born December 7, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She has sold over three million albums and over 15 million singles in the United States. She has earned various awards and nominations including nin ...
.
He recorded a trio with
Jason Mraz
Jason Thomas Mraz (; born June 23, 1977) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence with the release of his debut studio album, ''Waiting for My Rocket to Come'' (2002), which spawned the single " The Remedy (I Won't ...
and
Van Hunt
Van Hunt (born March 8, 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He released his debut album, ''Van Hunt'', in 2004, and a follow-up, ''On the Jungle Floor'', in 2006, both on Capitol Records. He won the ...
for the
Randy Jackson
Randall Darius Jackson (born June 23, 1956) is an American record executive and television presenter, perhaps best known as a judge on ''American Idol'' from 2002 to 2013.
Jackson began his career in the 1980s as a session musician playing bas ...
duets-album ''
Randy Jackson's Music Club, Vol. 1
''Randy Jackson's Music Club, Vol. 1'' is the debut studio album by record producer Randy Jackson. The album was released on March 11, 2008. Jackson himself did not sing on the songs on ''Music Club'', but he did produce them all.
Sales and char ...
''. The track title is "Something to Believe In". McLaughlin's "Human" is also heard in TV Promos for CBS series' ''
Flashpoint''.
![Jon McLaughlin Yamaha](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Jon_McLaughlin_Yamaha.jpg)
In 2007, McLaughlin appeared as himself in the film ''
Enchanted'' starring
Amy Adams
Amy Lou Adams (born August 20, 1974) is an American actress. Known for both her comedic and dramatic roles, she has been featured three times in annual rankings of the world's highest-paid actresses. She has received various accolades, incl ...
and
Patrick Dempsey
Patrick Galen Dempsey (born January 13, 1966) is an American actor and race car driver. He is best known for his role as neurosurgeon Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd in ''Grey's Anatomy''. He had early success as an actor, starring in a number of fil ...
singing "
So Close", which led to a performance at the 2008
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
. In 2010, the song was used in Disney California Adventure's
World of Color
''World of Color'' is a nighttime show at Disney California Adventure in the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. Conceived by Vice President of Parades and Spectaculars, Steve Davison, and designed by Walt Disney Creative Entertainment, th ...
show.
McLaughlin's version of "Smack Into You", written and produced by
The-Dream
Terius Youngdell Nash (born September 20, 1977), better known by his stage name The-Dream, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. His co-writing credits include songs with "Me Against the Music" (2003) for Britney Spears, "Ride ...
and
Tricky Stewart
Christopher Alan "Tricky" Stewart (born January 4, 1974) is an American record producer, record executive, songwriter, and music publisher. In a career spanning over 30 years, Stewart has won 5 Grammys and is responsible for over 50 million rec ...
, was leaked to the internet in 2008, but did not appear on ''
OK Now''.
Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
eventually covered the song and it was featured on her album ''
I Am... Sasha Fierce'', re-titled as "Smash Into You".
In June 2008, McLaughlin premiered "
Beating My Heart", which was released to mainstream radio on July 22, 2008, prior to being sent to
Hot Adult Contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet ...
(Hot AC) on June 10. "Beating My Heart", first single from his second studio album ''
OK Now'', is available with the rest of the album for download on
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
and Amazon. The song was praised by ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' single reviews editor
Chuck Taylor, who wrote that "It's high time for singer/songwriter Jon McLaughlin to earn his due."
He followed this with a description of the song as "a joyous uptempo romantic romp, featuring hook after hook, from tinkling piano to driving percussion and a start-and-stop bridge, alongside a joyous effortless vocal that soars with falsetto to the high heavens. The accompanying video is simple enough, but effectively illustrates McLaughlin's charms as a palatable sex symbol. "Heart" pumps with instantaneous hit potential, and proper promotion of it could propel the artist to superstar status."
McLaughlin co-wrote "Every Time You Lie" and "Falling Over Me" with
Demi Lovato
Demetria Devonne Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992), known as Demi Lovato, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), Lovato rose to prominence for pl ...
for Lovato's second album ''
Here We Go Again'' in 2009. The latter was originally a duet, but the final version only featured McLaughlin's backing vocals.
Label changes, independent, and new ventures
McLaughlin self-financed and released his third studio album, ''
Forever If Ever,'' on September 6, 2011. He later signed to record label
Razor & Tie
Razor & Tie was an American entertainment company that consisted of a record label and a music publishing company. It was established in 1990 by Craig Balsam and Cliff Chenfeld. Based in New York City (with additional offices in Los Angeles an ...
and re-released the album as ''
Promising Promises'' on May 22, 2012, remastering all the tracks and adding three new songs. The first single from the album, "Summer is Over," featured
Sara Bareilles
Sara Beth Bareilles (, ; born December 7, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She has sold over three million albums and over 15 million singles in the United States. She has earned various awards and nominations including nin ...
and was released on January 10, 2012.
In July 2013, McLaughlin launched a campaign with PledgeMusic, allowing listeners to actively be involved with the making of his new album. The album, ''Holding My Breath,'' was released on September 24, 2013, and debuted at No. 26 on the Billboard Independent Albums and No. 141 Billboard 200 charts. It was preceded by the singles "Hallelujah" and "Doesn't Mean Goodbye."
Additionally, he released a set of short films on his YouTube channel ahead of the album's release.
On February 15, 2014, McLaughlin was the opening act for
Billy Joel
William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man (song), Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo ...
at The Palace of Auburn Hills, (
Auburn Hills, Michigan
Auburn Hills is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 21,412 at the 2010 census. Before incorporating as a city in 1983, the area was part of the now-defunct Pontiac Township. It is home to Oakland University ...
) in addition to the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada stop on March 9, 2014.
In 2015, he announced a new album ''
Like Us'' with the premiere of his single "Before You" in July. A follow-up single "I Want You Anyway" was released in September. The album ''
Like Us'' was released on October 9, 2015.
In 2017, he opened for Scott Bradlee's
Postmodern Jukebox
Postmodern Jukebox, also widely known by the initialism PMJ, is a rotating musical collective founded by arranger and pianist Scott Bradlee in 2011. PMJ is known for reworking popular modern music into different vintage genres, especially early ...
and
Straight No Chaser's "Double Feature" Tour. He also began a new Patreon series called "Dueling Pianos." The following year, he announced a new single "Lost" which preceded his next album ''Angst & Grace'' which was released on November 9, 2018.
Personal life
McLaughlin and his wife, Amy, have two children, Luca and Liv.
Discography
Studio albums
Independent albums
Extended plays
Singles
Other charted songs
Filmography
References
External links
*
Jon McLaughlinat VH1.com
Jon McLat NoiseTrade
Jon McLaughlin Chart Historyat Billboard
{{DEFAULTSORT:McLaughlin, Jon
1982 births
American pop musicians
American male singer-songwriters
Anderson University (Indiana) alumni
Living people
Musicians from Anderson, Indiana
Writers from Anderson, Indiana
Island Records artists
21st-century American singers
21st-century American male singers
Singer-songwriters from Indiana