(Epic) John K punctuates a meaningful milestone with the release of his third studio album, SALT + LIGHT. A reflection of his growth as an artist, husband, and father, the 13-track project captures a new chapter-one shaped by universal themes of honest self-reflection and John K's strongest songwriting to-date. Get the album here via Epic Records.
Written over the course of the last few years and produced by the likes of Rykeyz (Lisa), Ryan Daly (John Legend, Dove Cameron), Grant Boutin (Tate McRae), Midi Jones (Tinashe, Ella Mai), and more, the album is led by singles "Honey," "River," "Lost," "Never Been In Love," and the newly released "Broken."
SALT + LIGHT notably arrives just ahead of John's upcoming North American headlining run. The SALT + LIGHT Tour: Part 1 kicks off July 31 in Seattle and will hit 19 cities. With stops across San Francisco, CA, Los Angeles, CA, Chicago, IL, Toronto, ON, New York City, NY, Atlanta, GA, and more, the tour will wrap on August 31 in John's hometown of Orlando, FL at The Social.
"I've grown into becoming a father and a husband, and my music has grown with me," John K shares. "The goal is still timeless, story-driven songwriting, but now it's for my wife, my family, and myself."
That personal focus has shaped not only the album but John's entire return to music. Last year's "Lost" marked the first song shared from the project and set the tone for the music that followed.
"You've found the person you can't imagine your life without," John said of the track. "The only way to say it is, 'I'd be lost without you'. Musically, we're trying to create these moments."
Singles like "Honey"-which is currently top 15 at Hot AC Radio-and "Never Been In Love" further explore the album's themes through a mix of pop and R&B influences, while "Broken" offers one of the album's most vulnerable moments-a tribute to his wife's unwavering love.
John K's return has invigorated his global audience, which was solidified by an inspiring run of early wins. In just a few short years, he landed an opening slot on the international One Republic Tour, hit the road with Marc E. Bassy, sold out a crowd of 15,000-plus in Korea (where he is a bonafide pop star), and racked up over 1.3 billion streams across his catalog. His 2019 breakout "if we never met" went multi-platinum, and he released two albums over the course of 2020 and 2021.
Now, with the official release of SALT + LIGHT, John K reflects on the road to this point: "I want every word I'm singing to be believable. My biggest hope is to connect. I hope the tension, pain, growth, and love come out in this beautiful way. I want to write songs you can play at your wedding and keep coming back to for the rest of your life. I'm grateful for every day I get to pursue this. I'm taking notice of all the beauty around me, and I'm excited to bring this music to the world.
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