Songwriter Jann Klose collabs in joyful melody

Celebrated and award-winning songwriter Jann Klose has always been a lone-ranger kind of word and song man. He’s collaborated before, but his new single When I’m With You, released last month, marked the first time that he opened creative floodgates and allowed someone else in to share his entire process.

That certain someone was Everett Bradley of Bon Jovi. It’s where friendship, openness to mutual influence and talent intersected to create an upbeat tune of multiple layers and universal appeal, while still making a listener feel like the music is talking to them, individually.

“I used to write everything by myself,” Klose said. “I didn’t want anyone else touching it. But this was different. Everett’s a close friend. He started the session with a groove, not lyrics, and that opened something up.”

A partnership that ‘opened something up’

The two had played in the same music circles in New York for years before finally working together. When they did, it turned into more than just a writing session. “We’ve both got enough childhood trauma to fill a library,” Klose said. “That kind of honesty made it feel safe to go deep. We just spoke openly and let the music follow.”

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The track reflects this sentiment. “It’s not about being in love,” he said. “It’s about connection. For me, I thought of my best friend. But it could be anyone. It could be someone who makes you feel seen, who doesn’t judge you.” The song, he said, is also a reaction to the way people have stopped paying attention to each other. “We live on our phones. Everyone’s staring down all day. There’s very little actual presence anymore,” he said. “Music still cuts through that. It reaches people in a different way.”

Many artists believe music can change the world, or the world within. “I don’t know if it can fix anything. But I know it helps me. It helps people feel something. And maybe that’s enough. Because you don’t fix the world in one go. You fix things between people. One conversation, one connection at a time.”

It’s not charcoal music

Bradley also produced the track and directed arrangements to a sound that feels fresh without turning it into charcoal music; overdone and overcooked. “It’s the kind of track that feels personal, even while it’s playing loud,” Klose said. The single was recorded in New York with a team of musicians Klose has worked with before.

The idea of writing with someone else wasn’t always on the cards. Klose didn’t want to ever really do it. “I didn’t trust it,” he said. “I was worried someone would run off with my idea or it just wouldn’t come out the way I wanted. But that changed when I came back to South Africa in 2016. I was part of a writing camp, and it was the first time I really let other people into my writing.” He then collaborated with artists like Karin Zoid, Amanda Black, Tamara Dey and Zion. “I think it was the space, or maybe I was just ready. I dropped the fear and realised the music could actually be better with other people in the room.”

Making music is stressful

With a partner or not, said Klose, creating new music is always stressful. “Every time it’s nerve-wracking,” he said. “Someone’s always going to say it should’ve been produced differently, or you should’ve sung it another way. But you’ve got to let that go. At some point, you just back yourself.”

Klose grew up in Kenya, South Africa, Germany and the United States and has released seven albums and two EPs. His music has featured in Greetings from Tim Buckley, One Little Finger, and MTV Cribs, and he’s shared stages with John Oates, Pat Benatar, Suzanne Vega and The Yardbirds amongst others.

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