Jon Bon Jovi has opened up about his brand-new music! As Entertainment Tonight shares, Bon Jovi's 15th studio album— which he's titled 2020— will be released on Friday, October 2, and the singer talked about why he chose to create a social commentary.
Bon Jovi says he "started to really get deep" into current events
Bon Jovi shared with Entertainment Tonight that the current situation the world has found itself in has been a big inspiration for his music. "If this year doesn't give you that ammunition to write, then what would, right?" he told Entertainment Tonight's Nischelle Turner. "2020 is the most unique year I've lived."
He mentioned that the album was originally intended to be "tongue-and-cheek and a cute bumper sticker in an election year" when he began recording songs in March of last year. "But as events started to unfold, and I started to write more and more topical songs...I started to really get deep into what was going on around us," Bon Jovi explained. "Trying not to take sides. In essence, being a witness to history."
Bon Jovi talks about shift caused by COVID-19 pandemic
Bon Jovi mentioned that the coronavirus pandemic caused plans for his album— which he had originally intended to release on May 15— to change significantly. "And the world really hit the reset button," he said. "We decided to postpone the record and cancel the tour and I continued the writing."
"Then I wrote "Do What You Can" and then, ultimately, "American Reckoning." Then I really thought that the album title was appropriate and I was ready to present it," Bon Jovi shared. As he told Entertainment Tonight, the latter track was directly inspired by the death of George Floyd, which brought the Black Lives Matter movement to the forefront of global attention.
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"I worked very hard on it. I was so moved by the death of George Floyd and watching and witnessing it on television over and over again," the singer revealed. "Whether it's because we were in lockdown or whether it's because the visual was so clear or the audio was so clear, when I heard the story of George Floyd calling out for his mom, I welled up."
Bon Jovi says he's "very proud" of "American Reckoning"
Bon Jovi said that after feeling what he felt after seeing Floyd's story, he ended up writing "American Reckoning". "The only way I know how to get that across is to sit down and to write," he shared. "And I wrote it, and truthfully, I played it for my wife and she said the verse is great, you gotta keep working on the chorus."
"And I went back and I woodshedded some more…I made sure that I got it right. This was a difficult subject for a guy like me to tackle, but one that I'm very proud to have spoken on and embraced," Bon Jovi said.
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"It is America's reckoning, and the call to action and to shine a light to use your voice and that's how you'll remember all of those who have suffered like this," he shared. "It doesn't matter if it's 2020. Do what you can to make a difference."
Bon Jovi talks about impact of band's song "It's My Life"
Bon Jovi also talked about how his band's hit song "It's My Life," which recently celebrated its 20-year-anniversary. "I've been around a long, long time now," he said. "'It's My Life' was amazing for us…It was empowering and that turned a whole other generation on to our music," he said. "It was a second birth of the band."
During the coronavirus pandemic, the singer has also been giving back with his wife, Dorothea, as the couple spent some time helping out New Yorkers in desperate need of food! "We opened a food bank on Eastern Long Island because the need was so dire," Bon Jovi explained to Entertainment Tonight. "And we worked hard there for four months, providing the food for seven pantries."
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"So we were feeding 25,000 people on Eastern Long Island. We were very very busy throughout this whole COVID...I was dishwasher every day, five days a week, for the first two months," he shared. "But out of washing dishes comes great songs."
Earlier this year, Bon Jovi also released a song he recorded in collaboration with Prince Harry. And after seeing what the singer's said about 2020, it sounds like his latest album is sure to be full of memorable and timely songs!
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