Jon Worthy shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Jon, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
I have been on a major travel bender for the last 2.5 months. If money wasn’t a consideration, I would simply travel the world, eat all the food, drink all the drinks, and immerse myself in the different cultures of the world. Unfortunately I can’t do that all the time, but I have set my life up in a way that I’m able to travel far more than the average person and I’m super grateful that I get to do so as much as I do.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Jon Worthy. I’m a full time musician based in Nashville, Tennessee. I grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, went to college at Penn State, then moved to Nashville as soon as I graduated. I took a rather unusual approach to my path as a full time musician. I graduated Penn State with finance and economics degrees and instead of doing the normal Nashville musician route of bartending or serving at a restaurant, I decided to use my degrees and get a corporate job to support myself while I pursued music. I quickly realized that I really disliked working a corporate job, but it allowed me a better opportunity to fund my music career. So through countless shows, albums, bands, and life changes, I worked a corporate job for about 8 years before I finally felt comfortable enough to pursue music full time. I’ve been a full time musician for about 3 years and while it’s a grind and very unpredictable, the freedom I have is worth all the money in the world for me. I get to choose exactly what I want to do with my time. I currently make a majority of my money doing songwriting and production for other artists a lot of which hire me online. I am also on song 5 with local Nashville artist Savraya which has been an awesome experience working consistently with an artist on their music. I used to tour quite a bit, but after years of DIY touring and rising costs to travel and pay bandmates, touring became less of a worthwhile venture. Now a lot of the shows I play are solo shows due to the ease of traveling and not needing to hire bandmates. Performing is my favorite part of being a musician especially with a full band, so my current goal is to grow my fanbase and get to the point where I can play legit shows and do what I love the most. One of the ways I’m attempting to grow my fanbase is through social media. When I started my travel bender a few months ago, I realized I had a lot of content to share from my travels and I have released so much music that I could share the two in tandem and show more of who I am as a person. In today’s world where everyone is addicted to their phones and has access to all the videos, people aren’t as impressed by music videos and professional quality performances so the need to show who you truly are a s a person is imperative. And that’s what I’ve been attempting to do with my social media videos. I am letting it all out. Attempting to show my true self and be as vulnerable as possible.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I think until I really found music and performing I was always just a little hesitant to be myself. I was always self contained so my true essence wasn’t coming out. And honestly I didn’t even know what my true essence was, but I always felt a little out of place. My senior year of college when my band started performing at a local college bar on a regular basis is when I feel like I really starting figuring out who I was. It was then that I realized music was a part of who I am. No one that knew me really had any idea that music would grow to be such an important part of my life. But the more I started performing and expressing my thoughts and fears through songwriting, it became apparent that music would be a huge part of who I am. I think something I’m most proud of is the fact that I haven’t let the world tell me who I have to be. I live a very singular life that not many people can comprehend. I get to do pretty much whatever I want whenever I want and it’s because I haven’t followed the path of anyone else. I’ve carved out my own existence and my own style of life that suits me best.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
I think for me songwriting and music has always been my therapy. I’m able to take my traumas, heartbreaks, disappointments and turn them in to songs. And it’s those songs that people have related to the most because no matter how alone we may feel, most people have similar experiences with heartbreak and suffering. And the beauty of music is that it brings people from all walks of life together when otherwise there would be no way of bringing those people together. I think hiding pain is a natural human trait. We all do it to some extent. But for me when I started writing songs, the most natural thing for me to write about was my emotions. And I have continued to write and sing about all the tough experiences I have endured throughout my life.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I think my own music is something that I will always have the most command over and ability to pursue. I will always be able to write and produce songs about my experiences. I will always be able to relay my thoughts and beliefs in to social media videos. I will always be able to play shows by myself. And most importantly I think more so than any project I’ve ever been involved in, I believe in my songs, my performing, my ability to create the most.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: When do you feel most at peace?
I feel most at peace when I’m in another country walking around the streets watching people, stopping for a bite to eat and a drink, and just enjoying being alive and the ability to enjoy. Not worried about anything to do with music just trying to enjoy the experience of a new culture, a new type of food. I think that’s why my desire to have a legit fanbase that allows me to tour the world is such a dream of mine because not only would I get to play killer shows and do what I love musically, but I’d also get to travel and see the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jonworthythebends.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonworthymusic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonworthymusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jonworthy
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jonworthymusic
- Other: http://www.tiktok.com/@jonworthymusic
Image Credits
Photos by Sheldon Hawthorne and Eli Brown.
