John Glacier Turns the Page
JOHN wears KNITWEAR by FRUITY BOOTY, DRESS/TOP by ASAI, JACKET and SKIRT by MASHA POPOVA, BOOTS by DIESEL
While John has been receiving her fair share of the spotlight, walking fashion shows like Marine Serre and starring in campaigns for Daniel Lee’s Burberry, she’s not phased by the constant attention. Instead, she’s almost unaware of it at times.
“I kind of live in my own world. Someone will recognize me and I will be shocked. I live in my own world and I just make music,” she says. After the release of SHILOH, she crafted a collaborative mixtape called JGSG with New York-based producers Surf Gang, surpassing her UK-specific following and gaining an international audience.
Growing up, the rapper found herself enthralled with many types of music present in her Jamaican home. Often encountering melodies from pop, reggae, and dancehall, she cites Jamaican DJ Super Cat as one of the most important concerts she ever attended. She went alone, not waiting for anyone to tell her they’ve heard of him before. It was on Jamaican Independence day, and it was a no-brainer for John.
In her new EP, Like A Ribbon, produced by Flume, Vegyn, and Kwes Darko, she’s exploring a new side of herself with upbeat, joyful beats and melodies, writing from a place of welcoming her new life.
“Like A Ribbon is like many running threads that coincide and sometimes they get tangled, then they find a way to untangle, but at the same time you’d like to accept that it was all a part of life,” she said.
The five-song EP, mostly produced by her longtime friend Kwes Darko as executive producer, matches Glacier’s apparent eagerness for life and a cherishing of its everyday moments. Her video for “Money Shows”, which features vocals from singer Eartheater over punk-infused guitar riffs, shows Glacier beginning her manifesto for what life has to offer with lyrics like “show up and I always show out/no doubt I cause I know about ways/long days cause I talk about pain / I’m still running I could talk about strains.” It’s clear that Glacier is on a new path. In the video, the rapper sits in a chair while getting her hair and makeup done for a performance, a direct visual for the energy she’s putting out into the world.
look 1: JOHN wears BLUE TOP by ASAI, GRAY TOP and SKIRT by OTTOLINGER, TROUSERS by COPERNI, SHOES by STEVEN MA, BANGLES by DINOSAUR DESIGN, EARRINGS are STYLIST’S OWN
look 2: JOHN wears HOODIE by SRVC, DRESS by Y/PROJECT, TROUSERS by MASHA POPOVA, BOOTS are TALENT’S OWN
SHILOH’s religious themes ring with biblical references in lyrics like “Gabriel cover me/Under angel wings/Stuck on Calvary,” making me wonder about the rapper’s spiritual life. While she was raised Christian — similar to myself and other first generation Caribbeans — she let go of that label a long time ago.
“I pray every day,” she says, still emulating that one ritual she was taught in her large and loving home. John revealed that she’s a Libra, born on October 21st, the same date as myself, although when I mentioned my transition into a quarter life crisis, John simply replied that she feels ageless. “I feel like certain people when they’re 40, they might feel like they have to live their life differently. When I’m 40, I don’t feel like I’ll feel that way, I’m going to live life how I want to.” She’d been referred to as an old soul all her life, transparently wise, vivacious, and, in her own words, “sparky."
With Like A Ribbon’s follow-up, expect to hear John step into herself, accepting the role she plays while navigating her life experiences — all while remaining true who she is. The whole project is a continuous writing process: subjects of her life glossed over in Like A Ribbon will be thoroughly investigated in part two of the project. Upon this release, anticipate tour dates throughout the U.S., where John’s new optimistic sound will inspire a similar blend of energy just like her childhood home.
