London Hutchins
London Hutchins -DEZii
London Hutchins is the man, the musician behind the songwriting of some of the world’s most prominent icons. From humble beginnings to sitting at home with Lionel Richie, London Hutchins’ story and journey are phenomenal, to say the least. Not only was he Disney’s first solo recording artist in 1989 with the then newly formed label, Hollywood Records, but he also became the man behind the theme song for Hollywood Pictures’ first film ‘Arachnophobia’. This was in collaboration with Steven Spielberg’s entertainment company, Amblin’.
As London’s name and reputation grew, he penned songs with artists Lionel Richie, Diana Ross and the Jacksons. Soon after, he signed a publishing deal with the world’s largest music publishing company E.M.I. during which he was represented by renowned manager Joe Ruffalo – who also managed Earth Wind & Fire and Prince.
ThriveIN Magazine was honoured to sit and talk to London, not only about where he started out but where he is going and the inspiration behind his music. Let’s dive on in.
Q: Who is London Hutchins today? And what is your plan for your music moving forward?
A: The short answer is still learning. Long, long answer; London is music as simple as that. I’m an artist, and I like to think of myself more as a renaissance artist. Somebody who’s not just one-dimensional but can see how art affects a listener. So in itself, art is its own Machiavelli, so to speak, you know, it reaches people that generally many things can’t reach.
Q: What is the meaning behind the name London?
A: So London, it’s sort of a funny story. Back in Los Angeles, 11 years old by myself during that time, I had never really had an agent. I ended up getting an agent in the traditional sense, he was a Jewish agent, kind of what you see in the movies, and he said, “You need a fabulous name to stick out.” So Brent Hutchins was not going to cut it. Who’s going to buy a record by Brent? So the agent had a baby book. So I went through the baby book, and the name London popped up and was unpopular as a first name. It was more so used in England as a surname. But I thought for a first name, this would be cool, but namely, because it meant literally from Roman times – Lin Donia. So when the Romans founded London, they put up a fortress to protect what they held sacred. In early language, it literally reads fortress of the moon to protect what you hold sacred. And I’ve been trying to do that my whole life, you know, protect what’s sacred music for myself. So London instantly became my name, and the agent said keep your last name; it really works. The rest is history.
Q: Your music and writing are centred around love. Where does that come from?
A: I think it’s natural growing up in the household that I did, as my mother was a missionary, and she raised 50 to 70 foster kids after raising seven of her own. So I learned early on, it comes naturally. I could choose love when I’m writing for others. Even then, the topic becomes fairly central, but it’s more of a story of overcoming. There’s love loss. You can write someone a sad song but take them out of that sad song into something greater. I was working with Lionel Richie, and at one point, he told me, “It doesn’t really matter how old and what’s in and what’s out, love never gets old as it’s always a topic you can write and sing about.
Q: You are doing an album. Tell me about that. Where are you producing it? What style of music will you be exploring, and when do you expect that to be released?
A: I’m so excited about the album. Just secured a production partnership. The guy’s name is Carlston, and we’ve worked really hard. I heard some of his stuff. He was completely blown away by what’s been written for the new album. Carlston is from Germany and has a really fantastic studio here in Bali. I started bits of the album on my own in Dublin, Ireland, from Ireland to England, England to Australia, some in Atlanta, Georgia, the states and here, so it’s kind of got a flavour from everything, but it’s uniquely me, and I was happy Carlson heard it. The record itself is electronic. This particular one is electronics.
Q: Are you going to be working with live musicians? How many songs will be on the album, and how are you choosing the tracks?
There’ll be a couple musicians, you know, bracing the record, but mostly I’ve played everything on it. I mean, I literally have thousands of songs, but from this particular record, I started writing newer stuff, had a few songs already that just were so strong. Since January, I’ve written maybe 50 songs. And I had to select down, and we’re starting to select again. I’m down to about 20 with a final number of 11 or 14.
Q: You mentioned that you’ve written 50- something songs for this record. How long does it take you to write a song?
A: Sometimes? Five minutes, sometimes years? I try to only touch songs when I’m inspired. I challenge myself sometimes. Say you got five minutes before that song needs to be ready, or you’re going on stage, you don’t have a thing; I like that rush sometimes and I kind of place myself in a challenge mode. Doing an album, of course, is different. And since I’m being tough on myself, I just, I gotta keep it going; melody and lyric have to merge in marriage.
Q: Who are some of the artists that you would like to work with moving forward
A: I want to be challenged. I mean, I love Tyler the Creator. I’d love to write with Bono I love to write with. There are so many artists I’d love to sit there and write with and learn from and participate in something great. So it’s open, it’s open wide.
Q: What are some goals you have aside from the album that you’re working on?
A: I’m doing an NFT side to the label. This is really important to me, and technology has always played a role in the upkeep of the music business. And like the cassette, CD, and digital tape were prominent for a minute, innovation goes hand in hand with the music business. It’s about giving artists their freedom to write, and then smart contracts within those NFTs allow artists to not have to trust who they’re working with because it’s already in the smart contract, and you can change it, and people get paid directly. So you don’t have to worry about somebody stealing money from you or this and other pitfalls.
Q: What advice would you give to an artist starting out, and what would you tell someone who is feeling stuck?
A1: First off, to someone starting their career, stay in your own lane. You must realize that your competition is within yourself. And yes, be competitive. But graciously competitive, meaning you can learn from anybody if you stay open. The most important thing is to know that there’s only one you, and no one can fulfil you without you. If you’re trying to get signed, if that’s your goal, or if you’re making an album, it’s just a matter of how much you work on your shot. People see in you what you’re putting into the music.
A2: What would I tell somebody who feels stuck? If it feels like you’re stuck – well, I say find inspiration. Why do you do what you do? There’s work to be done. Being stuck is just a figment of the mind; the world keeps turning whether you’re turning with it or not. Listen to things and people that inspire you and cut off people who don’t inspire you. You’ll find yourself more inspired.
Q: I want to ask you, the magazine is called ThriveIN. What is your definition of thriving?
A: That’s a great name. To me, it’s almost like exploration. Through life. It’s like no matter what. No matter what’s going on with the things around you, inside you or outside you, you’re still making progress.
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