New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Just in time to embrace the joy and celebration of PRIDE, nu-disco electronic artist John Roberts has released debut album,
Lights Out (via X-Bop) on Friday, June 4, 2021. Produced by
Junior Sanchez, it features guest appearances from Debbie Harry,
Beth Ditto and babydaddy (Scissor Sisters).
Lights Out is a collection of 13 songs influenced by electronic, pop, and new wave of the '80s and '90s. It features the more politically relevant, Depeche Mode-fused "Divide People. With a video directed and choreographed by Nina McNeely (Rihanna, Bjork, Banks), Roberts explores the world under the microscope of former administration and coming out of that "hateful, divineness, racism, homophobia, and anti-semitism, Asian hate and kids in cages." Motioning ahead, Roberts insists the song is beyond "him" now.
Other offerings include the title track "
Lights Out" featuring
Debbie Harry of Blondie, with a trippy animated video directed and animated by Kris Baldwin (Birds of Prey, Cartoon Networks DC Super Hero Girls) and the lead single "
Freaks" - called by Billboard Pride '…a stunning dance-pop single produced by
Junior Sanchez that sees the singer embracing everything that makes him weird and wonderful" - also with a video from McNeely.
Then there is "
Nobody" with the original Beth Ditto. "Beth Ditto's voice is church-like. It's an uplifting song," Roberts said in a statement to Rolling Stone, adding of the track. "When I was a kid, I used to jump on a mini trampoline in front of the mirror to
Janet Jackson and it just reminds me of being alone with yourself, spazzing, and dancing. It's about showing the world that you're kind of capable of things that they don't expect. It's having those moments alone with yourself where you kind of gain confidence, then bring it out to the rest of the world, and just being a little different, confident, and knowing there's other freaks out there."
Ultimately, Roberts - who also is an EMMY nominated TV star, LGBTQ icon and comedian best known as the voice of the lovable
Linda Belcher on the hit TV show "Bob's Burgers"--has crafted an album he is proud of, the truest representation of his love of music.
Lights Out turns everything on. It's touchy. It uplifts. It makes you shake your ass, and it's not afraid to bite.
Lights Out Tracklist:
1.
Lights Out Feat. Debbie Harry
2. Freaks
3. Nobody Feat. Beth Ditto
4. Divide People
5. Stoned In Love
6. Lose Your Mind
7. The Wave
8. Thought Control
9. Hyper Critical
10. Love Electric
11. Our Vibe
12. Here It Comes Now
About
Hailing from Edison, NJ, John Roberts' deep-rooted love for music can be traced back to his youth. At the onset of the 90's he fell in love with the New York City rave scene and frequented the storied warehouse parties mythologized in movies like "Go." He visited Other
Music in the city's fashion forward Village neighborhood on a weekly basis to buy new releases from Orbital, Moby and more. Going from music lover to being in a band was a no-brainer and Roberts found himself the front-man for Opti-Grab. The group released one album and toured relentlessly. Bringing things full circle, former tour-mates
Blondie tapped him to drop some lyrical fire on "Love Level" from their critically acclaimed 2017 chart-topper Pollinator. "Looking," a wild anthem produced by Big
Black Delta, followed in 2019, marked his solo debut with remixes by Tensnake,
Junior Sanchez and Gerd Janson. The song—which landed at #19 on UK club charts--along with "Dirty
Little Secrets" and "Lonely Boys Have Fun Too" appeared on his self-titled EP released last summer. Flashforward to 2020, Roberts entered the studio with longtime club friend
Junior Sanchez for its follow-up. "
Freaks"—out now—is one of the many songs the two collaborated on that will appear on Roberts'
Lights Out album set for release June 4, 2021.
On the acting front, John Roberts has gone from viral YouTube clips like "The Christmas Tree," "My Son is Gay" and "Jackie & Debra" (generating more than 40 million views) to appearances on "The
Tonight Show," "Archer" and more in addition to multiple tours alongside
Margaret Cho. He went on to join the cast of the EMMY Award-winning "Bob's Burgers" as lovable & loud matriarch
Linda Belcher which landed him first EMMY nod in the category of "Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance" (2015). The show is now in its 11th season with a feature film to be released spring 2022.
