John Flanagan is an artist impervious to the confines of conventionally defined genera. Instead he writes in the bold new frontier of Dance Rock. Some might call it glam. Others might call it pop. With a twist of The Killers drive, Mika’s devil-may-care falsetto-pop, and Brandi Carlile’s broken vocal styling, Flanagan would rather let his listeners define it for themselves. After all, audiences are what make or break an artist. With performance credits stretching across the country from Georgia to Oregon, Texas to Indiana, and Nashville to New York, Flanagan has entertained thousands of people across America.
Born in Boston, at 17 he moved away from home to cut his teeth in Nashville, TN. For 5 years, Flanagan crafted his songwriting voice through various bands and side projects including The Gilly, Emily Kent, Jared Mitchell, and The Lorentzens. He’s headlined numerous showcases and was selected to participate in ASCAP’s fall pop songwriting seminar from thousands of submissions. He’s recorded on stage at the Grand Ole Opry and has performed alongside Steven Curtis Chapman, Louise Mandrelle, and the Radio City Rockettes. In February 2010, Flanagan was named “the new voice of Foxwoods/MGM casinos.” Currently, his jingle is playing in the arenas at Madison Square Garden and the Boston Garden, over New England televison, and across the airwaves of the Northeast.
In Fall 2010, Flanagan set out on his first solo recording project, Pretty Lies, with producer Jake Hartsfield. Little did he know that it would be his last major project in Nashville. The perfect culmination of upbeat radio-singles and sensitive ballads, Pretty Lies, has met with rave reviews. One listen to cuts off of the new EP, like the frantically-catchy “Love You Anyway” and the electrically charged “Elephas” and it’s easy to see Flanagan forging a career as an accomplished librettist by day and a commanding dance-rocker by night.
With 2011 came a new year and a new city. Anticipating the release of his freshman album on February 15, Flanagan decided to kick off the dust of Nashville’s sleepy popular music scene and make a clean break for New York City’s dazzling 24-hour-a-day independent underground. Quickly climbing the ladder of New York City’s music scene, Flanagan is currently playing a slew of shows and exposing a new audience to his innovative sound. Good luck to John!
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