Rising Singer John Blu

Friday, 03 September 2010 10:30 Written by  Bonita Holmes

The energy in his voice assures that John Blu, Chicago’s next artist on the rise, was ready to answer any questions asked. The 24-year-old who has crowned himself the “R&B Bully” seems ready to take his singing career to the next level.

jb “A bully is a person who picks on something or someone until they get what they want out of it,” he said. Blu plans to “pick on” the music industry until he gets what he wants out of it, which he says is success.

For Blu, being one of the latest voices signed under Jive Records was “a blessing and a dream come true.” Blu’s hit single, “In Love with Your Booty,” received major airplay making it the number two most played record in Chicago without Blu being signed independently. Written and produced by his own hands, Blu wanted to create a song that had a lot of character “for women who are not ashamed of their shape, I wanted a catchy title that [would] draw the viewer or listener.”

The title was definitely catchy, and it has earned Blu the opportunity to be label mates with other artists including Anthony Hamilton, Britney Spears, Chris Brown and Jordin Sparks. He stresses that he doesn’t want to stick with one genre, and he is planning on working with various artists. He has already collaborated with Will from Day 26, Mystical and All About Us label mate Young Ghost with their single “Rosetta Stone.” All about Us Records or AAU is a Chicago-based label created by Kenneth “Chuck” Hines. Blu has been a part of the AAU family for a few years and being signed to Jive has opened doors for AAU. Other AAU artists include Lil Nikki, Velle, Koo Koo and J-O.

Known as John Bluford to family and close friends, Blu grew up in Bellwood, Ill., a western suburb of Chicago.

“I enjoyed my childhood,” said Bluford, who released his first project professionally at the age of 13, titled “Reverse Psychology.” Blu started off as a musician playing the keyboard and then the drums. Blu would often try to mimic a song he heard on the radio with his keyboard. He then started producing, moving on to rapping and then deciding to start signing.

Blu worked on his career for 10 years before he finally made it where he wanted to be. Through that process, he said he “felt like everything was pretty much a learning experience.” Blu encountered a lot of people along the way who were simply trying to “get over” on him, which is what he means by learning from your mistakes.

Blu copes with life as a musical artist by “staying prayed up” and reminding himself that “sacrifice comes before success and it takes teamwork to make a dream work.” His advice to anyone hoping to pursue a career in music would be to “keep God first and surround yourself with a team of positive people who [share] the same goals and ambitions that you have.” Blu sacrificed a lot of leisure time to focus on his craft noting, “While people were out partying, clubbing and running the streets, I was in the studio.”


Blu is interested in acting and other aspects of the entertainment industry. He encourages his fans to follow him on Twitter with @Johnblu and on Facebook, official John Blu.

Bonita Holmes

Bonita Holmes

Bonita Holmes, a native of Chicago IL is a sophomore at Columbia College Chicago majoring in journalism with a concentration in News Reporting and Writing. She has worked for many publications such as New Expressions and The Mash, and she plans on changing the scope of media.


Bonita can be reached at Bonita@glossmagazineonline.com