"I hit a septic tank of all things": Jonah Kagen shares how his wild road trip shaped his debut album 'Sunflowers and Leather'

Jonah Kagen, who met his colossal rise to fame with "broken" and "God Needs the Devil," finally released his debut album, Sunflowers and Leather, earlier this month. In his exclusive interview with People, the Savannah-born artist spilled the secret on how the album came about — and it was after a crash.

The 25-year-old singer told the outlet that living in Miami in uncertainty prompted him to pack his bags, return to his parents' home in South Carolina, and buy an Airstream trailer and another truck in tow.

Off he drove to Montana, aiming that his journey would be reflective of his next record. He also converted the vehicles into a recording studio.

"I didn't go out there with the intention of doing a certain amount of work or hitting a certain milestone at any point or whatever. I know that this is how I want to record ... I'm going to have my album be reactive to whatever my life is."

He continued:

"And so that's why I say the album literally is the physical journey. It was like the moment that I started was when the album started."

But just as he was on a cross-country adventure, he plunged into another uncertainty that would eventually inspire his new release.

"I promptly totaled my truck and got into a car accident. I had this very stark realization as I'm sitting there watching, I'm looking at my mangled truck, brand-new truck. It's just in pieces, and all these cars are driving by and they're yelling stuff, 'You can't park there!' and all that sort of stuff. I was like, I guess this is what I wanted."

Jonah Kagen added:

"It was like I had this new shiny thing, new shiny truck, all this stuff, and I was like, 'I'm going to go make my new shiny album.' And in that moment, the universe was like, 'Shut up. No, you're not.'"

Jonah Kagen hits the road once more, this time in a weathered truck

Despite the crash, Jonah Kagen didn't stop. The event gave him a fresh perspective that he drove behind the wheel of a beat-up truck instead, alongside his Airstream, and the details would then end up shaping the overall sound of Sunflowers and Leather.

The debut album contains 16 tracks, where Jonah Kagen explores themes of happiness, death, and love. One of the songs, in fact, came after a moment he was "moving too fast" and being overly ambitious.

"And then I hit a septic tank of all things, it just was so humbling."

Trending

The artist also reflected on the last song on the album, which tackles death. Jonah Kagen connected it to his strong urge to make the most of his time in life.

"So what it is, is this deep desire to do enough while I am here on this earth, knowing that I could die at any moment or whatever. And the truth is that I am the conclusion I came to, I am not in the slightest afraid to actually die."

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback