Exclusive: Jon Bon Jovi Rebounds From Vocal Strife To Be a ‘Forever’ Rockstar

Updated:

June 28, 2024 9:57 am

Jon Bon Jovi was all rock star energy and hit songs when he bounced up and down on stage at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena in the spring of 2022, doing his best to make it through his signature refrains, including “Dead Or Alive” and “I’ll Be There For You.”

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Physically, the singer was in top form. Vocally, something was amiss. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer isn’t afraid to admit it. He was singing out of key, and try as he might, he didn’t know what was wrong. A doctor finally diagnosed Bon Jovi with atrophying on one of his vocal cords. He had surgery in which a permanent implant was attached to the afflicted cord. While the singer still isn’t sure of the outcome, he knows he’s better than he was. Bon Jovi has been in recovery for nearly two years. Progress has been steady, and he said that recording the band’s new album Forever in Nashville was part of the journey.

“It’s the best record we’ve made in 20 years,” Bon Jovi told American Songwriter. “It’s a really great album. The reaction to it thus far, it’s been unbelievable.”

Jon Bon Jovi: “It’s the Best Record We’ve Made in 20 Years”

Bon Jovi recorded Forever at Nashville’s famed Ocean Way Nashville Studios, a century-old gothic revival stone church adorned with colorful, intricately crafted stained-glass windows. Four decades and 130 million records sold after he reconfigured the face of rock music, Bon Jovi co-produced Forever in Music City alongside John Shanks who also plays guitar in the band.

The singer took his time with Shanks and the band while recording in Nashville, a luxury that allowed him to create Forever precisely as he heard it.

“The fact that we sit and just do something that we’ve done years past and have the same feeling and when it comes together quickly,” drummer Tico Torres said. “Every record is special, but this one has a special magic from doing it here in Nashville.”

Bass player Hugh McDonald explained that the band had made several of their last albums in Nashville at Ocean Way.

“The lighting, the feeling, it’s a vibe,” keyboardist David Bryan added. “Jon’s written so many songs here. God, it’s special.”

Torres added: “The last place that had the feeling in the studio like this was Little Mountain in Vancouver where we did Slippery (When Wet) and New Jersey.”

“We’re Just Eternally Young” – Hugh McDonald

“When we all get in that room and record songs together, look at each other, we’re just eternally young,” McDonald continued.

“So, it’s nice that we can commemorate it and celebrate releasing the album here,” Bryan finished.

Bon Jovi was in Nashville to mark the opening of their new entertainment complex, JBJ’s Nashville, on the city’s famed Lower Broadway. “Legendary” came out the same week, so the group recognized the birth of both Nashville-centric projects with a trip to Music City.

Forever is packed with songs Bon Jovi’s fans want at this stage – tracks that honor musical and lyrical calling cards for which the band is known while reaching into the future. Bon Jovi called the collection “a return to joy.” He’s anxious for fans to hear “Legendary,” which the band released before the album came out.

“It sets the record up,” Bon Jovi said of the album’s first song.

Bon Jovi debuted “Legendary” at the 2024 MusiCares Person of the Year gala, which honored him ahead of the Grammy Awards. The lyrics honor the people most important to him as he sings: “Got what I want/ cause I got what I need. Got a fistful of friends that’ll stand up for me.”

While the singer created the band’s last album 2020 almost completely alone, Forever is the opposite.

Calling Forever a “fully collaborative effort,” Bon Jovi said that if 2020 was ‘me,’ this album is ‘we.’”