Jeris Johnson, the viral TikTok musician best known for his mashups of metal and hip-hop, bares and wears the title proudly, as it’s literally tattooed across his stomach in arching Old English lettering. He knows that it’s a bold statement to have etched on your body, but that’s exactly what he’s aiming to be: the future of rock.
“Yeah, I called myself that for a while. I got it tattooed on me. But I’m self-aware about it all,” Johnson explains. “Obviously, I believe in myself and have confidence in my music and my place in the rock and metal space. I do think that I’m on to something that pushes the genre forward.
“But at the same time, just the phrase ‘future of rock’ is almost just to get people to think about what the future of rock and metal even is in the first place.”
As Johnson sees it, breaking the rules is what makes alternative genres the most exciting, so that’s what he’s doing on his latest album, Dragonborn, released independently on August 23. The high-fantasy concept, which sees Johnson embrace his LARPing alter-ego, is a mix of hard rock, power metal, pop and trip-hop, or “fantasy metal with a hip-hop edge,” he says.
“I wanted it to have that kind of personality and edge to it, and take the things I love about my favorite genres of metal and hip-hop and throw it all into one album and see what happens,” Johnson continues, adding that there was a time when he distanced himself from the heavier music and “nerdy shit” he grew up liking.
“A lot of it is really about accepting who you truly are. It sounds cliché, but it really is like that. This is me fully embracing who I truly am.”
The thirteen tracks even include a cover of “Kiss From a Rose,” Seal’s 1994 single that blew up after appearing on the Batman Forever soundtrack a year later.
“I knew I wanted to do one cover, because a lot of my early fans on TikTok will know me from the reloads, remixes and covers that I’ve done,” he says. “I was searching for what that might be. It’s a little unexpected, but the lyrics, the melodies, it already feels kind of fantasy-esque. It’s one of the greatest songs of all time. I was like, ‘Fuck it, I’m just going to do my own version for this album.’”
Johnson’s take on popular songs such as Papa Roach’s “Last Resort” made him a social media phenom and led to several heavy-hitting collaborations, including with Papa Roach frontman Jacoby Shaddix, Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger (“damn! [Remix]”) and Oli Sykes of Bring Me the Horizon (“Can You Feel My Heart - Remix”).
“It’s really cool and obviously an honor to have been noticed by all of these types of people,” he says. “It still blows my mind whenever I get a new DM from somebody.”
Most recently, Johnson teamed up with Falling in Reverse vocalist Ronnie Radke, who took him under his wing during the writing process of hit alt-country single “All My Life,” featuring Jelly Roll.
Now, Johnson is opening up for Falling in Reverse during the band’s current “Popular Monstour II” run. The Denver date is Monday, September 23, at the JunkYard; Dance Gavin Dance, Black Veil Brides and Tech N9ne are also on the bill. Johnson will be back on the Front Range in October for his first-ever headlining tour: Thursday, October 17, at the Black Sheep in Colorado Springs and Saturday, October 19, at Denver’s Marquis Theater.
No matter where you catch him, Johnson knows how to put on a modern medieval rock show, proudly wielding his sword and shield as he brings the Dragonborn world to life.
“If it were up to me, I would be coming out riding a fucking fire-breathing dragon,” he says. “I love to perform. I love embracing that side of myself. When I go on stage, it’s me but it’s not me. It’s a different part of me. It’s me on steroids. It’s my essence on stage.
“I want it to feel like an experience for people. I want to do fun shit. I want to do creative shit,” Johnson continues. “I want to make it something to remember. I want to make it an escape. I want people to go to my show and be immersed.”
After all, Johnson may have been “born to break the mold,” as he proudly proclaims on new song “The Story of Our Lives.” If you aren’t familiar with his bravado, Johnson’s lofty, self-fulfilling prophecy may be a bit shocking, but as it’s played out so far, it seems more like destiny than anything else.
“It’s everything I’ve ever wanted, and it’s just slowly unfolding. It does feel very good, but I’ve always thought I was going to do music, and I always had a belief in myself and that I would make it work somehow in some way,” Johnson shares.
“While it is an honor and it is amazing, it is not surprising,” he concludes. “I've always known that I was going to do something like this. Just to watch the manifestation of it come together is cool, man.”
Jeris Johnson, with Falling in Reverse, Dance Gavin Dance, Black Veil Brides and Tech N9ne, 5:45 p.m. Monday, September 23, the JunkYard, 2323 West Mulberry Place; tickets are $84.
