John Steen

John started playing music in the 7th grade when he was obsessed with punk and alt rock music. Covering Blink 182, Green Day and Red Hot Chili Peppers helped him learn guitar, and he began to seriously write songs in eighth grade. As a freshman in high school, John released his first E.P. with band "Unstable."

John continued to write songs and play for friends until college, where he was chosen as a songwriter to be on the Baylor University campus record label "Uproar Records." There he met future bandmate Max Helmerich (Thick as Thieves) and formed band Zoo Studio. Zoo gained recognition with the Baylor community and released "The Black and White E.P." in 2011. The single on the E.P. "Thief" gained radio play on the East Coast and placed in the top 100 on the FMQB charts in 2011.

Zoo Studio broke up when John graduated from college, and after trying accounting for a brief period of time, John decided to seriously pursue music as a career. Working as an accountant during the day, John is now trying to make music a full-time profession by performing live as much as possible and promoting his new E.P. "Off the Ground." John began working on "Off the Ground" in early 2013 after approaching producer Lorenzo Cosi in London, UK. Lorenzo has worked with acclaimed artists and producers like Sacha Skarbek, Martin Terefe, Lana Del Rey and Lisa Marie Presley, and adds a certain pop and electronic element to John's pop/indie rock feel.

"The Off the Ground E.P." (set to release in Summer 2013) combines John's many alternative and pop influences together to form a unique and fun blend of mainstream and indie sounds. Some of John's influences that have helped shape the E.P. are Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foster the People, Jack Johnson, One Republic, Jack White, Ellie Goulding, Phoenix, Fun and Coldplay.

With an intense desire to leave his day job and make a living off of something that he loves, John is putting his all into making quality music and connecting with fans. The path ahead is an exciting story of growth and challenge which John considers well worth the wait.