It has been almost three years since Sturgill Simpson released his “final” album The Ballad of Dood & Juanita. Today (July 12), he returned with a new name and a new album. Credited to Johnny Blue Skies, Passage Du Desir sees a reinvented Simpson singing songs of love and loss through the lens of years of international travel and self-reflection.
Videos by American Songwriter
At the time of writing, Passage Du Desir has only been widely available for about ten hours. However, many fans are already hailing it as the Album of the Year. The eight-song collection is at the same time a quintessential Sturgill Simpson record and a reinvention of one of country music’s most interesting and eclectic artists.
[RELATED: Sturgill Simpson Announces New Stage Name, Album, and Tour for Full Rebrand]
Recently, Simpson sat down with GQ to discuss his new name, his fresh outlook, and the events that led him to create what many are calling a masterwork.
The Injury That Ended Sturgill Simpson and Birthed Johnny Blue Skies
Today, the Kentucky native calls Paris, France his home base. He wrote all of the songs from Passage Du Desir—and countless others—while living in the city. His journey to France began when he hit the road in 2021, as the world came out of the pandemic and live shows became possible once again. “I had gotten out of the label deal and I was in an extremely positive space,” Sturgill Simpson recalled. “I was playing and recording all this bluegrass music with arguably one of the best bluegrass bands ever assembled,” he said of his Cuttin’ Grass albums.
“I was stoked. We were going to go back on the road and I was going to sing with this band,” he said. Unfortunately, Simpson ruptured his vocal cords during Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Tour. “I’m sitting at home and after going through a pretty dark few years, wrapping my head around the music industry and what it meant to me, and then suddenly I was in this really positive space, just excited about music—and I literally can’t sing. I couldn’t even talk,” he recalled of the time.
Hitting the Road in a Bigger Way
After the universe seemingly pulled the rug from under his feet, his mental illness surged. Simpson explained that he suffers from dysthymia, a form of long-term, treatment-resistant depression. It worsened after his vocal cord injury. Sitting at home only made things worse for him. “I just told my wife, ‘I gotta go because I’m having some dark ideas here,’” he explained. “I just wanted to go to old places with a lot of history to get away from the new and the news of everything.”
So, he did. Simpson traveled to Thailand where he would stay for weeks at a time. However, it was the siren’s call of Paris that would keep pulling him back. “It was like seeing life in color for the first time in a long time,” he said, reflecting on his first time in Paris. “The city, the sunlight—if you’re in a bad mood you just go for a walk and you’re in this breathing masterpiece,” he added.
More than anything, he found his travels to be transformative. He found a new identity in his fresh outlook on life. “Sturgill served his purpose but he’s dead, he’s gone,” Simpson said. “I’m definitely not that guy anymore.”
Sturgill Simpson on Passage Du Desir
Simpson looked to a long list of artists for inspiration when creating his new album. The Bee Gees, Fleetwood Mac, Van Morrison, and JJ Cale were among them. “I just wanted to make love songs,” he said about the record. “If you ask me what I just did, I feel like I just made a rock and roll record. Honestly, I feel like it’s the most ‘me’ record I’ve ever done, because it’s sort of a little bit of everything else, finally realized together.”
Featured Image by Sterling Munksgard
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.