Chicago area singer-songwriter Jon Conover did not intend to become a YouTube sensation.
But he has after his new music video, “How God Chooses,” has garnered more than 100,000 views in just a few weeks. The video was directed by Andrew Young of St. Charles-based Andrew Young Photography.
Conover will perform from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. Saturday at McNally’s Irish Pub, 109 W. Main St., St. Charles.
Kane County Chronicle reporter Eric Schelkopf had the chance to talk to Conover about the new video and his music.
Eric Schelkopf: What kind of vision did you have for the video? What kind of message did you want to come through?
Jon Conover: The way I write, I try to not to answer questions, I try to ask questions with my music.
I don’t necessarily think that any of us have all the answers. So I try to leave my work kind of ambiguous. I like to influence people to think deeper into things if possible, but not to give them anything other than those questions.
So, when I told Andy about the video, I told him that I wanted to give images that kind of reflect the depth of the song, but don’t really answer any questions. I wanted to leave it that people could apply it to their own lives. You can take that video a lot of different ways, I think. It can be about loss, but it can be about hope.
The song started with the sincere question, I wonder how God chooses. And I hope that comes across in the video.
ES: Was the video shot around here?
JC: It was shot on a road in Sandwich, and some stuff was done out in Geneva and in downtown Chicago.
The girl in the beginning whom I’m taking to at the table, she’s my girlfriend.
ES: The video has gotten almost 103,000 views. How does that happen, word of mouth?
JC: Yeah, I seriously cannot believe it. Me and Andy said we were going to celebrate if it got 1,000 hits. We sent it out to all our friends and family on Facebook and posted it on our pages, and just said, “Hey people, please share this. If you like the video, pass it on.”
It got a lot of views in Ireland. I tour over there almost every year. It probably spread quicker in Ireland than anywhere.
ES: Were you recently touring in Ireland?
JC: Yes, I did nine shows in 10 days last September. The first time I played there was in 2006.
ES: Why do you think that people in Ireland are really liking you?
JC: It’s a different thing over there. Here in the states, for the most part, people listen to the beat of a song before they listen to the lyrics.
In Ireland, it’s the opposite. They listen first to the lyrics. Even with young people, it has to mean something to them in order for them to give it a chance.
In my world, lyrics came more naturally to me than anything. The music side of things, I’ve really had to work on. But lyrics I guess are my strength, followed by singing and then playing.
