Little monsters, you’re in for a treat! Lady Gaga’s bassist Jonny Goood opened up about the Joanne world tour and more in this exclusive interview with Us Weekly.
Goood, 30, who has collaborated with The Weeknd and Miley Cyrus, told Us that it’s a dream to work with Gaga.
“Before I had the opportunity to work alongside her, I always felt like she was our generation’s David Bowie. She’s an icon,” he told Us. “When I first met her, I tried to shake her hand and she just gave me a hug, and from that point on … It was endearing. I didn’t feel like she was the icon I knew she was because she had such a humble spirit.”
The rising star, who considers the “Bad Romance” songstress to be an innovator in the music game added: “[Gaga] really extends herself to be great, and she treats everyone with love and kindness. She takes care of all of us, and she demands excellence out of us too.”
Of playing alongside the “Born This Way” performer, who is planning her upcoming Vegas residency, the former police officer turned musician gushed: “My favorite part [of being on tour] is actually just being in an environment where you’re not held back. It’s a really family-oriented environment that they helped create and they allow me to do my own thing as an artist.”
He continued: “No one gets in each other’s way, there’s no arguments, there’s no fights, it’s just really like a family business. People actually love being around [Gaga]. We had Christmas parties and she shows up to the birthdays and it’s just like we don’t even look at her as Gaga. She leaves what she does on the stage, and that’s what I appreciate about her.”
Traveling on a world tour doesn’t come without its challenges. “I feel like being away from home and being away from my musical setup and not being able to sleep in the same bed, that sometimes gets hard,” Goood explained to Us. “It’s definitely a great experience, but at the same time, you have to make sure you’re mentally prepared. Your body has to be in shape, you have to make sure you’re eating right too. A lot of people get sick on tour if they don’t take care of themselves.”
Adding to the fun, the “Sirens” performer, who discovered that he could rap and play the bass at the same time, created his own genre of music called bass-hop. When the star is not playing sold out arenas on the Joanne tour, he’s touring with his group, Jonny Goood and the Triple O’s. “I can go from being at the T-Mobile Arena in Vegas [with Gaga] to performing at a small 100-person club that next day or that night. I think this is really one of the first tours where I felt like I was free to just be myself, man, express myself.”
Jonny Goood’s second album, Basshop, drops February 16.
With reporting from Marc Lupo
