Jonathan Antoine, who first dazzled the world with his beautiful voice when he appeared on Britain’s Got Talent in 2012, is set to release his fifth studio album, “Going the Distance,” on SONY Masterworks on April 3. It is produced by Grammy Award-winner Gregg Field, who’s worked with everyone from Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, to Barbra Streisand and Andrea Bocelli.
With this fifth album, Jonathan has really found his voice—eight years after his debut, he’s now free to follow his own vision. “Going the Distance” realizes a childhood idea to structure an album in three acts, like a musical, to tell the story of overcoming adversity to fulfill your dreams.
The album kicks off with a trio of Disney classics: “Go the Distance” from Hercules could have been written for Jonathan about his own inspirational journey. ‘And I do think people should have theme tunes,’ he laughs. It’s followed by “Can You Feel The Love Tonight?” from The Lion King and “Baby Mine” from Dumbo. ‘The Disney songs influenced my childhood immensely,’ he says. ‘As a child, I listened to them religiously. I watched “The Lion King” on repeat for three years straight.’
Act two is comprised of the iconic tracks “Moon River,” “Summertime,” and “Unchained Melody.” There’s a gospel/soul version of John Denver’s hit “Country Roads” and a poignant rendition of “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” from Les Misérables. It also features “Compass (I Will Lead You Home)” by songwriter extraordinaire, Diane Warren.
‘We got really lucky,’ enthuses Jonathan of working with the Grammy award-winner whose hits include: “Because You Loved Me” (Celine Dion), “How Do I Live” (LeAnn Rimes) and “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” (Aerosmith). ‘”Compass” is about accepting yourself and others, and accepting our differences. And Diane rewrote some of the lyrics, so it fit even more perfectly into our theme.’
Jonathan’s musical journey concludes with the arias “Amor ti Vieta,” “Caruso,” and the showstopper “Nessun Dorma.” After years of requests, Jonathan is now ready to tackle one of the most famous opera songs of all time, “Nessun Dorma.” With years of practice and training under his belt, Jonathan now performs this legendary opera classic with maturity and grace, yielding a jaw-dropping response from the audience. He debuted “Going the Distance” in two concerts in Toronto, Canada–recorded for a TV special now airing on Public Television and worldwide.
Jonathan Antoine – “Going the Distance” Track listing:
- Go the Distance
- Can You Feel the Love Tonight?
- Baby Mine
- Compass (I Will Lead You Home)
- Moon River
- Summertime
- Unchained Melody
- Country Roads
- Empty Chairs at Empty Tables
- Amor ti Vieta
- Caruso
- Nessun Dorma
“Going the Distance” is also the title of Jonathan’s first U.S. television special. The concert has begun airing on Public Television—please check your local listings for air times. Jonathan will be making personal appearances in the following cities at the local Public Television stations: Miami, Buffalo, Baltimore, Tampa, Phoenix, and Chicago.
The British tenor also plans a fall U.S. tour later this year. The following dates have been announced:
9/25 Chicago – The Harris Theatre
9/23 Phoenix Mesa Arts Center – Ikeda Theatre
10/9 St. Petersburg, FL – Mahaffey Theatre
10/11 Fort Lauderdale, FL – Au-Rene Theatre Broward Center
10/14 Morristown, NJ – Mayo Performing Arts Center
10/16 Troy, NY – Troy Savings Bank Music Hall
10/18 Toronto, ON – Queen Elizabeth Theatre (Toronto, ON)
Tickets for these dates can be purchased on pre-sale from your local public television station, and via http://jonathanantoinemusic.com
‘It’s very hard to create something and even harder to create something that you are proud of,’ Jonathan acknowledges, ‘that is why I am so excited to let you all into the world that I have been building for the last 4 years. I sincerely hope that you enjoy this journey with me—stay tuned!’