Jonathan Koeppel’s newly released song, “America, Come Back,” has reached 96 on the Singer/Songwriter
Chart since its release on Feb. 25. This is his seventh produced and released original song.
The Lion's Roar/Elizabeth Brown
Already having six songs released, student Jonathan Koeppel released another original song. Koeppel’s new song “America, Come Back,” will be his seventh produced and released song.
Koeppel’s inspiration for his new song comes from how he thinks the United States is divided.
“I’ve noticed that the USA as a whole is extremely divided right now and the political atmosphere is pretty crazy,” said Koeppel. “Even though I’m not a famous artist or big public figure, I wanted to use my music to try and bring people together. The goal is to get this song to be used as an anthem that people can sing together regardless of their skin color or social class.”
Along with his new song, he released a video that he shot in Old Town Slidell and in his home in Lacombe. He started in October of last year and finished in February.
“I wanted to add a visual aid to the song in order to accompany the lyrics and add extra emotion,” said Koeppel. “It’s also really something any artist should do when releasing a song; music videos can really help an artist get noticed.”
Koeppel’s music video for “America, Come Back,” is being promoted by a Marketing/Development company that is based in Los Angeles. The company works with Univision Radio, Alex Campos, Tercer Cielo and other known clients. For three weeks, it will be marketed in the United States. The video already has reached over 2,000 views on YouTube in a little over 4 days.
Even though Koeppel only has six released songs, he writes quite frequently and has over 50 songs that are registered with American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.
“Writing is something I do on a regular basis,” said Koeppel. “I come up with phrases here and there, then later I am able to turn them into complete songs. I write so much that sometimes I’ll find videos on my phone or pieces of paper with songs I’ve written and forgot about.”
Since Koeppel released his EP in October 2014, he has played 40 gigs, but his favorite is the home of the Lions.
“Honestly, my favorite place to perform is on campus,” said Koeppel. “It feels like home and I’m more relaxed.”
Koeppel has many people he owes gratitude to about his success, but he feels the university has been a lot of help.
“The university has helped out a bunch,” said Koeppel. “If you want to be a successful artist, you need people to know who you are. Being able to say that I’ve been promoted in any kind of way on my university’s campus is a blessing. It speaks volumes. When I am able to go to meetings and show an article posted in ‘The Lions Roar’ or on the university website, it really helps me to stand out among other artists.”
Koeppel also mentioned that he owes a lot of his progress to his faith.
“I credit all of my progress with music to my networking skills and Jesus,” said Koeppel. “I have no idea how I am always at the right place at the right time, talking with the right person.”
Since the songs release on Feb. 25, the song has reached 96 on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter chart.
“At first I couldn’t believe it, but then I remember that this is what I have been praying for and it all became real,” said Koeppel. “I was really in awe when I saw my song starting from 200 and working its way up to 96. I was on the charts with artists like Ed Sheeran, Tracy Chapman, Cheryl Crow and James Taylor. It was awesome and hoping that bigger things are to come.”
You can find Koeppel’s song, “America, Come Back,” on iTunes and his music video on YouTube.