New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Dance is transcendent. John Roberts is a believer. Forever consumed by the electronic, pop, and new wave of the '80s and '90s, music always percolated around the Emmy-nominated actor (as the beloved 'Bob's Burgers' character
Linda Belcher), comedian, singer and songwriter. Today, May 21 he delivers his latest track "Divide People" which will appear on his upcoming debut full-length album
Lights Out. Accompanying the single is a video directed by Nina McNeely who is known for her work with Bjork,
Rihanna and
Banks to name a few.
On the more politically relevant, Depeche Mode-fused "Divide People," Roberts explores the world under the microscope of former administration and coming out of that "hateful, divineness, racism, homophobia, and anti-semitism, Asian hate and kids in cages." Motioning ahead, Roberts insists the song is beyond "him" now.
"It stirred up something that's always been in this country," says Roberts. "It's just a message that we need to hear more. I'm a child of the civil rights movement, so it's just crazy that here we are still fighting the same kind of things. We need to come together. Everyone's getting their own tailored version of the story, so it's really about community and using your eyes, your ears, your brain, and your heart to bring people together."
Set for release on June 4, Roberts' album
Lights Out is produced by
Junior Sanchez (who also remixed some Roberts' earlier songs in 2019) and features guest appearances from icons such as
Debbie Harry on the title track,
Beth Ditto and babydaddy (Scissor Sisters). Billboard Pride called album cut "
Freaks" '…a stunning dance-pop single produced by
Junior Sanchez that sees the singer embracing everything that makes him weird and wonderful."
Hailing from Edison, NJ, John Roberts' deep-rooted love for music can be traced back to his youth. At the onset of the 90's he fell in love with the New York City rave scene and frequented the storied warehouse parties mythologized in movies like "Go." He visited Other
Music in the city's fashion forward Village neighborhood on a weekly basis to buy new releases from Orbital, Moby and more. Going from music lover to being in a band was a no-brainer and Roberts found himself the front-man for Opti-Grab. The group released one album and toured relentlessly. Bringing things full circle, former tour-mates
Blondie tapped him to drop some lyrical fire on "Love Level" from their critically acclaimed 2017 chart-topper Pollinator. "Looking," a wild anthem produced by Big
Black Delta, followed in 2019, marked his solo debut with remixes by Tensnake,
Junior Sanchez and Gerd Janson. The song—which landed at #19 on UK club charts--along with "Dirty
Little Secrets" and "Lonely Boys Have Fun Too" appeared on his self-titled EP released last summer. Flashforward to 2020, Roberts entered the studio with longtime club friend
Junior Sanchez for its follow-up. "
Freaks"—out now—is one of the many songs the two collaborated on that will appear on Roberts'
Lights Out album set for release June 4, 2021.
On the acting front, John Roberts has gone from viral YouTube clips like "The Christmas Tree," "My Son is Gay" and "Jackie & Debra" (generating more than 40 million views) to appearances on "The
Tonight Show," "Archer" and more in addition to multiple tours alongside
Margaret Cho. He went on to join the cast of the EMMY Award-winning "Bob's Burgers" as lovable & loud matriarch
Linda Belcher which landed him first EMMY nod in the category of "Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance" (2015). The show is now in its 11th season with a feature film to be released spring 2022.
