John Robert Constantine (born September 3, 1986), known professionally as The Hound is a Los Angeles based singer, songwriter, and record producer.

The Hound
Birth nameJohn Robert Constantine
Born (1986-09-03) September 3, 1986 (age 38)
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • keyboards
Years active2009–present
Websitethehoundmusic.com

Early life

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Constantine was born in Los Angeles and was raised by his mother in the suburb of Santa Clarita. He studied voice and guitar at a young age and attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, one of the top 5 art high schools in the U.S.[2] studying voice, composition, and opera.[3] While many of his peers went on to conservatory, Constantine went to Musicians Institute for Music Business, Audio Engineering and Production.[4][5][6]

Career

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Orchid and Hound

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After college, Constantine moved to San Francisco with his boyfriend Lawrence Alarcon. After their relationship ended, they formed the band Orchid and Hound in 2009, releasing two studio albums and an E.P., and played at South by Southwest in 2012 with One Little Indian Records.[7][8] SF Weekly described their music as "bouncy piano melodies over somber lyrics that focus mainly on relationships. One barely notices that the lyrical content expresses a dour mood, as the music does just the opposite."[9]

Can't Let You Go

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Constantine moved to Downtown Los Angeles, and on August 4, 2017, released the single "Can't Let You Go," as The Hound. The electronic pop song was written, produced, and recorded by The Hound. It had a positive reception, with Paris Close of Billboard calling it a "hot blooded hit," alongside other musicians from the LGBTQ community.[10] The video was directed by Adrian Anchondo and stars gay pornstar Adam Ramzi. The video portrays Ramzi and The Hound as boyfriends who have broken up and is told through choreography by Andrew Pearson. The video was called "unashamedly queer and sensual" by Kevin James Thornton in Huffington Post.[11]

References

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  1. ^ "DTLA Proud Festival". DTLA Proud. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  2. ^ "Where Carmen is cool". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 March 2004.
  3. ^ "The Hound Barks Up The Wrong Tree In Debut Single, Can't Let You Go". FOP Mag. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  4. ^ "October Feature Interview: The Hound". Diversity Rules Magazine. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  5. ^ "Left of Str8 Show: Singer The Hound and Comedian Margaret Cho". Left of Str8. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  6. ^ "Episode 215: The Power of Letting Go – The Hound". Rick Clemons. 11 October 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  7. ^ "Thursday Showcases". Retrieved 19 March 2010.
  8. ^ "What Indie Did Next: Orchid & Hound". QX Magazine. 18 June 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  9. ^ "Local Frequency: Bay Area Band Q&A w/ Orchid and Hound". SF Weekly. Retrieved 27 January 2010.
  10. ^ "30 Gay Love Songs: Frank Ocean, Troye Sivan, Kele Okereke & More". Billboard. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  11. ^ "What This Queer Musician Learned From Heartbreak and George Michael's Death". Huffington Post. 3 September 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2017.