It ain’t all rock’n’roll

Growing up in the limelight is hard enough for a Hollywood young blood, but how do you follow in the footsteps of your father when your father is an iconic rock ‘n’ roll legend?

For Sean Ono Lennon, the only son of Beatles founding member John Lennon and avant-garde artist Yoko Ono, you don’t.

Since birth, Sean Ono Lennon, 31, has grown up in the afterglow of his father’s celebrity. Despite being held up to soaring standards as one of two of John Lennon’s offspring, the Lennon son has attempted to make a name for himself, apart from his father’s name, in none other than the music industry.

Perhaps taking a cue from older half-brother Julian Lennon, 43, who attempted to break into the pop music scene in the ’80s with a few hit songs but was ultimately met with mixed reviews from listeners who either praised the Beatle-esque similarity or frowned upon the striking musical style resemblance, Sean Ono Lennon decided to take baby steps throughout his career in an attempt to find his own true voice.

“I’m not some kind of fringe Beatles celebrity,” he said in an interview with Parade Magazine in 1999. “I’m actually a human being with my own art.” Seemingly intent on not riding the coattails of his family’s name, Sean Ono Lennon has remained insistent on his art being his-and only his-vision. Though his first appearances on record were on mother Ono’s albums “Season of Glass” and “Every Man Has A Woman,” he didn’t really start his musical career until much later, experimenting with other artists. In 1991, Sean Ono Lennon appeared on Lenny Kravitz’s album “Mama Said” and later joined New York-based Japanese duo Cibo Matto as a bass guitarist.

After signing with the Beastie Boys’ record label, Grand Royal Records, which he has praised as “the only label on the planet who doesn’t care” who his parents are and what his name is, Sean Ono Lennon released his first solo album “Into the Sun” in 1998, which despite being praised by fans as “surprisingly eclectic,” was met with mixed reviews.

However, after signing with Capitol Records following the demise of Grand Royal Records, he remained mum in the music scene after “Into the Sun,” leaving no word on his anticipated sophomore endeavors.

An explanation for Sean Ono Lennon’s almost 10-year hiatus might be that practice makes perfect. “Music does not come easily to me,” he said in the interview with Parade Magazine. “I’m definitely one of those people who’s got to work hard. I play the same song over and over to get it right.”

And if his fans have anything to say about his recently released sophomore album, “Friendly Fire,” which was released last month, then Sean Ono Lennon is definitely getting it right. Though his album has garnered mixed reviews from the music press, “Dead Meat,” the first single off “Friendly Fire,” has quickly become a fan favorite. “Friendly Fire” is a lush 10-song, two-disc multimedia set that includes a short film for every song, which Sean Ono Lennon admitted was “the hardest thing” he’s ever done but worth the strife when it comes to creating art.

“In the end, if something is beautiful, I like it,” Sean Ono Lennon said in a 2006 interview with Venus magazine. “If it’s not beautiful, I don’t like it. I feel like you just have to be quiet and listen. There’s melodies being whispered all the time. You just have to listen to them.”