John Roberts Explores Electro-Pop, House & Indie Dance Influences On New Album I Am  (Out November 20)

Listen To “Never”: https://vyd.co/JohnRobertsNever

“Never” Lyric Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mybazlWQSgM

Album Release + Birthday Show At NYC’s DROM November 12

 

September 23, 2026 — John Roberts, the Emmy-nominated actor, comedian and recording artist, has announced that his new album I Am will be released November 20. Known as the voice of beloved character Linda Belcher on hit animated series Bob’s Burgers, Roberts is also an accomplished musician.  I Am marks the latest chapter in a music career that has found Roberts collaborating with Debbie Harry, Beth Ditto, Blondie, Junior Sanchez, Big Black Delta, Kevin Rudolf and more. He will also celebrate I Am with a special album release and birthday show at DROM in New York City on November 12. More info here: https://dromnyc.com/event/john-roberts-album-release/

Roberts has shared new single “Never” and accompanying lyric video along with the new album announcement. “Never” captures the rush of finding the one over a brooding beat as Roberts declares, “I never had a love like you.” 

Listen To “Never”: https://vyd.co/JohnRobertsNever

Watch The “Never” Lyric Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mybazlWQSgM

Music has long run parallel to Roberts’ work in comedy and television. Before becoming the unmistakable voice of Linda Belcher on Bob’s Burgers, which earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance, Roberts was immersed in New York’s downtown music scene, developing a love for electronic and dance music that stretches back to the city’s ’90s rave culture. He has cited the synths, hooks and larger-than-life choruses of ’80s pop as a lasting influence, an affinity that continues to run through his original music.

I Am finds Roberts working closely with Chris Wallace, the songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist whose work spans pop, alternative and hip-hop and includes Meghan Trainor, Madison Beer, Tinashe, Keith Urban and 24KGoldn. The 11 new original songs on I Am continue to fuse Roberts’ electro-pop with house and indie influences, pairing deep grooves made for the dancefloor with the synths and hooks of the ’80s pop and R&B he grew up loving, from George Michael, Madonna and Depeche Mode to the work of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.

Beneath its dancefloor pulse, I Am also finds Roberts grappling with loss, change and bigger questions about connection and existence. Written in the wake of his mother’s passing and another period of transition in his personal life, the album grew from his desire to keep creating rather than become overwhelmed by the world around him. Its themes stretch from grief and self-examination to what Roberts describes as “the recycling of matter and mystical oneness.”

“I hope like any good album it takes them out of their life for a second and is in some way therapeutic,” says Roberts.

Roberts and Wallace wrote and recorded the album throughout 2026 at The Cutting Room in New York City, working quickly and instinctively. Wallace would bring Roberts tracks either in advance or in the studio, with Roberts building lyrics and melodies around them, an extension of the spontaneous songwriting approach that has long shaped his music.

Roberts made his solo debut with 2019’s “Looking,” produced by Big Black Delta, after previously joining Blondie on “Love Level” from their 2017 album Pollinator. His 2021 album Lights Out, produced by Junior Sanchez, pushed further into electronic and club music and featured collaborations with Debbie Harry and Beth Ditto, along with remixes from Felix da Housecat and Harry Romero. Roberts has described songwriting as an instinctive process, often beginning with a rhythm track before improvising melodies and building the song around them. Last year, Roberts released Outside is a Clown, a 13-track collection featuring production from Kevin Rudolf, Big Black Delta and Junior Sanchez. The album included “Ain’t Too Tough To Dance,” “Get Around,” “Without You” and “Hotcore,” the latter of which received a remix from Italian dance music icon Benny Benassi.

In addition to his work on Bob’s Burgers, which just aired its 16th season and will return for Season 17 in early 2027, Roberts has opened for comedy icon Margaret Cho, and had memorable roles in the comedy drama Stress Positions (2024) and romantic comedy Fire Island (2022). 

 

[Photo credit: Cody Critcheloe]

 

I Am Tracklist:

1. I Am
2. Never
3. Complicated 
4. I’ll be Around
5. Body Talk
6. Be Her
7. New Tattoo
8. Swallow
9. Lonely
10. Get Lifted
11. Set Me Free