Romeo Bongiovi is following his father into music, but he does not want Jon Bon Jovi’s level of fame to become the measure of his own success.
The 22-year-old musician discussed his career and attitude toward celebrity during an episode of The Dory Jackson Interview published on July 29.
According to People’s report on the interview, Romeo said he is prepared for increased attention if it comes but is not currently building his career around becoming famous.
Romeo said he is trying to think locally as he establishes himself in Los Angeles and develops an audience for his rock band, Lawn.
Romeo Wants to Keep His Music Community Personal
“I don’t really like the idea of celebrity even,” he said. Romeo pointed to emerging artists who remain closely connected with listeners, recognize their fan pages and communicate directly with the people supporting their music.
“They keep everything so local that they know all of their fans,” he explained. “They know every fan page, and they talk to them, and they know every person who’s interested in the music.”
He argued that concentrating too heavily on reaching the largest possible audience can interfere with the creative direction that attracted listeners in the first place. “I think that if you’re focusing so much on the world domination of it all, that ultimately you can lose vision,” Romeo said.
Having recently moved to Los Angeles, he said his immediate priority is meeting people and becoming part of the city’s music community rather than attempting to recreate his father’s global career.
He Decided to Pursue Music at 16
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Romeo said his interest in performing and songwriting developed during middle school, although he initially resisted the idea of attending college for music. “For the longest time in middle school, when I knew I wanted to do music, I was like, ‘Man, but if you go to a college for music, you’re a total poser,’” he recalled.
His outlook changed while visiting the University of Miami at age 16. Touring the campus and its Frost School of Music helped him recognize that music was the environment in which he felt most comfortable. “That was like the nail in the coffin,” he said. “I was 16 and I knew that, ‘Okay, music is what you want to do because for the first time you really feel at home here.’”
Romeo later enrolled at Frost and graduated in May 2026. He admitted that studying music was initially intimidating because he had little experience with composition or music theory. He knew that he enjoyed writing and performing, but the academic program forced him to confront how much he still had to learn.
Romeo called the experience humbling and said it ultimately connected him with several of his future collaborators. He met one of Lawn’s founding members after asking for help with a college assignment.
Lawn Grew Out of His College Years
Romeo now performs in Lawn alongside Daniel Coppola and Cliff Dobson. According to the band’s official biography, the three musicians met while studying at the University of Miami and formed the Los Angeles-based group in 2024.
The band draws from indie rock, post-hardcore, post-rock and shoegaze, combining the members’ different influences into a heavier experimental sound.
Lawn released its four-track debut EP, House Party Hero, in April 2025. The project includes the songs “House Party Hero,” “Prom Night,” “Good for Now” and “Dissolve Me.” The group followed the EP with the single “LASO” later that year.
Jon Bon Jovi Says Romeo Has His Own Vision
Jon has praised Lawn’s early music while emphasizing that his son is developing the band independently. “The first singles are great,” he told The Independent. “That’s all I’ve heard.”
The Bon Jovi frontman rejected the assumption that he is directing Romeo’s career or using his own position in the industry to shape Lawn’s music. “People talk about these nepo babies, blah blah blah, but I’m not in there at all,” he said. “He’s got his own vision, which I really appreciate.”
Jon admitted elsewhere that he initially questioned the name Lawn, but Romeo defended it by pointing to successful contemporary bands with unconventional names. “I was so pleased that 18-, 19-, 20-, 21-year-old guys are telling me about rock music, that it exists,” Jon said. “It’s beyond exists. It’s great.”