Eleven-year-old music superstar Jonny Valentine lives in a bubble of packed arenas, luxury suites, and screaming fans. Accompanied by his hard-partying, youth-obsessed mother (whom he addresses as 'Jane'), and a bodyguard who is possibly his only friend, Jonny travels America on his sell-out tour, never going anywhere alone, trying to find his absent father, and playing his favourite video game; all whilst contemplating the possibility of returning to school to lead a 'normal' life for a while.
The Love Song of Jonny Valentine paints an unrelenting picture of the unglamorous realities of child fame, 21st century WC celebrity culture, and a child living in an all-too-adult world. Jonny is too young to take advantage of or enjoy the perks of his fame, and too naive to question the behaviour of those who sell him to the world as the perfect prince of pop.
