James Johnston (Australian musician)

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For those of a similar name, see James Johnston (disambiguation).

James Johnston
Born (1990-11-26) 26 November 1990 (age 31)
Wingham, New South Wales Australia
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer
InstrumentsVocals, guitar
Years active2009–present
Websitejamesjohnston.com

James Johnston (born 26 November 1990) is an Australian singer. In 2009, Johnston placed third in the seventh and final season of Australian Idol. In 2014, he made the top 24 of the sixth season of The X Factor (Australia).

In July 2021, Johnston released his debut single "Raised Like That". It became the fastest ever debut single by an Australian-based country artist to reach 1 million streams.[1]

Early life[]

James Johnston was born on 26 November 1990 in Wingham, New South Wales. Johnston spent his early years travelling farm-to-farm with his dad, selling and servicing tractors and was introduced to artists like Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Garth Brooks from an early age.[2] Johnston performed for the first time at four years of age, singing "Friends in Low Places" in front of his kindergarten class.[2][3]

Throughout his teens, Johnston busked on the streets of Tamworth and performed in various bands and on many stages.[2][4]

He was a part of the "Star Struck" school spectacular event in Newcastle, NSW in 2005.[5]

Career[]

2009: Australian Idol[]

Main article: Australian Idol (season 7)

In 2009, Johnston auditioned for the seventh season of Australian Idol, singing John Mayer's "Your Body Is a Wonderland" at his audition, receiving praise from all four judges.[6] Johnston eventually placed third behind Stan Walker and Hayley Warner.

Following his Idol experience, Johnston bought a van and travelled around country Australia, living show-to-show for a number of years.[2]

2014: X Factor[]

Main article: The X Factor (Australian season 6)

In 2014, Johnston auditioned for the sixth season of The X Factor (Australian TV series). He made the top 24, but was eliminated before making the live shows.[7]

Following The X Factor, Johnston travelled through Nashville, Tennessee with a friend. Johnston told Country Town in November 2021, "We were staying in this hostel that had this old piano. Everyone would go to bed at one o'clock in the morning, and I just stayed there for three or four hours writing songs … I've never been so inspired to create and truly, from that moment on, I was like, 'country music, that's where my heart', just songwriting and telling stories."[4]

2020-present: "Raised Like That" and "Small Town"[]

In eighteen months between 2020 and 2021, Johnston wrote over 200 songs.[1] On 9 July 2021, Johnston released his debut single "Raised Like That" which tells the story of community, integrity, and a celebration to a way of life of people who grew up in a small close nit community.[2]

On 21 July 2021, Johnston reached out for his social community to create a video showing themselves "Raised Like That". Johnston personally edited the video and released it on 1 September 2021.[1][3] In October 2021, the song peaked at number 1 on the Countrytown Music Network Hot 50 Country Airplay Chart[4][8] and number 4 on the Australian Independent chart.

Johnston released his second single "Small Town" on 19 November 2021.[9] On the writing of the song, Johnston said "I wrote 'Small Town' on the drive back home to my hometown of Wingham. I had been spending quite some time in the city and I was just so excited to get back to my family farm. I wanted to capture that feeling of excitement and anticipation in the song – that build up as I was on that drive to get back home."[10]

Style[]

In November 2021, Johnston said "I grew up singing country music up until about 16. But I feel I truly developed my style when I went off and tried lots of different genres (played in a funk band, wrote indie acoustic music, played rock 'n' roll covers). So when I finally came home to country at about 25, my upbringing was rooted in country music and songwriting but I got to pull from all different genres to craft my own unique sound."[11]

In November 2021, Johnston further elaborated with Country Town saying "When I did Idol and The X Factor, I always felt like I was kind of playing a character of sorts and it felt so disingenuous. I was young when I did Australian Idol. I didn't know myself, and I would never have called myself an artist at that stage. I was a singer that loved to sing songs. So, for me, I didn’t mind getting pushed and pulled in different directions."[4]

Discography[]

Singles[]

List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
AUS indie[12][13] AUS 'Countrytown'

radio airplay chart [14][15]

"Raised Like That"[16] 2021 4 1 TBA
"Small Town"[17] 1 1 (6 weeks)
"Anything Like Me"[18] 2022 5 -

References[]

  1. ^ a b c "James Johnston Raised Like That". amnplify.com.au. 1 September 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e "James Johnston "Raised Like That" inspired by growing up in Wingham". Manning River Times. 9 July 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  3. ^ a b "James Johnston's debut single smashed Aussie records!". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 17 September 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d Arbour, Mallory (17 November 2021). "James Johnston On Reinvention To His Number One Debut Single". countrytown.com.au. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  5. ^ Campbell, Tess (7 October 2009). "Star-struck singer has Idol moment in limelight". Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  6. ^ "James Johnston Audition". YouTube. 2009. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  7. ^ "Series 6, Episode 11: Home visits". The X Factor Australia. 5 August 2014. Seven Network.
  8. ^ "COUNTRYTOWN HOT 50 by Radio Monitor Issue 1364". The Music Network. October 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  9. ^ "STUDIO DIARY: Behind The Scenes Of James Johnston's New Single, "Small Town"". themusic.com.au. 19 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  10. ^ "James Johnston Drives Home His New Single "Small Town"". amnplify.com.au. 19 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  11. ^ "Q&A: Apple Music Up Next Local, James Johnston". tonedeaf. 19 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  12. ^ "Singles Chart (Independent Labels)". Australian Independent Record Labels Association. 29 November 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  13. ^ "Singles Chart (Independent Labels) 7 March 2022". Australian Independent Record Labels Association. 7 March 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  14. ^ "Morgan Evans Dethroned by James Johnston on Hot 50 Chart". countrytown.com.au. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  15. ^ "Hot 50 Chart: Is James Johnston at #1 for the sixth consecutive week?". countrytown.com.au. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  16. ^ "Raised Like That – Single by James Johnston on Apple Music". Apple Music. 9 July 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  17. ^ "Small Town – Single by Single by James Johnston on Apple Music". Apple Music. 19 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  18. ^ "Anything Like Me – Single by James Johnston on Apple Music". Apple Music. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
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