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< Back 22 JANUARY 2023 JAMES JOHNSTON CONTINUES METEORIC RISE WITH TWO GOLDEN GUITAR AWARDS Last night in Tamworth NSW, Australia’s spiritual home of country music, a boyhood dream was realised. ARTICLE BY: KEALI RUSSELL, SCENESTR Last night in Tamworth NSW, Australia’s spiritual home of country music, a boyhood dream was realised. The Wingham born, now Queensland based James Johnston took home two Golden Guitar Awards for New Talent of the Year and Vocal Collaboration of the Year for ‘SAME SONGS’ , a duet with Kaylee Bell. “I’m just so blown away to have won a golden guitar, let alone two”, Johnston said after the win. “So many of my heroes have stood on that stage to receive this award and to now have two of my own is pretty special!” It’s an incredible result for Johnston who released his ARIA Gold selling debut single ‘RAISED LIKE THAT’ in 2021 and has now amassed 32 million streams across his single releases making him one of the most popular and exciting new artists on the Australian music landscape right now. But what seems like an overnight success for James Johnston is only telling part of his journey. James spent his early years hopping from farm-to-farm with his dad, selling and servicing tractors. With hours spent on the road travelling, James was introduced to great artists like Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Garth Brooks and at just four years of age, James hit the stage for the very first time, performing ‘Friends in Low Places’ in front of his kindergarten class. From that moment on James’s future was set, he was a born performer. Throughout his teens, James and his family would spend most weekends travelling and performing on any stage that would take him. In 2008, James graduated from high school, bought a van and set out on the great Australian road trip, playing every little town and every pub he could find. Opportunities with Australian Idol and The X Factor came his way, giving Johnston valuable experience and further shaping him as an artist and performer. After a few years of living show-to-show, James needed inspiration and what better place to find it than where the soundtrack of his youth came from, Nashville Tennessee. It was this experience which changed him forever. James didn’t realise it at the time but for all the gigs he’d played, all the roads he’d travelled and all the people he’d met, the experiences were stored inside him. In Nashville, they poured out as songs. 300 songs in fact. James finally found his voice as a songwriter. Since his debut release of ‘RAISED LIKE THAT’ Johnston has had another three #1 country radio songs with ‘SMALL TOWN’ , ‘COUNTRY BOYS’ and 'SAME SONGS' . The fruits of James’ labour have well and truly paid off. His ever growing legion of fans have been connecting to his authenticity as a songwriter as well as his road-hardened electric performances such as his show stealing sets at CMC Rocks Queensland and Savannah in The Round in 2022. It was a very proud James Johnston who took to the stage last Wednesday at the Tamworth Regional Entertainment and Conference Centre for his first ever a sold out headline performance, the largest ticketed show at the festival. But of course, Johnston is only just getting started! 2023 will be a big year for the artist starting with his new single ‘GOT IT GOOD’ released this Thursday 26th January. The anticipation has reach fever pitch ever since Johnston started previewing the song on New Year’s Day. With thousands of pre-saves for ths single already, ‘GOT IT GOOD’ is set to be James’ biggest release yet. When asked what’s install for 2023, Johnston said: “This year I’m excited to release a lot more music and get out and bring my show to the people. That has always been my passion, getting out across the country to play shows and meeting the people that have been on this ride with me. 2023 has certainly kicked off in a big way!”

< Back 15 JANUARY 2023 James Johnston performs LIVE from the Tamworth Country Music Festival James Johnston has taken the Australian country music scene by storm ARTICLE BY: KEALI RUSSELL, SCENESTR LISTEN HERE James Johnston has taken the Australian country music scene by storm. He's been nominated for his first ever Golden Guitar Award, where he's topped the nominations scoring a total of six. James joined Kristy Reading in the ABC studio this week to discuss his relatively short road to success and what's next for the bonafide star.

< Back 27 SEPTEMBER 2022 Clayton Anderson and James Johnston Take Home Top Honours At Unsigned Only Music Competition Unsigned Only is now accepting entries for the 2023 competition. ARTICLE BY: KEALI RUSSELL, SCENESTR The winners of the US-based Unsigned Only Music Competition have been announced – including those in country music. A total of 12 country artists garnered wins in the 2022 competition. Established in 2012, Unsigned Only has become an important source for discovering new talent and acts as a benchmark for excellence in the arena of contemporary music. Winners were selected from almost 7,000 entries from all over the world by a judging panel of high-profile music artists and industry experts. More than $150,000 in cash and prizes is awarded to a total of 38 winners, including $20K (US) in cash to the Grand Prize winner. The winning songs can be heard at www.unsignedonly.com/winners . Taking home First Place in the country category is Clayton Anderson for Let Me Go . A Bedford, IN native but currently living in Nashville, Anderson is a product of his upbringing: a hard-working, salt of the earth, country singer/songwriter from the heartland – and loaded with talent. His story is one that started in the Midwest but moved to Music City, USA and beyond. From winning Kenny Chesney ’s ‘Next Big Star’ battle of the bands to opening for many of country music’s luminaries to headlining tours, Anderson has also landed high-profile placements for a string of singles. He recently released a new album, Made In The USA , his most introspective album yet. The album includes his winning song Let Me Go , which recounts the stunning shock of heartbreak; the accompanying video was recently released as a CMT World premiere. Second Place is awarded to James Johnston (Wingham, NSW, Australia) for Raised Like That . A fast-rising star in his home country of Australia, Johnston first became known to his fans through his appearance on Australian Idol . A subsequent trip to Nashville fuelled his musical passion, and in 2021 he 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 grow up in a small close-knit community. It became a multi-platform hit and is the fastest ever debut single by an Australian-based country artist to reach one million streams. The song peaked at #1 on the Countrytown Hot 50 Country Airplay Chart and #4 on the Australian Independent chart. It was certified gold in Australia last year, and in doing so, Johnston became the first independent country artist to achieve this milestone in more than 20 years. Johnston is also the winner in Unsigned Only’s special promotion, Get Published. Over the years, Unsigned Only has honoured many other great country artists, including Grammy nominee Ingrid Andress , the competition’s Grand Prize winner in 2016. Since then, she has gone on to become one of country music’s most respected and venerated new country artists. About winning Unsigned Only, Andress said, “You always hear about this happening to other people, but I never thought it would happen to me. It’s such an amazing and rare opportunity to have people care about you and your music. It’s very inspiring to feel supported by an organization (Unsigned Only) who just want you to do well because of your music ability and your love for your art.” “Hopefully these winners will achieve the same kind of success as Ingrid Andress. They are already making their mark on the country music landscape,” said Unsigned Only founders Candace Avery and Jim Morgan . “Their authenticity and talent exemplify exactly what country music fans are looking for, and we are so pleased to honour them and their remarkable artistry.” The overall 2022 Grand Prize is awarded to the multi-talented, up-and-coming rapper Tia P. Hailing from Inglewood, CA, she is also a skilled singer, songwriter, producer, actress, and drummer. Influenced by artists such Missy Elliott , Lauren Hill , and Pharrell Williams , she is the voice of a new generation embodied in the soul of the old.

< Back 28 SEPTEMBER 2023 JAMES JOHNSTON’S ‘RAISED LIKE THAT’ IS A CELEBRATION OF BEING RAISED COUNTRY “The record will make you want to dance, make you want to cry, and make you want to turn around and buy a little property in a small town somewhere.” ARTICLE BY: KEALI RUSSELL, SCENESTR On paper, James Johnston’s meteoric rise appears to have unfolded at a back-breaking speed, but after speaking with him, you quickly realise that he is exactly where he should be, and it’s been decades in the making. Refreshingly, James extinguishes any ideas of imposter syndrome and embraces his position and accolades, reflecting on the last two years gratefully. “I feel incredibly honoured, lucky and blessed that I get to be doing it,” Johnston reveals. “I have been dreaming about this experience my whole life; it just took me almost 30 years to finally get out there and do it. And for my music to have connected so well, that’s the part that has been the dream. “I get to now travel around the country, like last night; I played to 3,000 people in a venue that was literally next door to where I would play pub covers to nobody listening. I was there three years ago with my acoustic guitar, and everyone was screaming at horses and barely listening. I used to watch people lining up at the venue next door, and I’d be like, ‘Imagine one day’. “Last night, I played to a packed house and toured with Morgan Evans , another hero of mine. It’s crazy. To be able to play those shows and see whole crowds of people sing my songs back to me and come up to me after and say, “Your story is like my story”, it’s just really cool.” Johnston’s popularity has been quick and emphatic, with many of his songs centred around the seemingly everyday experiences of being a parent, a husband and life on the land. With storytelling so foundational to the country genre, James’ ability to capture a feeling or message and convey it so earnestly has made him appeal to such a wide country audience. Johnston says when he sits down to write a song, there is no strategic thinking in creating something that is sure to connect with people. Instead, he made a commitment to himself when he started taking his music seriously that he would only speak his truth. When asked if his upcoming record would be more of the upbeat anthems he has come to be known for, he assures us it is but also hints that we can expect a broader range. “The record is a journey; that’s all I am going to say,” he teases. “There are 20 songs, and when you get to the end of the record, I think you will know me way more intimately. The record will make you want to dance, make you want to cry, and make you want to turn around and buy a little property in a small town somewhere. “The over-arching thing I say is that it is a celebration of a way of life. Raised Like That is just that – a celebration of being raised like that. There are topics that I touch on that are heavy, as things about living on the land are not always nice. But the over-arching message is being thankful for that way of life.” Johnston continues, “A lot of the music I have released up to date is pulled from my upbringing and growing up in a small town, growing up in the country and all the things that come with that. I think the album, a lot of the songs are the evolution of that – it goes from now, being a dad, and then getting back to my roots and reconnecting with my childhood, taking my family and being back in that environment and what that means now.” Track five on the album, This Land Is Killing Me tackles the historically high suicide rates in country towns, something that Johnston feels connected to. The song itself came to Johnston after a late-night call from a friend experiencing tough times facing the struggles of living on the land. Johnston’s father was also part of community groups in their country town that supported men of all ages facing similar situations. Johnston explains, “I have written a lot of songs with messages that I want to share, and I’m really excited that there are a few of those songs on there (the record). To be honest, I didn’t sit down to write them, thinking they would be my next single; I just wrote them because I felt like I had something to say at that time. “I was very content with them sitting between me and my guitar, and that’s the way I thought they would exist. It was only when I was putting the record together that I thought, ‘You know what, I am going to let some of these songs go and be a bit more open, a bit more vulnerable and share my story as well’.” Fans who fell for Johnston’s upbeat anthems can expect that same flavour when they listen to parts of the Raised Like That album or when seeing him on tour or at the Cruisin’ Country Festival . In fact, Johnston and Morgan Evans (who is touring with him) go way back and actually met at a local all-schools combined event, Star Struck , which was created to identify the next generation of music talent. Morgan, 16 at the time, took 12-year-old James under his wing and showed him the ropes, as it was the first time James was on a stage that big. Now, 20 years on, they are able to channel their decade of experience of growing up and performing in that Australian bar scene to deliver their fun, country-grown performances together. “That full circle moment of travelling with him and having these shows sell out once, twice and sometimes three times. It’s crazy. This feels like our home territory. Both our shows are high energy, and it’s cool because we are different artists, but there is a lot of positivity in the room when you come to a Morgan Evans and James Johnston show. Good vibes going around.” With Johnston receiving a Golden Guitar award for his Same Songs duet with Kaylee Bell, which features on the album, it’s clear that Johnston thrives when collaborating with friends and peers. When asked what it was like to collaborate with Zac and George on Some Things Never Change , he assured us that filming the clip was as organic and fun as it appears. “The amount of planning that went into making that video clip was just, ‘Hey, let’s go and shoot a music video at my old pub’. That’s about as much planning as we put in,” Johnston laughs. “We kind of let whatever happens happen. It was great because so many locals showed up, and this song is about connecting with old friends. “We were just sitting there having a beer, and the locals just kept topping up our beers and topping up our beers. In music videos, you often shoot the same clip five times or something, so every time we sat there, we would drink the beer, and then they would appear and top the beer up again. By the end of the clip, we were a bit toasted, but we had a good time. That’s what the whole song is about; it felt authentic.” Johnston is tight-lipped about any other collaborations that might be in the works, saying that he cannot announce anything but teases that we can add “yet”. When asked how his two young sons received the album at home, Johnston assures us that they aren’t too fussed. “I’m just plain old dad, to be honest. It’s funny; people always ask me how my kids feel about what I do and all that. But at the same time, my youngest, who is 18 months old, actually said his first sentence only two days ago, and the sentence was “I’m talking about my people”, which is one of my songs, My People . I was with my wife, and we said, ‘Did he just sing the lines to that song?’ So that was very cute; we might have a little rockstar on our hands. “There is also (another) song on this record that features my older boy, Coda , and it’s the first time he has ever sung before, and he’s actually singing on one of the songs. It’s really a story of being away from home and the challenges with family, and now he gets to be on that. It’s really nice. There is even a song on there that my wife and I wrote together. I’m excited; it feels like a piece of the family is in there.” “For me, I want to take people on a journey, and hopefully, they can see themselves and their story in some of my songs. They can also get to know me a bit better too. Hopefully, people like it, and if they don’t – I’m still really proud of it.” James Johnston’s ‘Raised Like That’ will be released on 29 September, with pre-orders available now. Johnston will perform at the 2023 edition of Savannah In The Round festival in Mareeba, Cairns Hinterland, on 6-8 October.