Alexz Johnson is a singer who has just released her first EP called “Heart”. It’s a project funded by a PledgeMusic campaign, this wasn’t her first choice because he has been signed by big labels but this is clearly her best choice since she raised $50,000 so far and a full album is in the works.
“I raised the money for a full-length album with David Kahne (Avatar Studios) and the album’s just not done. There’s no science to making a record. I wanted to give something back to the pledgers. There was such an outpouring of people wanting material now. And I realize as good as it is, and amazing as it is to use Crowdfund you also feel this real personal obligation. You don’t want to let people down. They’re like your family. So I put out this EP,” she said. “I’m really super proud of it and it gives them an idea of what the album is going to be.”
Growing up near Vancouver her early career started with singing and acting but music won out. It seems to be in her heart and her soul and the fact that she writes all of her songs means she pours it all into each and every song.
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I’d like to think I’m an artist in the early stages like Katy Perry or Bruno Mars, I got to write with him a couple a years ago. I’ve kind of been a major label baby my whole life (now 27). My albums never got released based on luck. I got to work with amazing people. I was with Capitol and Sony and they just never got put out. If the person who signs you isn’t responsible for you anymore, if they leave, they don’t want sloppy seconds,”Johnson stated. “You look like an artist like Amy Mann who has had a career her whole life. Nothing massive but she has a fan base and keeps touring, that’s all I want, that’s all I need. When this platform came up I was like f-ing rad!”
Social media has really helped her as an artist but it’s forced her to be a bit more public than she’d like. The price of fame. And now that she’s getting noticed with her EP the big labels are pursuing her once again.
“It is hard and I think people should know that. It looks all glossy and great but really it’s an f-ing brutal industry. It’s really hard to keep going, it’s tough,” said Johnson, possibly gritting her teeth as she said it. “Right now I wouldn’t take anything back from the experience and how its shaped my music. The live touring experience that I’ve had. It’s taken longer. It’s funny. It’s interesting.”
She knows people who have Grammy’s. She’s worked with them. Her path has been a bit different.
“I write a lot with my brother Brendan who is a producer. I write a lot of songs that are guitar based. I’m definitely hands on with every song that I sing. I once did a charity event with David Foster and Michael Bublé, we shared a stage before he took off. I realized then I didn’t want to sing other people’s music.”
