Artist Spotlight: Kaylee Johnston
Pop artist aspires to empower her listeners with new album
After a whirlwind breakup, pop artist Kaylee Johnston began her journey to self-healing with the conception of a boisterous six-song EP. The self-titled record, which came out on June 3, was nearly three years in the making and formed in the midst of a time of both emotional growth and hardship for Johnston.
Now that it’s out, with two of her viral singles on its track list, Johnston calls the record an “all-encompassing” representation of her identity as a person and musician. Listening to the album, it does feel like it’s an homage to conquering a challenge; each track has a punchy, emotional backbone while still sticking to the danceable nature of pop music.
“I just realized more and more that I’m a humanitarian and I want to empower people, and so I think that’s why it feels so all-encompassing,” says Johnston. “I want to empower my listeners to empower themselves in whatever area they feel they need to, whether that means getting an education, pursuing something you’re passionate about, ending a relationship that’s not serving you, or working on parts of yourself that maybe you shy away from but that’ll help you in the long run. I think that’s where I see myself going.”
Specifically, she hopes to give a voice to teenage girls, who she connects with because of her own rocky adolescence.
“I remember that time as being very challenging, constantly feeling a struggle, and always finding my release in music,” says Johnston. “I’ve noticed that the people reacting to the songs and reaching out on social media are all quite a bit younger than me and I love that, because I feel like I kind of get to relive a part of my life that wasn’t necessarily a pleasant experience and make it better or more fun or happy for them.”
Artistically and personally, she looks up to strong women in her life such as Stevie Nicks, the members of Heart, Robyn, Taylor Swift, and Marina and The Diamonds. What’s more, Johnston aims to follow in their footsteps as one of the many women “who step out of their comfort zone and do something special.”
Before writing the self-titled album, Johnston released a five-song EP that she describes as “disjointed” in comparison to her most recent work. Regardless of fluidity, the common thread throughout all of her music is an ultra-poppy sound, created with “a combination or organic and synthetic instruments.” Every composition is written by Johnston on her acoustic guitar and then brought to producers and bands for collaboration and finishing, with the result being Johnston’s consistent “upbeat and honest” tunes.
The generally quick-paced, bubbly style contradicts the conceptual and lyrical content of the EP, which explores feelings of loneliness, insecurity, and isolation. What’s more important, however, is the overarching theme of surpassing that weakness in exchange for greater self-confidence, thereby stringing a narrative throughout the record that is dear to the artist’s heart.
“When I’m really honest and vulnerable with how I’m feeling, there’s a release,” she says. “I think that’s why the songs kind of still have that energy to them, because while I was writing them there was something being released and there was something being owned, and even though lyrically and melodically it might not be saying that, you can still feel it.”
On July 23, she will be playing her first show in Surrey at Surrey Fusion Fest, an all-ages festival. That lines up with her primary goal for the future, which is “to reach as many people as [she] can.”
“When I play live, I feel so connected to the room and I feel like they feel connect to me and it’s a really balanced, healthy exchange. It fills me up and I think it leaves everyone else feeling full, so just to do that,” she says, with a grin. “As long as I’m connecting, I’m happy.”
