Alexz Johnson: How She Makes The Indie Route A Little Easier — Jewel Wicker Show Article
This is an article written about Alexz by The Jewel Wicker Show. It looks like it took place before her show at The Vinyl in Atlanta, GA.
Alexz Johnson: How She Makes The Indie Route A Little Easier
“How long have you been a fan of Alexz?”
Of all the shows I have been to this year I have never heard this question asked so many times. Most of the Alexz Johnson fans who gathered at Vinyl in Atlanta, Ga on Saturday night for her concert knew each other from previous shows and online, but each new face was asked the same question and each reply was always the same. “Instant Star.”
I, too, was introduced to the 26-year-old singer/actress nearly a decade ago when The N aired the teenage drama. Still, it is kind of funny that fans bonded through sing-alongs of songs like “I’m In Love With My Guitar” from the show while waiting for Johnson’s set, considering she doesn’t perform any of the Instant Star music. Instead, many of the songs she performed were from her debut album Voodoo. I have always said Johnson’s voice has just the right amounts of power, rasp, which she uses to convey a sense of urgency, and this concert proved it. Aside from fan favorites like “Voodoo” and “Running with the Devil,” Johnson performed two new songs as well as “Thief” and the title track from her 2012 EP Skipping Stone (which JWS named one of the best EPs of the year).
Prior to the show, I sent over a few questions to Johnson, who opened up about being indie and her decision to use Pledge Music for her new album.
Last January, Johnson launched a campaign on Kickstarter to raise money in order to tour. Within a day she’d met her $30,000 goal and by the end of the March she had raised over $65,000. Now, over a year later, Johnson has turned to another online platform in hopes of engaging fans and raising the necessary funds to record her sophomore album.
“To me, a paradigm is shifting in the music industry. We’re able to witness and stand on the forefront of artists connecting their dream and vision to those who want to be apart of it,” Johnson says on Pledge Music, where fans can pledge anywhere from $15 to $8,000. Pledgers will receive the album once it has been completed. As the prices increase the packages become more extravagant, including signed merchandise, a day at the studio, a private show and a chance to write a song with Johnson.
When asked why she chose to release new music through the site, Johnson said, “I liked that the platform was purely music based. I thought it was a cool way to bring the fans along the journey of making the new album.”
She told me her relationship with fans has improved since she began using the internet to engage fans and raise money. “It feels like Woodstock days where it was the pure connection of music to the audience. I really enjoy being grassroots [and] the spread of the music authentically.”
During her Vinyl show Johnson told fans that she is pretty much done with writing the album. The Pledge campaign will give her a budget to find a producer and get in the studio. She has over a month left in the campaign that launched on Feb. 28 and she has already met 63% of her goal.
Johnson said last year’s Skipping Stone EP and Kickstarter-funded tour were amazing experiences, adding that she is leaning towards a more soulful feel for her forthcoming album. “It will be different [from Voodoo] because my writing grows and changes with my age and experience,” she said.
When asked how she decides what music to release, she simply replied “ It’s instinctual, I guess,” adding that she does not have a solid release date or album title yet, though she will post them to the Pledge Music site once she does.
In an industry where most indie artists struggle to tour and release new material, Alexz Johnson has found a series of platforms to make it work and thanks to her loyal fanbase she is well on her way to releasing her sophomore album.
In a similar fashion, British singer Kate Nash used Pledge Music to release her Girl Talk album last week. I definitely think this is a trend that we’re going to see a lot more of in the future and I don’t think fans will mind one bit thanks to the video updates and package options offered through the site.
