{"id":2330,"date":"2011-04-04T20:17:13","date_gmt":"2011-04-05T00:17:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.alexz.net\/?p=2330"},"modified":"2011-04-04T20:17:13","modified_gmt":"2011-04-05T00:17:13","slug":"alexz-johnson-interviewed-at-backlash-mag","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.alexz.net\/?p=2330","title":{"rendered":"Alexz Johnson Interviewed At Backlash Mag"},"content":{"rendered":"

Source<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Alexz Johnson is a singer, songwriter, producer, and actress hailing from Canada. Best known for her role as Jude Harrison on The N\u2019s original series Instant Star, the public was first introduced to Alexz when she scored the lead role on Disney\u2019s si-fi show So Weird as Annie Thelan. When Instant Star\u2018s production ended after it\u2019s third season, Alexz appeared on various shows such as Smallville, Lifetime original movies, and had a co-starring role in Final Destination 3. Through it all, she remained true to her first passion of music. After a recording contract with Epic fell through, Alexz choose the indie route and released her debut album Voodoo, produced by her brother Brendan, in March 2010 via Laydee Spencer Music. A year after its release, she\u2019s full steam ahead preparing for the re-release, Voodoo: Reloaded, remixed by acclaimed producer Demo Castell\u00f3n. I was able to catch up with Alexz and talk about what she\u2019s been up to, upcoming tour plans, and her favorite artists, and reveals what even your biggest fan may not know about her!<\/p>\n

BLM: You were a trending topic on Twitter for about 4 days. What sparked that?<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: I think one of my songs [was playing on the] Pretty Little Liars season finale [Time To Be your 21]. It wasn\u2019t a song that I wrote so I didn\u2019t know it was coming. I mean, I sang the song but I didn\u2019t write it. It was one of the songs that I didn\u2019t write for Instant Star. And I guess it just reminded people of me from Instant Star and So Weird so people started going \u201cwho\u2019s that girl, who\u2019s the girl?\u201d It was really cool, my fan base on Twitter grew really fast.<\/p>\n

BLM: Were you on Twitter before you started trending?<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: Yeah, I\u2019ve been doing my thing on an indie level and getting my music out there and planning on going on tour. But yeah, [the trending topic] definitely helped, it was awesome!<\/p>\n

BLM: You mentioned that you didn\u2019t write the song that was played for Instant Star, did you write any of the songs for the show or did you just sing them?<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: Yeah, definitely\u2026I wrote quite a few with my brother Bren. We wrote Skin, Criminal, Just Wanted Your Love, and the list goes on for that show.<\/p>\n

BLM: You write a majority of your songs. Do you and your brother collaborate much?<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: Yeah, we wrote all the stuff on the original Voodoo record. We wrote all the songs while I was with Epic [Records], but after my experience with them, I just wanted to get back in the studio and just do something for the fans, for me and my heart so I [released] Voodoo.<\/p>\n

BLM: How did you get connected with Demo Castell\u00f3n?<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: He and his wife Nelly [Furtado] came to one of my shows in Toronto and he really digged the album. He was like, \u201cI\u2019d love to reproduce this to make it good for radio and to get it out there, I\u2019d love to make it sound bigger!\u201d I was like \u201cthat\u2019s cool, sure!\u201d He\u2019s a really cool guy, he\u2019s got a great heart and he took [my album] on and now it\u2019s coming out April 26th! It\u2019s [called] Voodoo: Reloaded now.<\/p>\n

BLM: How did you come up with that title?<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: There\u2019s a song on the record called Voodoo. We did the video for Trip Around The World in New Orleans and I don\u2019t know\u2026I\u2019ve always felt there\u2019s been kind of a veil put over my music, you know. There\u2019s been so many close calls. I\u2019m excited for the book one day because the journey\u2019s been pretty crazy and I just kinda felt like it\u2019s the time in my life where there\u2019s some kind of magic working around my music.<\/p>\n

BLM: Are you planning to write a book?<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: I would love to! I just started my blog, AlexzHasABlog.com<\/a>, and that\u2019s kind of a place for me to go and share my experiences and thing I\u2019m going thru. There\u2019s definitely some crazy stories. I got some dirt on this side of the industry [laughs].<\/p>\n

BLM: [laughs] I can imagine! I know you\u2019ve been around for awhile and have experienced all types of crazy things! So what inspires you to write [your songs]? Different experiences, heartbreaks, stuff like that?<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: Yeah, I try to be as real and as genuine as I can. I really try to just think about what I want to say more than what people want to hear. I try to be truthful and all my experiences I usually end up writing them out. [I get inspired by] things that happen in my life or people that are close to me, things that I see them experience I usually end up writing in a song.<\/p>\n

BLM: I have a couple a friends who are song writers and I have to be careful when telling them what I\u2019m going thru because it may end up in a song! [laughs]<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: Right, exactly! [laughs] so watch it, for sure!<\/p>\n

BLM: Who are your musical inspirations?<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: Oh my goodness, so many. I love Ricky B. Jones, I love Peter Gabriel, I love Elvis Costello. There\u2019s a lot, I get a lot of influence from them.<\/p>\n

BLM: If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be?<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: I would say\u2026like right now, I think Bruno Mars is really awesome. Sara Bareilles is so talented. Daniel Lanois is an amazing producer. There are so many talented people out there right now.<\/p>\n

BLM: Who\u2019s in your iPod right now?<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: I love The Script, Bruno Mars, Sara Bareilles, The Ting Tings, Landon Pigg, I love Rocket Fire. Just the other day I started listening to Jason Mraz\u2019s records. I always have known he\u2019s a real talented guy but I kind just dove into [his music]. I really like artists that have their own sound, that find different ways of writing songs whether it\u2019s speaking or jazzy. I like when they do their own thing.<\/p>\n

BLM: When did you learn to play guitar?<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: 5-6 years ago.<\/p>\n

BLM: Were you self taught?<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: Self taught.<\/p>\n

BLM: Was it difficult?<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: It\u2019s not easy. It\u2019s like anything, the more you practice the better you get. It has to do with the amount of time you put into it.<\/p>\n

BLM: Cool! My brother plays, and he\u2019s tried to teach me but, ugh\u2026I had to cut my nails and I just couldn\u2019t do it [laughs].<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: [laughs] Yeah, I was just going to say you have to lose the nails! My poor finger nails get the beatings fro the guitar.<\/p>\n

BLM: When you go on stage, do you still get nervous?<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: Yeah, I always do, for sure. I feel like if you\u2019re not getting nervous then you\u2019re not doing the right thing. I think it\u2019s good to get nervous, it means that you care.<\/p>\n

BLM: Do you have any rituals or anything you must have before you go on stage? Like [you must have] red M&M\u2019s? [laughs]<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: Oh yeah [laughs]\u2026a shot of whiskey.<\/p>\n

BLM: [laughs] That\u2019ll work!<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: [laughs] Yeah! I don\u2019t really have any rituals. I just kind of go up there. I take about 5 minutes before each show to spend a moment with myself and just kind of do a little pacing and think about how lucky I am to be there playing for these wonderful people and just get up there and do it.<\/p>\n

BLM: Do you have any upcoming tours? (Twitter question @MirandaLizzxx1)<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: I\u2019m in the process of planning a tour, which is pretty cool. Getting connected to a tour would be great, there are obviously dream tours I\u2019d love to be apart of. I would love to get across the states eventually. I definitely know there are some shows being planned around Montreal, Canada, more East Coast maybe even headed toward New York.<\/p>\n

BLM: What are your Top 5 favorite songs? (Twitter question @xoCrystalC)<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: That\u2019s tough to say, let me think\u2026.I like the new Script song. How does it go? [hums song] It\u2019s the new one that they\u2019re playing on the radio, it\u2019s great. I love the Civil Wars Burton Hallow.<\/p>\n

BLM: What advice would you get to a young upcoming artist who hasn\u2019t been discovered?<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: Do what you love to do and try to get as good as your craft. You have to get as good as you can, there are so many people out there trying to be apart of the music industry and I feel like as long as you completely remain yourself, keep your integrity, and you just do what you do as an artist even if people don\u2019t like it. Just be yourself, that\u2019s the most important thing. Just get good at your craft. Practice and write, show it to friends and family, get feedback from people. You gotta be fearless. And don\u2019t hang on to your material and spend 6 years trying to perfect a sound and then show it to everyone. Time goes by fast and it really is just about making music and sharing it.<\/p>\n

BLM: Okay, those were the music questions so now we\u2019re going to get into some personal questions. What do you do during your free time?<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: I love going to yoga, staying active, watching movies, eating junk food. Just hanging out with family and friends and doing chill things like that. To be honest, I love writing music! I probably spend like 5 days a week just hours working on music, producing it, creating. I\u2019ll be watching a movie or something and I\u2019ll find myself at the computer making music and I\u2019m thinking like \u201cwhy am I\u2014what?\u201d [laughs] I have a hard time getting through movies I find because I\u2019m always wanting to create and stuff. But to really relax I like doing yoga or going for a good run.<\/p>\n

BLM: What\u2019s one thing many people may not know about you?<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: Let me think\u2026.I guess\u2026.ummm\u2026.I have a lot of hats. I need like 2 hat stands. I love cooking, it\u2019s one of my favorite things to do. Well, to be honest with you, I would opt out of the big events. I\u2019m really one-on-one with my friends, I get kind of overwhelmed when I\u2019m in like big crowds. There all these events I\u2019m invited to but if I\u2019m not nominated for something I don\u2019t really go. I\u2019m not good at mingling and social networking because I end up having a conversation with some old crooner in the corner about how their career. I love hearing history. I\u2019m kind of a homebody I guess you can say.<\/p>\n

BLM: You mentioned you love to cook. What\u2019s your favorite dish to make?<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: I love making omelets. I love making pizza, making different kinds of salads. I do this thing like spaghetti squash\u2026where you put like a squash in the oven with like different cheeses, it\u2019s really good.<\/p>\n

BLM: Oooh, that does sound good!<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: Yeaaaah. I like cooking weird things, I like cooking with vegetables and stuff like that.<\/p>\n

BLM: Favorite color?<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: Well judging by my wardrobe, you\u2019d probably say black. But I\u2019d say I love blues and dusty blues. Grays, blues\u2026I love colors like that.<\/p>\n

BLM: If you could transport to any decade which would it be?<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: Ooo\u2026that\u2019s hard. I would say\u2026.I think the 60\u2032s would have been pretty awesome.<\/p>\n

BLM: All the flower power and the hippies and hugs!<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: Yeah, yeah, yeah! [laughs] it would\u2019ve been awesome. The whole mod movement would have been really cool.<\/p>\n

BLM: One of your videos seems very 60\u2032s inspired.<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: Yeahhhh! The Boogie Love one?<\/p>\n

BLM: Yes, that\u2019s the one.<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: Yeah, it was like an early 70\u2032s kind of fun feel. I love being able to capture different times. With Trip Around The World I was really into French New Wave. Like Jewels and Gem, shooting on film. I just
\nlike trying different things with videos because it\u2019s like little art house films. Giving the people something a little different.<\/p>\n

BLM: We are definitely looking forward to everything you\u2019ve got coming and thank you so much for your time!<\/p>\n

Alexz Johnson: No problem, thank you for reaching out!\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Follow Backlash Mag<\/a> and their interviewer Rishele<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Source Alexz Johnson is a singer, songwriter, producer, and actress hailing from Canada. Best known for her role as Jude Harrison on The N\u2019s original series Instant Star, the public was first introduced to Alexz when she scored the lead role on Disney\u2019s si-fi show So Weird as Annie Thelan. When Instant Star\u2018s production ended […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[13],"tags":[72,87,302],"class_list":["post-2330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-article","tag-backlash-mag","tag-interview"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3Pf1c-BA","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.alexz.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.alexz.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.alexz.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.alexz.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.alexz.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2330"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.alexz.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2330\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.alexz.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.alexz.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.alexz.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}