On his song “Born and Raised,” he said, “It was written about two years ago. I wanted an anthemic song that would pay tribute to my hometown and where I grew up. That’s where the song originated from.”
Regarding his song “Solid Gold,” Johnson noted that it was sent to him by a buddy of his, Blair Daly and Jay Buchanan, the lead singer from Rival Sons. “They sent me the demo and I just loved that track. I put my own stamp to it and I made it my own. I was really happy with the outcome of that,” he said.
Speaking of Rival Sons, while Johnson was on American Idol, he performed their song, “Pressure and Time,” so to have Buchanan on the record was a “full circle” moment for him.
For his new album, Born From Southern Ground, he acknowledged that this is the record that he always wanted to make. “I am excited that it is finally coming out on June 14. This is real, stripped, raw, honest, rock and roll music. It is real, raw and organic,” he said.
Last month, Johnson played at Sony Hall in New York City. “It was great and it has a cool vibe going on,” he admitted.
He feels that the passage of the Music Modernization Act is “amazing” and he felt that “it should have been done a long time ago,” and rightfully so. “Moving forward, I hope musicians continue to get compensated for their work. Music doesn’t come cheap and it’s not free. The fans need to step up and respect that. If they want to keep getting new music from the artists they need to support the artists and they need to support the songwriters,” he said.
Johnson noted that being an artist in this digital age is a “double-edged sword.” “Technology gets music out easier to people but it’s a lot harder to get people to listen to it. The industry is oversaturated with content and there is a lot happening,” he said.
“People need to adapt with the times and they need to keep creating and finding new outlets to reach their audience,” he said.
He listed the late Aretha Franklin, as well as Lady Gaga and Adele as his dream female duet choices in the music business.
To learn more about American Idol Season 13 winner Caleb Johnson, check out his official website.
