What got you into acting and singing?
My passion is singing. I didn’t know how to get into that but I love to sing and write music with my brother so I went down to a local agency and I told them I want to sing. He told me that he gets a lot of auditions for roles where you can play a singer and you can sing as an actor. I said okay and I started auditioning and landed the first lead that I got to play, where I played a singer/songwriter and then I landed Instant Star where I was a singer/songwriter as well so it’s all based around singing.
Do you prefer singing or acting then?
Definitely singing! Writing and performing; I’m definitely focusing on that in my career right now.
So are you going to just focus on singing and leave acting as a side project?
I think music is going to be the main focus in my life right now.
What’s the best thing about singing?
I feel that it really keeps you in touch with yourself because you’re able to put your emotions out there. When you’re singing music, it’s all you; you’re not acting like anyone else. There’s a real quality to it and I love using my voice. I feel that everyone has a gift and my voice is my gift. I feel like I’m doing myself justice by singing.
What inspires you to write songs?
Tons of things! I like positive music too, a lot of beautiful things about life! I’m one of ten kids; I have a huge family, lots of amazing friends. I feel very blessed and I write that in my music. I write about all sorts of things and a lot of my songs are based on real life things.
Do you ever get inspiration at random moments, for example just before sleeping or when you’ve woken up? Or just random words that result to song lyrics?
Always! I always keep a pen and paper near me, by my bed, a book to be able to write. Tons of ideas. My mind doesn’t stop! A lot of people say that my mind is taking over the rest of my body! Sometimes I feel that I’m vibrating with the universe!
What do you feel has been the best song you’ve ever written?
That’s tough because there are songs that are going to be on the album that I’m going to start working on in January. But from the ones that everyone’s heard, I think “Skin”.
Do you think people can relate to your music?
I hope so. I think people will relate to my record.
When’s your record coming out?
I’m not sure but I’m starting it in January so it’s going to be a while. I found an amazing producer, I don’t want to give names yet, in Los Angeles and we’re starting on January 7th so I’m very excited!
Instant Star Season 4 Promo
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Moving on to your acting: what are some similarities and differences between you and Jude Harrison on Instant Star?
We’re alike in the fact that we both love music, we’re both very in touch with our writing and very passionate about music. We’re different too. Jude’s a lot younger than me and she made it by winning an American Idol type contest and I don’t know if I’d ever go on a show like that personally because I’m such a song writer and I have to sing my own music. I also find she makes different decisions in her every day life that I wouldn’t make. Sometimes she makes better decisions than I would make! I definitely feel as if we’re different people though. My friends watch the show and go, “Wow who is this girl?” I really tapped into the role and this fantasy life. Instant Star is a very glamorous show; Jude is surrounded by gorgeous men and has a different type of life. She’s a lot younger and makes different decisions than what I’d make. But yeah, we’re similar. We’re both strong and we both love music and performing. I’m very artistic about my music and it’s important to me to do things the way I feel is right and to take my time. Jude is signed onto a major label and I think she has a hard time sticking to being what they want her to be and keeping the image they want for her.
Do you feel peer pressured by the media and the image Hollywood gives to everyone?
No, I don’t. People can make that choice to be peer pressured. To me, I’m in it for the music. I want to make legendary music, music that has a long term effect on people. The artists I like, from Annie Lennox to Peter Gabriel to Kate Bush, they aren’t in the tabloids. They’re just artists who are making truly great music that will go down in history. I just love making music and I love working with really talented musicians, song writers. So I don’t. I guess it depends on what people are in it for. If people are in it for the love of Hollywood, then I guess you would be peer pressured to try and fit in a box, but if you’re in it for you, your friends and family and making good music, then you shouldn’t feel that way.
Could you tell us a bit about your new acting project, Land of Canaan?
That’s a false rumour. I’m actually not going to be going forward with that. I’d rather do the music right now than focus on acting, especially since season 4 just finished and I’ve been focusing all year. It’s hard to balance both so at this point in my life; I’m focusing on the music.
If you weren’t pursuing acting or a singing career, what other career(s) could you see yourself in?
I cook! But I’m not sure…I love writing so maybe writing! I’d write novels. Something creative like that. I love cooking but novels and stuff like that. I’d be a writer in some way. I’d want to work around artists creatively. I’m very creative, very bad at math.
You say you can cook. What’s the best dish you can cook?
I make great omelettes! Amazing omelettes! I make really, really good banana bread. Oh and pasta sauces!
How do you balance your acting, your singing and your regular life?
I have to make sure I have time for Al. Al time and friend time. I just have to because it adds to making great work. And I just balance it. Also a lot of my friends are in the same business as me. It just doesn’t separate though. When I love my job so much and I love what I do, going to studio and working on songs, I’m also working with my friends and hanging out. I’m constantly around music; it’s my life, so I don’t really see the difference. It’s not that much of a problem. It’s a very social job and I love that.
Has it ever gotten to the point that it’s too much and you just want to scream and tell everyone to leave you alone?
Oh yeah! Especially on a television show! That’s the thing about acting! I’ve never felt that with music, well only a little bit, but especially with a TV show, you feel that a lot. The hours are crazy, 12 or 13 hours a day and you’re in every scene, hair and make up, getting fussed over…and that’s what I mean. It has to be a passion for you, to really love that part of the business because it kind of drives me crazy. That’s how I know I’m meant to do music. I’m meant to do it more than acting. Unless it’s a great movie; I love doing films, especially arty films! But it’s a full time job being on a TV show, every day I was just like, “oh my god, this is too much! I just want to sing!”
So what are the best and worst things about working in the entertainment industry?
The best things are that you can be creative, you’re a bit of a leader; you’re creating things that the world can potentially see and you’re changing the culture! You’re making your own little culture and having people feed off that. That’s exciting. The negatives of the business are that unfortunately a lot of it is tied onto image and money. There are a lot of artists out there that are where they are based on money and different reasons, other than talent. That bothers me sometimes. But as I said previously, it just depends on what you’re in it for. You can take as much positive and negative out of it as you want. If you’re just doing it to make music you love and be true to yourself, then it shouldn’t be a problem.
Portrait Magazine is an online magazine. What are some of your favourite websites?
I don’t really surf the net that much. I mean my email…I love the news, I love going to Yahoo and reading everything that’s happening in the world. I also like IMDB because I can always find out who I’m working with, the history of what’s going on with people in this business…
Doesn’t it bother you that on IMDB people can write lots of negative comments about you?
It does but it’s a shame and it’s sad. You can’t control that. When you put yourself in this business, you have to take the good and the bad and you can’t believe the bad but you also can’t believe the positive. It works both ways. You can’t look for anything from people that don’t know you outside of your family and loved ones. Getting tons and tons of positive feedback from these websites is just as negative for me because it’s all the same thing, they don’t know the real you so they can’t judge you, so you can’t take it personal. I also like youtube!!
Describe yourself in 3 words.
Driven. Sensitive. Strong.
If you could go anywhere in the world for one day, where would you go?
Africa! I’d go to Africa because I want to see the culture and feel the rhythm of the tribes and use it towards my music. I love rhythm in music and I just want to go and see it and be a part of it. I want to go and pull it into main stream pop.
We were talking about Hollywood and image earlier. Have you ever had any fashion disasters?
No. I’ve actually been pretty lucky with that. I never wear anything I don’t feel comfortable in. You have to cover all your bases as a woman. You have to make sure you aren’t going to have any issues. I use my body a lot, a move a lot, especially when I’m on stage, so I have to make sure everything is concealed.
Well you always look fabulous! Do you have any beauty tips for the rest of us?
Eat well, take care of your body, breathe and wash your face every night and love yourself, accept yourself, you’re never going to be anyone else. You have to honour the body that you have.
What are your concerns for the world?
I have a lot of concerns. I’m a pretty spiritual person and I just think people need to love each other more and love themselves more and to accept love. Eat well, sleep well, be kind and accept love is what I think people need to be doing more of.
You said you believed in love. Would you put love above your career?
Yes.
Has love come to you yet?
Oh yeah but right now I need to focus on my career. But it definitely has come to me in the past. I am a hopeless romantic. I fall in love at the drop of a dime! I’m very open. I can love easily.
I guess you’ve had a fair share of broken hearts then. How did you deal with that?
Oh yes. Definitely. You can’t be afraid of heart breaks though! It gives you strength. It comes with the territory. If you can accept the love, you can accept the stuff that it comes with. No-one said love or any of it is easy. What’s easy to do is just to hide away from it and hide away from the world.
Tell me a secret!
I like to be very clean! I like my room to be clean; I like my place to be clean. I like things to be in order because my mind is so hectic and creative so the way that I cope is that I’m very organized.
What’s your best piece of advice?
I think people shouldn’t be so hard on themselves and just enjoy the day. Take it a day at a time.
Sounds like you’d be a person who knows how to deal with stress.
Oh yeah!
What are your top 5 stress busters then?
Have a bath, be alone, turn your phone off, eat really good food and watch a movie!
Do you have a myspace or official website? Or how can fans contact you?
I will have an official website up very soon but I do have a myspace. www.myspace.com/alexzjohnson. I try to reply to comments and messages as often as I can. I keep blogs up to keep people posted and pretty soon I’ll have songs up there too as soon as I go into the studio! So it’s all coming together.
