# James Johnston (Australian musician)

James Johnston (born 26 November 1990) is an Australian singer. In 2009, Johnston placed third in the seventh season of Australian Idol. In 2014, he made the top 24 of the sixth season of The X Factor (Australia).
In July 2021, Johnston released his debut single "Raised Like That". It became the fastest ever debut single by an Australian-based country artist to reach 1 million streams. "Raised Like That" was certified gold in Australia by mid-2022, and in doing so, Johnston became first independent country artist to achieve the milestone in 21 years. Johnston's debut studio album was released on 29 September 2023.

## Early life

James Johnston was born on 26 November 1990 in Wingham, New South Wales. Johnston spent his early years travelling farm-to-farm with his dad, selling and servicing tractors and was introduced to artists like Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Garth Brooks from an early age. Johnston performed for the first time at four years of age, singing "Friends in Low Places" in front of his kindergarten class.
Throughout his teens, Johnston busked on the streets of Tamworth and performed in various bands and on many stages.
He was a part of the Star Struck school spectacular event in Newcastle, NSW in 2005.

## Career
### 2009: Australian Idol

In 2009, Johnston auditioned for the seventh season of Australian Idol, singing John Mayer's "Your Body Is a Wonderland" at his audition, receiving praise from all four judges. Johnston eventually placed third behind Stan Walker and Hayley Warner.
Australian Idol performances and results (2009) :
| Episode | Song | Original Artist | Result |
| Audition | "Your Body Is a Wonderland" | John Mayer | Through to Theatre Week |
| Theatre Week 1 | "You'll Never Walk Alone" | from the show Carousel | Safe |
| Theatre Week 2 | "No Such Thing" | John Mayer | Through to top 24 |
| Top 24 | "Crazy" | Gnarls Barkley | Through to top 12 |
| Top 12 (Contestant's Choice) | "How to Save a Life" | The Fray | Safe |
| Top 11 (Rock Night) | "Thnks Fr Th Mmrs" | Fall Out Boy | Safe |
| Top 10 (Top 10 Hits) | "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" | Train | Safe |
| Top 9 (1980s) | "The Power of Love" | Huey Lewis and the News | Safe |
| Top 8 (P!nk Hits) | "Who Knew" | P!nk | Safe |
| Top 7 (Big Band) | "Fever" | Peggy Lee | Safe |
| Top 6 (Movie / Theatre Night) | "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" | Queen | Safe |
| Top 6 (Movie / Theatre Night) | "You'll Never Walk Alone" | from the show Carousel | Safe |
| Top 5 (Contestant's Choice) | "Mercy" | Duffy | Safe |
| Top 5 (Contestant's Choice) | "Use Somebody" | Kings of Leon | Safe |
| Top 4 (Noughties Week) | "Daughters" | John Mayer | Safe |
| Top 4 (Noughties Week) | "This Is How a Heart Breaks" | Rob Thomas | Safe |
| Top 3 (Power Anthems) | "More Than Words" | Extreme | Eliminated |
| Top 3 (Power Anthems) | "This Is How a Heart Breaks" | Rob Thomas | Eliminated |
| Top 3 (Power Anthems) | "Learn to Fly" | Foo Fighters | Eliminated |
Following his Idol experience, Johnston bought a van and travelled around country Australia, living show-to-show for a number of years.

### 2014: X Factor

In 2014, Johnston auditioned for the sixth season of The X Factor (Australian TV series). He made the top 24, but was eliminated before making the live shows.
The X Factor performances and results (2014) :
| Episode | Song | Original Artist | Result |
| Audition | "Roar" | Katy Perry | Through to Super Boot Camp |
| Super Boot Camp 1 | "You're Nobody 'til Somebody Loves You" (Group performance) | James Arthur | Through to Super Boot Camp 2 |
| Super Boot Camp 2 | "Hold On We're Going Home" (Solo performance) | Drake | Through to Home Visits |
| Home Visits (Top 24) | "Something I Need" | OneRepublic | Eliminated |
Following The X Factor, Johnston travelled through Nashville, Tennessee with a friend. Johnston told Country Town in November 2021, "We were staying in this hostel that had this old piano. Everyone would go to bed at one o'clock in the morning, and I just stayed there for three or four hours writing songs … I've never been so inspired to create and truly, from that moment on, I was like, 'country music, that's where my heart', just songwriting and telling stories."

### 2020–2023: Raised Like That

In eighteen months between 2020 and 2021, Johnston wrote over 200 songs. On 9 July 2021, Johnston released his debut single "Raised Like That" which tells the story of community, integrity, and a celebration to a way of life of people who grew up in a small close knit community.
On 21 July 2021, Johnston reached out for his social community to create a video showing themselves "Raised Like That". Johnston personally edited the video and released it on 1 September 2021. In October 2021, the song peaked at number 1 on the Countrytown Music Network Hot 50 Country Airplay Chart and number 4 on the Australian Independent chart. It was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) in 2022.
Johnston released his second single "Small Town" on 19 November 2021. On the writing of the song, Johnston said "I wrote 'Small Town' on the drive back home to my hometown of Wingham. I had been spending quite some time in the city and I was just so excited to get back to my family farm. I wanted to capture that feeling of excitement and anticipation in the song – that build up as I was on that drive to get back home." In August 2023, Johnston announced the release of his debut studio album, Raised Like That, scheduled for release on 29 September 2023.

### 2024: Signed with Warner

In September 2024, Johnston confirmed he had signed with Warner Music Australia and released the single "Blame".

## Style

In November 2021, Johnston said "I grew up singing country music up until about 16. But I feel I truly developed my style when I went off and tried lots of different genres (played in a funk band, wrote indie acoustic music, played rock 'n' roll covers). So when I finally came home to country at about 25, my upbringing was rooted in country music and songwriting but I got to pull from all different genres to craft my own unique sound."
In November 2021, Johnston further elaborated with Country Town saying "When I did Idol and The X Factor, I always felt like I was kind of playing a character of sorts and it felt so disingenuous. I was young when I did Australian Idol. I didn't know myself, and I would never have called myself an artist at that stage. I was a singer that loved to sing songs. So, for me, I didn’t mind getting pushed and pulled in different directions."

## Discography
### Albums

List of albums, with selected details and chart positions :
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Details | AUS |
| Raised Like That | Released: 29 September 2023 Format: CD, 2×LP, digital Label: James Johnston | 7 |

### Singles

List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions :
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album |
| Title | Year | AUS Indie | NZ Hot | Certifications | Album |
| "Raised Like That" | 2021 | 1 | — | ARIA: Platinum | Raised Like That |
| "Small Town" | 2021 | 1 | — | | Raised Like That |
| "Anything Like Me" | 2022 | 5 | — | | Raised Like That |
| "Country Boys" | 2022 | 1 | — | | Raised Like That |
| "Same Songs" (with Kaylee Bell) | 2022 | 2 | — | | Raised Like That |
| "My People" | 2022 | — | — | | Raised Like That |
| "Got It Good" | 2023 | 2 | — | | Raised Like That |
| "We Grew Up On" | 2023 | 1 | — | | Raised Like That |
| "Some Things Never Change" (featuring Zac & George) | 2023 | 2 | — | | Raised Like That |
| "Worth Its Weight in Gold" | 2023 | — | — | | Raised Like That |
| "Who I Am" (with Lee Kernaghan) | 2024 | — | — | | TBA |
| "Blame" | 2024 | — | — | | TBA |
| "Country Is for Me" (with Appel) | 2024 | — | 30 | | TBA |
| "Hell Boy" | 2025 | — | — | | TBA |

## Awards and nominations
### APRA Awards

The APRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand by the Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
| 2023 | "Raised Like That" | Most Performed Country Work of the Year | Nominated |
| 2024 | "Got it Good" | Most Performed Country Work of the Year | Nominated |
| 2024 | "Same Songs" (with Kaylee Bell) | Most Performed Country Work of the Year | Nominated |

### ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual award ceremony event celebrating the Australian music industry.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
| 2024 | Raised Like That | Best Country Album | Nominated | |

### Country Music Awards of Australia

The Country Music Awards of Australia is an annual awards night held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival. Celebrating recording excellence in the Australian country music industry. They commenced in 1973.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
| 2023 | "Small Town" | Single of the Year | Nominated |
| 2023 | "Small Town" | Song of the Year | Nominated |
| 2023 | "Small Town" (directed by Elijah Cavanagh) | Video of the Year | Nominated |
| 2023 | "Same Songs" (with Kaylee Bell) | Vocal Collaboration of the Year | Won |
| 2023 | James Johnston | New Talent of the Year | Won |
| 2023 | James Johnston | Male Artist of the Year | Nominated |
| 2024 | Raised Like That | Album of the Year | Nominated |
| 2024 | Raised Like That | Contemporary Country of the Year | Nominated |
| 2024 | "Got It Good" | Single of the Year | Nominated |
| 2024 | "We Grew Up On" (directed by Jay Seeney) | Video of the Year | Nominated |
| 2024 | "Some Things Never Change" (with Zac & George) | Vocal Collaboration of the Year | Nominated |
| 2024 | James Johnston | Male Artist of the Year | Nominated |
| 2025 | "Who I Am" (with Lee Kernaghan) | Vocal Collaboration of the Year | Nominated |
| 2025 | "Who I Am" (with Lee Kernaghan) | Song of the Year | Nominated |
| 2025 | "Who I Am" (with Lee Kernaghan) | Single of the Year | Nominated |
| 2025 | "Who I Am" (with Lee Kernaghan) | Video of the Year | Nominated |

### Queensland Music Awards

The Queensland Music Awards (previously known as the Q Song Awards) are an annual awards ceremony celebrating Queensland's brightest emerging artists and established legends. They commenced in 2006.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
| 2023 | "Country Boys" | Country Award | Won | |

### Rolling Stone Australia Awards

The Rolling Stone Australia Awards are awarded annually in January or February by the Australian edition of Rolling Stone magazine for outstanding contributions to popular culture in the previous year.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
| 2023 | James Johnston | Best New Artist | Nominated | |