After a fantastic album with 'Life & Times', Noah Francis Johnson is back with his new EP and we couldn't wait to catch up with him to hear all about his musical beginnings, what to expect from his new music and more in an exclusive interview.
When did you realise you had a voice?
I think I would have been very young - when I was seven or eight years old. I just think it's like breathing - you can't really put a time on it. But definitely when I was around seven or eight I was like: 'OK, I wanna do this. I wanna sing.' But, it was always there, the voice, I've always sang. It was natural for me.
What is it you love about music?
I think it's freedom. Singing takes your mind off all the normal rules and restrictions, so when you sing, you're out there doing your thing. You're not conscious of anything in life while you're singing.
How difficult would you say it is to make a name for yourself in this business?
That's a great question and a totally different proposition, yeah. Making a name for yourself is difficult because everyone's running for the same hole, you know? Everyone's trying to be famous. For me, it's more about just being part of what I do. I sing because I love to sing.
How did you find the response to your last album 'Life & Times'?
The response to that was great. That record was retrospective and what I'm getting is a lot of people are in touch with themselves, and they want something a little bit more than the norm. It's been great. Spain, it's probably these hot countries! They really embraced that side of the record. It's about my dad passing away and my brother passing and my 'Life & Times' at this point. I was talking to somebody the other day and they said: 'Normally on a first album what happens is, you just expel all the stuff that's hanging on to you, and that's how you start to write other things and that's when it gets interesting'. The response is great and I'm really happy with how everything is going.
What can you tell us about your forthcoming EP 'Harvest Tree'?
Again, it was a thing about - the first album was about love and what I wanted to do is give something that people can see other sides of me. It's kind of political in a way, more conscious of what's going on outside my life, you know?
I just wanted to put that out there. A chance for me to show a reflective side - not just one side in that, and there's more to come. It gives you a taste and music is more than just music in a sense, you can actually reach very far.
How was the experience of recording in the Abbey Road Studios?
That's been my home now for a few years and that is a great experience even for me - that's my favourite place that I've recorded in. I've recorded in The Village in Los Angeles, I've worked in Miami, I've worked in Paris with the Ray Charles guy and I could go on, but Abbey Road has got this feeling of home for me and I really enjoy it and of course, there's been some great records made there.
People do say it has a certain buzz...
There really is. A lot of places where you go - friend's houses have got a zen vibe or a certain swimming pool where you feel like you're near the ocean, that is definitely the place for me to focus and channel music, you know?
How would you say you've evolved as an artist throughout the years?
Like anything, they talk about this 10,000 hours don't they? I think it might be 20,000 hours to make you a genius of what you do. The truth is more you do anything, and the more you're awake watching what you do while you do it - if you say to yourself 'if I chew the food properly, I help my digestive system' - you get better at it. So my point is I'm watching always so if I write this song and if I change this lyric, that will help the verse and, you just get more and more. You know what's great? After a while when you've done it for long enough, it becomes so natural you kind of get amazed at how long it takes. Now it takes about 20 minutes for me to write a song when it used to take two or three days, or a week, you know?
If you could work with anybody going forward who would you choose and why?
The guy I'm aiming at now - I've met him a few times and I'm bugging him to death - is Quincy Jones, and the reason is because I think he's top of the heap from all the things he's done from Frank Sinatra, to Michael Jackson to whatever else he's done, and I think I would gain a lot of knowledge from him, and I think my songwriting and production would really grow with some advice from that guy.
I'm calling him all the time, he's ducking me! (laughs) I'll keep trying!
Do you have a definitive aim for your career?
No, no, I try to stay in the moment. If there's any aim it's to be natural, so I don't push anything. I want the songs to come out and take it from an old lady walking the street - I don't push anything, I don't want to be contrived ever.
Noah Francis Johnson's new EP 'Harvest Tree' is available from August 18 and his forthcoming album 'Tiger Bay' is also being prepared for release at some point in the near-future.