Alexz Johnson talked to Czarno na Czarnym on 8 May 2023, before a show taking place in the Gwarek club in Cracow. The interview was conducted by our great journalist and lyricist, Anna Płaczkowska. Enjoy reading!
Anna Płaczkowska: Is it your first visit in Poland?
Alexz Johnson: It's my first visit in Poland and I've been here like... feels like forty eight hours maybe. I just had my first pierogi two hours ago – it was delicious, and people have been so nice and kind so I will definitely already be coming back to Poland!
Anna Płaczkowska: Does anything surprise you here in Poland? Did you have time to see the city?
Alexz Johnson: Actually, I went to Auschwitz today. It has been on my bucket list and I wanted to experience it for a long time. It was obviously a pretty heavy day. I feel like I didn't have enough time today to jump around the city and I didn't really have the energy for that being on mid tour, so we just went to Auschwitz and checked out the memorial and came back and got ready for tonight's show. I haven't seen too much of Cracove on this trip, but I definitely feel like I'm immersed in a culture, because I'm playing music which is a part of Poland's culture tonight musically so I feel very grateful for that.
Anna Płaczkowska: Yesterday was your first concert in Poland, what are your feelings?
Alexz Johnson: I will say that it's been one of my favorite shows on tour so far. The audience was amazing, the people are so kind and passionate about the music and I was really blown away by the feeling in the room. I hope it's going to be a similar vibe tonight.
Anna Płaczkowska: Did you expect that so many tickets would be sold?
Alexz Johnson: No, I didn't! I added another date because the promoter of the venue said we should put it on another date here. I already booked my flight to France and I had to call and rebook it in order to stay another day. The venue's been kind enough to take care of my brother and me and put us up and make this so doable. I'm honestly really blown away at the amount of people that showed up for these shows. Especially since I haven't toured or released music in a couple of years. It's been really overwhelming and sweet.
Anna Płaczkowska: The lead single was "Hurt Me". Why did you pick this song to represent the whole album?
Alexz Johnson: Picking a single for "Seasons" was really hard. It was a tough decision. I'm an indie artist, I released this album to my own indie label. Funded the album with help from Patreon but also my husband and I funded this whole project. I felt emotional when I listened to "Hurt Me" when I heard it mastered. I wanted to give my fans that same feeling that I had and I thought that it was the right song to kinda grab them with and then come out with "Ain't That the Way" – it's kind of a more storytelling, softer song, so yeah, I decided on that because it's my album and I steer the ship, no one told me otherwise so "Hurt Me" was the single.
Anna Płaczkowska: You mentioned that you're an independent artist, what difficulties are related to this?
Alexz Johnson: A lot. It's like juggling a million different things. I'm not just getting on the stage and performing, I'm not just practicing my set or figuring out what I'm gonna wear for the night. I'm literally doing everything that goes in and behind the show from booking flights, to accommodation, to the eco rentals, to answering emails, to fulfilling store orders at shopalexz.com, to getting back to fans, who want refunds or fans, who have disability and they need a place to seat through the venues and getting back to. There are so many moving parts to being an artist. Kinda the last thing on the list is even the performance part so I kinda feel like when I get up on the stage and I play music I'm in such a vulnerable, wild place. All the pieces that went into me getting on stage, that I feel like the show ends up being incredibly real and sometimes emotional 'cause I'm exhausted but also really grateful that all this work has brought all these people together to enjoy the music. If I wasn't selling tickets and if people won't come to my shows I wouldn't do this anymore because it's way too much work. So the fact that people show up and I hear them enjoying it, it shows me that I should keep going.
Anna Płaczkowska: And you are doing great!
Alexz Johnson: Yeah, it's going pretty good. I know. I haven't even stopped to think about it yet. I was thinking about catching my flight tomorrow back to France and then getting to Milan and getting to the next show, to the next venue, so it's rolling.
Anna Płaczkowska: Let's go back to the album. What does the title "Seasons" mean to you?
Alexz Johnson: I just feel like where I live the seasons are so intense and this album to me represents all the different seasons of my life and it ends another season of my life. I just felt like it was a perfect title. The record was made over the course of two years, all the seasons changing. "Hurt Me" feels like winter, "Ain't That the Way" feels like kinda spring, and "Borderline" feels like summer. I wanted to really paint a picture of how life and death are natural. And like the year show us every single season, that it's ok to experience pain and grief and loss, and that we will continue through that. I find the resilience of the seasons. It's really beautiful. Making this album being a mom of two kids was a good example to me of what this record represents to me, which is resilience and freedom
Anna Płaczkowska: So can you say that "Seasons" is the concept album?
Alexz Johnson: Yeah, I would say that for sure. I didn't expect to make that as a concept album but it kinda just turned out to be.
Anna Płaczkowska: Which song from "Seasons" was the hardest to write when it comes to emotions?
Alexz Johnson: "Other Side". This song is about my sister who passed away. That was a tough song to record and write. But I also think that it's such a joyful song because it's spinning loose around and away, it's bringing light and joy to somebody not being in pain anymore, and I feel like those things are really awesome and wonderfull too, but "Other Side" was really tough to finish.
Anna Płaczkowska: Yeah, music has a lot of power!
Alexz Johnson: Yes, I know and I'm seeing that. A lot of fans are really emotional. During this tour, I'm seeing a lot of people tell me that I've been a soundtrack to their lives for eighteen years and that they wanna live because of my music. It's crazy.
Anna Płaczkowska: Your brother is a musician too. How does your cooperation look like?
Alexz Johnson: He's a little shit, haha, no I'm just joking. He's my youngest brother. He's awesome and so talented. Being related we get the same vibe and we have a great connection when we make music, so it was just a no-brainer to have him come to my tour. He has very stripped out sets, so that's the only way I could make this happen, I couldn't do this with a full band this time around. He's great and his new EP "House of Colours" is beautiful. I'm really proud of him!
Anna Płaczkowska: How your artistic process looks like?
Alexz Johnson: It changes every time. You know, I come up with song ideas, I keep them on my phone. It's kinda like... any time I sit down to create music I feel like I have a whole pile of ideas that have been waiting to get to them. I feel like I'm never starting from scratch. And I'm starting from the idea I had or I pull from something from the past. But now it's not so much of a process, now that I'm a mom, it's more about just finding a time to create and get it finished. I don't feel like I have the luxury of a process anymore, until my kid will get older – but I think that itself it's a process.
Anna Płaczkowska: What comes to your mind first? Is it music or lyrics?
Alexz Johnson: Both at the same time. I never write them separately. Whenever I'm writing a song, the melody and the lyrics, I do the exact same thing.
Anna Płaczkowska: Who is the first listener if you write any song?
Alexz Johnson: My husband. Haha, poor guy.
Anna Płaczkowska: Why? I think he's lucky.
Alexz Johnson: Haha, I don't know.
Anna Płaczkowska: Is it hard to connect parenthood with travelling and being a singer?
Alexz Johnson: Yes, it is hard. It's kind of, you know, some things gotta give sometimes. And, unfortunately it's just the truth, you know... and people make it sound like it's easy being a mom and working full time, it isn't easy, it's hard. Especially when you are an independent artist and have a lot of stuff to manage. But I think my way is that I just separate the two, so when I'm working, I'm working and when I'm not working I'm not on my phone and I'm connected with my kids and I get them as much of me as I can. And I think, as they get older, I hope that they can have some kind of inspiration for independence and drive, and that you don't need anybody to make your dreams come true. You can do it with hard work. I come from a very middle class family and I love my mom and dad, but you know, me really as a kid had to figure out very young, get it there, get a job. I really didn't have any financial support in my life and I want to give my children a bit of a headstart in this tough world. I want them to understand that successful life requires hard work, so if I can leave that to my kids, so that's my goal. I'm willing to lose time here and there to that greater sacrifice.
Anna Płaczkowska: The final question. Which song from "Seasons" will you dedicate to polish fans?
Alexz Johnson: Mad world, cause my Polish fans love that one.
Anna Płaczkowska: Thank you for the interview.
zajrzyj po więcej:
Alexz Johnson on Facebook
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Klub Gwarek on Facebook
Klub Gwarek on Instagram
Anna Płaczkowska on Facebook
Anna Płaczkowska on Instagram
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