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Alexz Johnson

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Alexz Johnson extracted from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, distributed under the GNU Free Documentation License

Alexz Johnson
Background information
Birth name	Alexzandra Spencer Johnson
Born	November 4, 1986 (1986-11-04) (age 23) New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Genres	Rock, Alternative, World Music
Occupations	Vocalist, songwriter, musician, actress
Instruments	Vocals, Guitar
Years active	1997 – Present
Labels	Orange Records (2004-2006) Capitol (2006-2007) Epic (2008-2009) Laydee Spencer Music, Inc. (2009-Present)
Associated acts	Brendan Johnson, Greg Wells, Instant Star, Tyler Kyte, Stephen Stohn
Website	www.alexzonline.com

Alexz Johnson (born November 4, 1986 as Alexzandra Spencer Johnson) is a Canadian musician and singer-songwriter who made her start through acting, and is best known for her Gemini Award-winning portrayal of Jude Harrison in the teen drama series Instant Star, and for her vocal performances on four soundtrack albums from the show. She has been nominated three times for a Gemini Award, winning the award in October 2008.¹ She is also known for her roles in Final Destination 3 and So Weird, and for her portrayal of Saturn Girl in Smallville.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Musical career 2.1 Early Start & Vocal Praise 2.2 Instant Star - Jude Harrison & Debut Album 2.3 Leaving Capitol Records 2.4 Dropped by Epic Records 2.5 Laydee Spencer Music, Inc. & Future Plans 3 Acting career 3.1 So Weird Beginnings 3.2 Instant Star's Success 3.3 Other roles and future plans 4 Charity Work 5 Discography 5.1 Solo Studio Albums 5.2 Compilation 6 Filmography 7 References 8 External links

Early life

Johnson was born in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada, the sixth of ten children. One of her sisters is a stage actress, and her brother Brendan is a musician with whom she often collaborates.

From age three, Alexz would frequently sing for her large extended family. By age seven, she was receiving vocal training, participating in festivals with her local youth choir, and giving solo performances at school and community functions. She entered many talent contests and festivals, winning a National Anthem Contest at the age of 11, with her rendition of the National Anthem being heard on national television. This resulted in numerous radio and television interviews, as well as interest from management. That year, she was also voted Best Anthem singer of the season by the Vancouver Sun.

Locally, she was often referred to as the "West Coast Celine" and sang the National Anthem at games for the NHL team Vancouver Canucks and the NBA team Vancouver Grizzlies (now based in Memphis). She also performed at charity events and fairs around the province, in addition to the B.C. Summer Games. She opened the Variety Club show singing a duet with Bob McGrath, sang the first set of songs at the Molson Indy (a major car race), and entertained on New Year's Eve at Planet Hollywood at the age of 12.²

Musical career

Early Start & Vocal Praise

Johnson first enrolled in singing lessons at age 6, and took classical vocal training (including opera) for at least 8 years, much of it from Joseph Shore, an acclaimed operatic baritone and music educator in the Vancouver area. She is said to have a four-octave range.

She also showed an interest in songwriting, and co-wrote one of the songs for So Weird. After the show ended, she continued her interest in songwriting, co-writing with her brother. In 2002, after a few acting gigs under her belt, Johnson focused on her music career. Several labels offered her contracts, but she held off, wanting more creative control and a hand in the songwriting.

When it came to writing songs as a child, Johnson stated (in an 2009 interview with Amanda Mack) she had trouble writing uptempo, joyous songs. "I was always watching the world as a kid. Being in the middle of ten kids, I had a lot of older siblings and I was definitely an observer when I was younger." She added, "I just watched a lot of things that were happening when everybody else was really happy. I was definitely a happy kid but I noticed people’s pain and I would notice what people were going through. It was difficult for me when I was younger to write really happy songs."

When Johnson’s original site was put up around 1999-2000, she had two clips of demos up for listening: "Sunshine Reigns" and "Dream About You" (which Johnson co-wrote for the original Disney Channel series, So Weird). In 2001, Alexz teamed up with the production/songwriting team of Johnny Elkins and CJ Vanston and had a more bubblegum pop sound.

With her work with Vanston and Elkins ending around 2003, Johnson ended up working with her brother on demos that showed her music in a new direction, with deeper lyrics, prominent guitar, and stronger vocals. These were the types of songs included on the demo CD she sent to the executives of Instant Star with her audition tape.

Instant Star - Jude Harrison & Debut Album

Johnson sang all of the songs that her character Jude, on Instant Star performed on the show. She recorded soundtracks for each of the four seasons of Instant Star: Songs from Instant Star, Songs from Instant Star Two, Songs from Instant Star Three, and Songs From Instant Star Four . She wrote/co-wrote five of the songs on the first season's soundtrack, including "24 Hours", "Let Me Fall", "Criminal, "Skin", and "That Girl", which Alexz had written before when she was fourteen. She did not write songs on the albums for the next two seasons, focusing her songwriting instead on her solo CD. Her brother Brendan continued to write songs for the show, however.

Most of the original recordings for the originally planned debut album were written by Johnson in early 2005, but she had yet a label to help create and release the songs. In early 2006, Johnson had announced she was to leave the indie Canadian label Orange Records, that had released the first two soundtracks to Instant Star, in search of something to showcase her as an artist and not her ficitional counterpart Jude Harrison on Instant Star.

Leaving Capitol Records

After a showcase in New York City, Alexz met with several labels and producers including Martin Terefe, Guy Sigsworth, and Marius DeVries. Eventually, Johnson has chosen Capitol Records, which allowed her to work with Paul Buckmaster though her brother was the main producer of the material at the time.

In writing songs for the album, she had worked with UK writers Martin Terefe and Sacha Skarbek as well as producer/songwriter Brio Taliaferro. On June 25, 2007, Johnson appeared on the Canadian version of MTV. She confirmed that all of her songs had been written and recorded. She planned on shopping for a label over the next few months and hoped to release the album in the winter. She said she was in no hurry for it to be released. As of October 2007, as confirmed by her current management—Watchdog Management—she remained without a label, but was very close to finding a new home for her music.

On February 15, Alexz Johnson announced in her MySpace blog³ that she had signed a record deal with label Epic Records, part of the Sony BMG group. With the songs written and the studio work completed, she expects her album to be released by this fall. Having heard the first six songs, Stephen Stohn, in his MySpace blog of Feb. 16, 2008, commented that, "they are just incredibly good - very different from the songs you've come to know through Instant Star, much more rhythmic, with almost a world beat."⁴

In an interview in 2008,⁵ she described her upcoming album as "pop with eclectic world rhythms and influences", citing influence from "older artists" such as Paul Simon, Kate Bush, and Annie Lennox, and saying that she was "trying to find a way to make those great older songs younger."

Dropped by Epic Records

The producer for the album became Greg Wells after Johnson was introduced to him through his brother Rob Wells, one of the songwriters for Instant Star. The new arrangement with Epic Records also affected the line-up of artists for the Instant Star 4 soundtrack, as the record label allowed her a maximum of four songs on Instant Star 4. In her MySpace blog of February 15, 2008, Alexz Johnson indicated that she is planning an extensive tour around her new album, saying of her songs that, "I can't wait to perform them live! Looking forward to seeing all of your faces!". Johnson also began working with multi instrumentalist Luis Conte and legendary strings expert Paul Buckmaster.

On June 11, 2008, Epic posted five new songs from Johnson's upcoming album on her MySpace site.³.

In a February 2009 interview with the Times-Colonist, a newspaper in Victoria, British Columbia, Johnson said that her album was completely finished, noting that she is simply waiting for changes to be finalized with the head of her label, which included Amanda Ghost (who had worked with Johnson on the album) becoming the new head of the label. She hopes to have the album out by September 2009, which would be soon followed by her touring it through parts of Europe and North America.

Before the release date of Alexz Johnson's album was decided, Epic Records removed Alexz from their Artist Lists. Alexz later gave clarification on her website that launched August 11, 2009.

In August 2009, Johnson released a statement ⁶ saying "Epic has released over a third of their artists from their contracts and, la dee da.... I'm one of those artists... ". She had confirmed that she would be releasing a different album independently with her brother Brendan producing and co-writing due to losing her deal with Epic Records. She had said she hopes that her unreleased debut album with Epic Records would see the light one day.

Laydee Spencer Music, Inc. & Future Plans

Due to contractual complications, the original material heard on Johnson's MySpace would not be included on the independent release. According to Alexz, the new material is still being recorded and hopes to have the album out by early Fall. The release will be under Laydee Spencer Music, Inc.

On August 27, 2009, Johnson released a list of songs that are going to be on her album in alphabetical order.⁷

September 19 via an e-mail to send to the fans registered on her site, she stated that within the next upcoming two weeks her album will be finished with mixing and mastering. She then plans to post small clips on her site of some of the upcoming tracks so the fans can help pick her first single.

On September 30, five tracks as potential singles were posted on her site. The tracks are sample clips that range from 30 seconds to 1 minute for the fans to pick which one would be her first single. The tracks posted were "L.A. Made Me", "Hurricane Girl", "Voodoo", "A Little Bit", & "Trip Around the World", with "Trip Around the World" being the first announced single.⁷

Acting career

So Weird Beginnings

With an outgoing personality, Alexz moved into acting, where she excelled, landing auditions for commercials and a showcase for a pilot called "Most Talented Kids". She auditioned for the Disney television series So Weird which, for the final season of the show, was looking for a lead actress who could also sing.

Alexz was offered the job immediately after her audition. This role was a tough assignment, because many fans of the show had already become accustomed to a different story-line, were not happy that the show had shifted from a "darker" to a "lighter" tone, and were upset that the previous lead actress Cara DeLizia was moving on as the show approached its final season. While many long-time fans of the show continued to feel this way, the show nevertheless retained its popularity, and Alexz built up a fan base on the strength of both her acting and her singing.

Johnson has continued with several acting projects, including the role of Angel in the Lifetime original Selling Innocence and guest roles in shows such as The Chris Isaak Show, Cold Squad, and The Collector.

Instant Star's Success

In 2004, Alexz sent in an audition tape to the producers of Degrassi: The Next Generation for their upcoming show Instant Star. They were specifically looking for a Canadian teen actress/vocalist to play the lead role, Jude Harrison. The first audition tape Executive Producer Stephen Stohn received was Alexz's, and he was convinced she was exactly the one who would be perfect for the role. The auditioning continued, returning to Alexz in the end.

After its first season, Instant Star was nominated for three Gemini Awards (Canadian equivalent of the American Emmy Award) in the category of Best Children's or Youth Fiction Program or Series. Nominations included: (1) Best Series; (2) Best Performance (Alexz Johnson); and (3) Best Direction (Graeme Campbell). The show won the award for Best Direction. On August 28, 2007, the show received three more Gemini Award nominations, in the category of Best Children's or Youth Program or Series - two for best direction (Pat Williams and Graeme Campbell), and one for Best Performance (Alexz Johnson, in the episode, "I Fought the Law").

Johnson also decided to audition for the role of Julie Christenson in the thriller Final Destination 3 . As it turned out, she showed up at the audition in an all black, punk rockish outfit, later claiming that she had also been in a bad mood. The casting directors concluded that she would be perfect for the role of Erin Ulmer, a character with a bad attitude. This was not a large part, but she played it convincingly, right to the gruesome end. Her performance attracted praise from some critics, even from one (writing for The Philadelphia Inquirer) who said: "The characters are so loathsome, you're glad to see them go. Except for two: the goth couple Ian (Kris Lemche) and Erin (Alexz Johnson). He's a cynical know-it-all, like Dennis Miller with black fingernails; she's like Parker Posey with raccoon mascara.."⁸

On August 26, 2008, Alexz Johnson was nominated a third time for a Gemini award. On October 21, 2008, she won the Gemini Award for Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series, for the Instant Star episode Let It Be.¹

Johnson continued with Instant Star for four seasons, and expected to return for a fifth. This was interrupted when CTV and The N both pulled funding following the fourth season, which led to the cancellation of the after the fourth season that aired on CTV and The-N in the summer and fall of 2008 respectively. This allowed Johnson to go back to focusing on her music.

Alexz has stated that her roles on both Instant Star and Final Destination 3 were great acting experiences, and she is very interested in continuing her acting career down the road, but did not want to make a main career out of it, saying she was interested in trying her hand in actual TV production later down the road, however.

Other roles and future plans

Johnson was one of the final choices to play the lead roles in the horror remake of Black Christmas and in the TV movie Brave New Girl, based on the novel A Mother's Gift, by Britney and Lynne Spears. In one of Britney Spears’ many E! True Hollywood Story installments, during a clip of Spears celebrating her birthday during the auditioning for Brave New Girl, one can see Johnson, Lindsey Haun, Lynne Spears, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and others singing "Happy Birthday" to Britney. Both auditions were confirmed by Johnson's rep.

Johnson appeared in the hit CW series Smallville episode "Legion", as the super heroine Saturn Girl. The episode aired on January 15, 2009. Although it has been announced that other members of the Legion will return in future episodes, no news has yet been provided concerning Johnson's character, Imra Ardeen.

Johnson has also acted in independent films produced and directed by her brother, Matt Johnson.

Johnson has starred in several Lifetime movies, including Devil's Diary, for which she received a Leo Award nomination, in the category of Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Feature-Length Drama. She also appeared in the TV-movie version of the Lois Duncan novel Stranger with My Face, in which she plays twin sisters who were separated at birth. She stated that the filming—which included a dramatic scene in which her two characters conflict through astral projection, leading to a fall off a cliff and into a waterfall—was so mentally and physically demanding, that she felt like she could never take on another role like it again. It premiered on Lifetime Movie network on August 29, 2009.

The director of Stranger with My Face, Jeff Renfroe, greatly praised what he saw when working with Johnson and her costar Andrew Francis. "They're both young actors who came from the school of working from the gut and not trying to intellectualize everything."

Charity Work

During 2001, Alexz worked with World Vision, and had a section on her official site where fans could order shirts with a design done by Johnson and also featuring her autograph. Unfortunately, there were production problems and the shirts were never sent out. Alexz made an apology on her site and provided refunds to everyone who ordered one. In 2002, she performed as the opening act at Wayne Gretzky's celebrity dinner and auction, held in Edmonton, Alberta, to raise funds for the Ronald McDonald children's charity.

During the peak of her run on So Weird, Johnson ended up performing and visiting the Nashville Kids Fair where she also hosted the event. During her time in Nashville, Johnson ended up visiting ill children in a local hospital. The trip was made as a part of an outreach by Disney Channel, as Johnson visited the children with the dog who starred in the Disney original film Air Bud.

During 2002 and 2003, Johnson focused on her music, but decided to perform with several charitable organizations. She worked with David Foster, opening for his charity events for the David Foster Foundation. After the season premiere of the second season of Instant Star on The N she also did a public service announcement for Second Harvest which was assisting the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

On November 21, 2008, Johnson was a special guest performer for a Women In Leadership (a Vancouver organization promoting women's role in the media) foundation called SuperWomen & Friends - A Red Carpet Gala.

Discography

Solo Studio Albums

• Running With The Devil 2009

Unreleased (Due to being dropped by Epic Records

• Alexz Johnson(Self-titled Debut Album) 2009/2010

Released By: Laydee Spencer Music, Inc. First Single: Trip Around The World (Confirmed on Alexz official Website www.alexzonline.com)

Compilation

• Songs from Instant Star

Released: April, 26, 2005

• Songs from Instant Star Two**

Released: April 4, 2006

• Songs from Instant Star Three

Released: July 3, 2007

• Songs from Instant Star Four

Released: June 17, 2008

• Instant Star: Greatest Hits

Released: September 22, 2009

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1999	Music Chronicles (Pilot)	Unknown	Principal Role
	Most Talented Kids (Pilot)	Unknown	Principal Role
	Unknown NBC Pilot	Unknown	Principal Role
1999	So Weird	Annie Thelan	Lead Role
2001	No Place Like Home (Pilot)	Unknown	Principal Role
2004	Instant Star	Jude Harrison	Lead Role (2004-2008)
	Cold Squad	Deirdre Spence / Tricia Spence	Guest
	The Collector (TV series)	Isabelle Van Sant	Guest
	The Chris Isaak Show	Jennifer	Guest
	Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed	Freddy Fan	Extra
2005	Selling Innocence (TV)	Angel DeSousa	Minor
	Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical	The Arc-ettes	Minor
	Falcon Beach	Beach Girl	Minor
2006	Final Destination 3	Erin Ulmer	Supporting Role
2007	The Morgan Waters Show	Herself	Guest
	Devil's Diary	Dominique	Lead Role
	Cold Feet (Independent Film)	Girlfriend	Supporting Role
2009	Smallville	Imra Ardeen/Saturn Girl	Guest Star
	Stranger With My Face	Laurie / Lia	Lead Roles

References

External links

• ALEXZONLINE - THE MUSIC OF ALEXZ JOHNSON OFFICIAL WEBSITE
• Alexz Johnson official myspace
• Alexz Johnson at the Internet Movie Database

v • d • e Alexz Johnson Studio albums Alexz Johnson Soundtrack albums Fill Your Head · Songs from Instant Star · Songs from Instant Star Two · Songs from Instant Star Three · Instant Star: Greatest Hits · Songs from Instant Star Four · The N Soundtrack (D:TNG) Singles "24 Hours" · "How Strong Do You Think I Am?" · "Where Does It Hurt" Related topics So Weird · Instant Star · Epic Records