Here is my official biography!


Jaylene Johnson

Winnipeg singer/songwriter Jaylene Johnson is no stranger to the twists and turns in the life of a musician, having experienced her own tilt-a-whirl journey, to say the least. The most dramatic event was a head-on collision with a semi-truck in December of 2004, which capped off an extensive coast-to-coast Canadian tour. What followed was a season where excruciating pain brought life to a halt. But she survived the accident and subsequent injuries, and once again bought tickets for the music industry ride. On her third full-length album, Happiness, you'll be grateful that she did.

Jaylene credits Lloyd Peterson, the producer of her first record, Not Forgotten (2000), with encouraging her to write her own material and songwriting is where she discovered her deepest passion in music. She was awarded Contemporary Pop Song of the Year by the US Gospel Music Association (2002) while her sophomore release, Finding Beautiful (2004), was nominated for a Western Canadian Music Award and five Covenant Awards in 2004. Songs from both albums received national airplay on CBC and CCM radio, and found numerous placements in television with Sony Pictures Television and NBC Universal.

In 2006, Johnson caught the ear of Casablanca Media Publishing where she became their first signed writer and wrote under contract until recently. She has shared songwriting credits with dozens of musicians across the USA and Canada including Amy Sky (Heart, Olivia Newton John), and Simon Wilcox (Paris Hilton, the Trews, Three Days Grace). Most recently, a song co-written with Justin Gray (Joss Stone, Hannah Montana) found its way to a demo for Leah Danielle, produced by well-known producer David Foster. Another song, “Winter Wish”, has been selected for Air Canada’s In Flight play-list. Songs from Happiness are also finding their way out. “Grow” was highlighted this year on the CBC hit TV show Being Erica.

A straight up, no apologies pop album, Happiness features 10 tracks of jangle-y rockers and atmospheric ballads along with an enhanced portion featuring bonus tracks and more. Johnson's artistic influences echo throughout album, recalling Joni Mitchell's lyrical soul, Jane Siberry's subtlety and Sarah McLachlan's crossover appeal. The lush sound of the recording is the work of producers Brandon Friesen and Phil Deschambault.

Happiness demonstrates Johnson's ability to find hope in the face of the ups and downs and painful realities of life. This is a hope that she shares with great charisma onstage, through performing and storytelling, and will continue to share as she promotes Happiness at home and beyond.