• Home
  • Biography
  • MiddleChild Promotions
    • About
    • Platinum Weekend 2025
    • Platinum Weekend 2024
    • Platinum Weekend 2023
    • Platinum Weekend 2022
  • The Love Offering
    • Radio Life
    • On Air Interviews
    • Indie Artist Spotlight
  • Out The Box
    • Out The Box
    • Season 1
    • Season 2
    • Season 3
    • Season 4
  • Apparel
  • More
    • Home
    • Biography
    • MiddleChild Promotions
      • About
      • Platinum Weekend 2025
      • Platinum Weekend 2024
      • Platinum Weekend 2023
      • Platinum Weekend 2022
    • The Love Offering
      • Radio Life
      • On Air Interviews
      • Indie Artist Spotlight
    • Out The Box
      • Out The Box
      • Season 1
      • Season 2
      • Season 3
      • Season 4
    • Apparel
  • Home
  • Biography
  • MiddleChild Promotions
    • About
    • Platinum Weekend 2025
    • Platinum Weekend 2024
    • Platinum Weekend 2023
    • Platinum Weekend 2022
  • The Love Offering
    • Radio Life
    • On Air Interviews
    • Indie Artist Spotlight
  • Out The Box
    • Out The Box
    • Season 1
    • Season 2
    • Season 3
    • Season 4
  • Apparel

Johnta Austin (August 2005)

 MCP:  You’ve been in the industry for a longtime now, so I had to do a little  digging. I’d like to know was “Kid Beats” your first job?


Johnta:  Yea, that was like my first big job that I landed. I mean I did a  couple of commercials before then, but that was like my first big thing  that was major.


MCP: And how old were you when you did that?


Johnta: I was twelve years old.


MCP: Ok. And how did television transition into music?


Johnta:  Just always had a love for music. It was like an equal passion. I sung  in church and wanted to break into that field. I was kind of doing well  on the television and commercial side, but always had a passion for  music so…


MCP: Can you remember the first song you ever wrote or produced?


Johnta:  The first song I ever wrote? Man…oh gosh…I couldn’t. (laughs) None of  them were good. I can tell you that. (laughs). I don’t remember. I  really don’t.


MCP:  Ok. (laughs) Well you’ve grown up in Atlanta and you basically got the  chance to be a part of the music scene there. Looking at it now, what  would you say has changed the most?


Johnta:  I think we still play a big part in the music scene, but I think  Atlanta has gravitated more towards the hip hop scene. As far as the  whole dirty south genre, Atlanta was kind of the pioneer. When I was  breaking into the scene you had Dallas Austin. You had L.A Reid and  Babyface with LaFace and they were like the biggest people we had.  Jermaine Dupri…it was really like an R&B city. The industry as a  whole was more R&B. Atlanta has kind of moved more hip hop and  putting the dirty south on the map. That’s about the only change.


MCP:  And you’ve worked with so many artists, including those from the dirty  south. Would you say that its hard to choose a favorite?


Johnta:  Yea, it’s kind of hard to pick a favorite out of all the artists and  producers I’ve worked with because I’ve worked with so many talented  people. I could probably name a few people and what’s makes them my  favorite in their own little way.


MCP:  I see. Well you’re preparing your very first solo joint called “Ocean  Drive” and the lead single is called “Little More Love”. When can we  expect the album?


Johnta: The album will drop October 25th.


MCP:  Nice. Seeing that you’ve wrote so many hits for other artists, I know  you’re doing the bulk of the writing on your own project. Did you work with any other writers or producers for your project?


Johnta:  Jermaine and I did most of the project and he also did some of the  writing with me. Also collaborated with Jazzy Pha and Teddy Bishop as  far as the production part.


MCP:  Ok. Sounds good. In the past you were signed with RCA and then there  was a situation where you were dropped for Tyrese. Did that whole  situation make you wanna give up or did you figure that you would start  writing and keep your foot in the door?


Johnta:  When I started writing that was kind of my way of keeping my foot in  the door. I wasn’t really discouraged as far as my situation cause I was  so young. I was fourteen years old at the time so I had the resiliency  of youth on my side…and I still had aspirations. But yea, writing was  initially my way of staying around the music industry.


MCP: Would you say that all that writing equipped you to become a better artist?


Johnta:  Oh yea. Definitely. I would say that. When I was signed to RCA I was so  young. I was signed at thirteen, I was dropped at fourteen and I wasn’t  creative at all from that aspect. Didn’t know what I wanted. I didn’t  write. Now, being a writer and working with other artists, seeing how  they do their thing and being behind the scenes has definitely equipped  me to be a better artist and know what I want and what I want to bring  to the table.


MCP:  So now that you’re more creative and we’re going to be able to look at  you as an artist and not just a writer now, what can we expect? I mean,  you write some heartfelt material.


Johnta:  What you come to expect from me and my work with other artists…still  real topics and real situations. JD and I really focused a lot on love  and every aspect of love from a happy standpoint. Being in love, getting  to know somebody, meeting somebody…all the way down to the sexual  aspect. We kind of put ourselves in the mind-frame of what we thought  would’ve been on Marvin’s mind with “Let’s Get It On” and “Sexual  Healing”. Still real situations…we just put a little romance in.  (laughs)


MCP:  I look forward to hearing that. I love that type music. Other than your  project, I know you’ve been busy writing on other albums due out soon.  Who have you worked with so far?


Johnta:  JD and I just completed four more songs for Mariah. I'm actually in New  York working with a new artist by the name of Chris Brown. I have a  song on Mary J’s new album, Toni Braxton’s new album. Working with 3LW,  Tyrese and Monica. So I’m still keeping the writing with other artists  in tact.


MCP:  I’m real excited about that. It’s funny to me because you’ve done work  with just about everybody in my cd collection and most of my favorite  tracks from their albums you’re responsible for. That’s no lie. I was  shocked. Aaliyah’s “I Don’t Wanna”, Fantasia’s “You Got Me Waiting”,  Ginuwine’s “Stingy”, Monica’s “That’s My Man”. You know its rare to hear  about the people behind the record unless you already have the name…JD,  Missy, Dallas or whatnot, so I must give you props on your work.


Johnta: Thank you so much.


MCP: Is there anyone that you have yet to work with that you are dying to get in the studio with?


Johnta:  I’d like to work with Stevie Wonder. JD and I are going to be doing  some songs with Lionel Richie and I’m a huge Lionel Richie fan. I know  he kind of old school (both laugh), but I think he is like one of the  greatest writers of all time. And I also want to work with R. Kelly as  well. That’s a dream of mine.


MCP:  Ok. Good luck with that. We have several unsigned artist who visit the  message board and site, what advice would you give those trying to get  in the game?


Johnta:  I would say develop yourself and make sure you’re as polished as you  can be from every aspect of the game. Know what you want creatively,  know who you are, your vocal ability. The main thing is never give up  and never let go of your dream and everybody is not gonna feel what you  do. Everybody is not gonna believe in it, but that doesn’t mean that it  can not work. Stick to what you do and continue to get better every day.  It’s gonna happen. 


MCP: What would you say is your favorite song off your album right now?


Johnta:  Oh man. It’s probally a tie between this record Jermaine did called  “This Evening” and this other record called “Dope Fiend”. That’s my  second single and I’m really excited about that. (laughs)


MCP: What’s that song about?


Johnta:  (laughs) Basically comparing a girl to drugs and saying how she is  addictive. I gotta have her around me and in my system. If I don’t have  my daily fix or hourly fix of her I start to go through withdrawals. 


MCP: (laughs) Another one of those real records….


Johnta: (laughs) Yea, you know.


MCP:  That’s cool. Now many of us who listen to music are starting to notice  how watered down R&B is getting. Lil Mo stated in an interview that  real R&B don’t exist anymore because everyone is being trendy and  worried about being an overnight success instead of legends. What’s your  take on that?


Johnta:  I agree with that to a certain extent. I feel that there are not a lot  of artists that try to stay true to the roots of R&B. I think that  R&B has kind of fallen off a bit cause people are not giving it the  same quality. But then you take an artist like John Legend who is a  wonderful R&B artist and people who feel it and love it and they  follow his movement because it’s quality. He didn’t offer a trend, he  offered good music and I still think that if music is good that people  appreciate it and support your movement. I know R. Kelly is looked at  strongly on the hip hop side as well, but he does good R&B music.  Which I think has been a catalyst in sustaining him for so long cause  it’s all about the song and what he is saying and he hasn’t deviated too  far from giving you good music. So I think if you do good melodies and  good songs and beautiful music, I think people will still  follow the movement of it. I don’t see it being so hip - hop oriented  that if somebody like Maxwell put an album out right now he wouldn’t do  well as long as he is doing what we love him for. I think R&B still  has a place. I agree with what Mo is saying. I believe there are artists  who wanna be trendy, but I think if you follow your heart and do some  good music, I think there is still a place for R&B. Hip-hoppers love  it too. I play my stuff for hip - hop people and they be like “this is  the kind of music…this is the kind of R&B that you know….” I was  talking to Jazze a few weeks ago and he was like “for hip-hop people, we  have to go back and listen to old R&B cause there is no R&B out  right now that is reminiscent of the Al Greens or Marvin Gaye’s or  Teddy Pendergrass’. We have to go listen to older R&B artists when  we want to listen to R&B because everyone is trying to be us.  Everybody is trying to be rappers.”


MCP: I feel you on that. We discuss that type thing on the messageboards all the time. Man.

Copyright © 2023 itsRoJay - All Rights Reserved.

Powered by