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Although Haley Johnsen has been singing since she was 3 years old, it took her years, as a self-described “shy” person, to feel comfortable sharing her gift with others.
“What makes me unique is that I started this whole journey backwards,” Johnsen says. “Having never really performed or written much music, I found myself in the top 24 of American Idol back in 2012. It’s incredibly strange coming off a show like that and then coming home and trying to figure out who you are and what you want to say.”
On Idol, Johnsen performed “The Night Has a Thousand Eyes” by Bobby Vee and “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by Eurythmics. These days, though, her inspirations are Brandi Carlile, Grace Potter, and Annie Lennox.
Johnsen says she enjoys “exploring new sounds in production or writing about a subject I’ve been afraid to explore. I’m a genre bender and have explored the realms of alt pop, rock and Americana. I’ve never been one to want to be placed into one box. One thing I know for sure is that my voice is what ties it all together.”
Ever an adventurer, Johnsen went from recording her acoustic album London Sessions at Abbey Road Studios in 2019 to writing the title track of her recent album Goner in an unlikely location: a trailer in Seaview, Wash., where she sequestered herself after suffering a creative rut during the pandemic. Still, she loves sharing who she is while onstage.
“For someone who grew up incredibly shy, I feel safe to take up space onstage and share the most vulnerable sides of myself,” Johnsen says. “I want people to walk away from my shows feeling uplifted and inspired.”
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