James Johnston

James Johnston (born 26 November 1990) is an Australian singer. In 2009, Johnston placed third in the seventh season of Australian Idol. In 2014, he made the top 24 of the sixth season of The X Factor (Australia).

In July 2021, Johnston released his debut single "Raised Like That". It became the fastest ever debut single by an Australian-based country artist to reach 1 million streams. "Raised Like That" was certified gold in Australia by mid-2022, and in doing so, Johnston became first independent country artist to achieve the milestone in 21 years.

He was a part of the Star Struck school spectacular event in Newcastle, NSW in 2005.

Career 2009: Australian Idol

In 2009, Johnston auditioned for the seventh season of Australian Idol, singing John Mayer's "Your Body Is a Wonderland" at his audition, receiving praise from all four judges. Johnston eventually placed third behind Stan Walker and Hayley Warner.

Australian Idol performances and results (2009) Episode Song Original Artist Result Audition "Your Body Is a Wonderland" John Mayer Through to Theatre Week Theatre Week 1 "You'll Never Walk Alone" from the show Carousel Theatre Week 2 "No Such Thing" John Mayer Through to top 24 Top 24 "Crazy" Gnarls Barkley Through to top 12 Top 12 (Contestant's Choice) "How to Save a Life" The Fray Top 11 (Rock Night) "Thnks Fr Th Mmrs" Fall Out Boy Top 10 (Top 10 Hits) "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" Train Top 9 (1980s) "The Power of Love" Huey Lewis and the News Top 8 (P!nk Hits) "Who Knew" P!nk Top 7 (Big Band) "Fever" Peggy Lee Top 6 (Movie / Theatre Night) "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" Queenrowspan="2" "You'll Never Walk Alone" from the show Carousel Top 5 (Contestant's Choice) "Mercy" Duffyrowspan="2" "Use Somebody" Kings of Leon Top 4 (Noughties Week) "Daughters" John Mayerrowspan="2" "This Is How a Heart Breaks" Rob Thomas Top 3 (Power Anthems) "More Than Words" Extremerowspan="3" "This Is How a Heart Breaks" Rob Thomas "Learn to Fly" Foo Fighters

Following his Idol experience, Johnston bought a van and travelled around country Australia, living show-to-show for a number of years.

2014: X Factor

In 2014, Johnston auditioned for the sixth season of The X Factor (Australian TV series). He made the top 24, but was eliminated before making the live shows.

The X Factor performances and results (2014) Episode Song Original Artist Result Audition "Roar" Katy Perry Through to Super Boot Camp Super Boot Camp 1"You're Nobody 'til Somebody Loves You" (Group performance)James ArthurThrough to Super Boot Camp 2 Super Boot Camp 2"Hold On We're Going Home" (Solo performance)DrakeThrough to Home Visits Home Visits (Top 24)"Something I Need"OneRepublic

Following The X Factor, Johnston travelled through Nashville, Tennessee with a friend. Johnston told Country Town in November 2021, "We were staying in this hostel that had this old piano. Everyone would go to bed at one o'clock in the morning, and I just stayed there for three or four hours writing songs … I've never been so inspired to create and truly, from that moment on, I was like, 'country music, that's where my heart', just songwriting and telling stories." In October 2021, the song peaked at number 1 on the Countrytown Music Network Hot 50 Country Airplay Chart and number 4 on the Australian Independent chart. It was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) in 2022.

Johnston released his second single "Small Town" on 19 November 2021. On the writing of the song, Johnston said "I wrote 'Small Town' on the drive back home to my hometown of Wingham. I had been spending quite some time in the city and I was just so excited to get back to my family farm. I wanted to capture that feeling of excitement and anticipation in the song – that build up as I was on that drive to get back home." In August 2023, Johnston announced the release of his debut studio album, Raised Like That, scheduled for release on 29 September 2023.

2024: Signed with Warner and Where You'll Find Me In September 2024, Johnston confirmed he had signed with Warner Music Australia and released the single "Blame". In August 2025, Johnston announced the forthcoming release of his second studio album, Where You'll Find Me.

Style In November 2021, Johnston said "I grew up singing country music up until about 16. But I feel I truly developed my style when I went off and tried lots of different genres (played in a funk band, wrote indie acoustic music, played rock 'n' roll covers). So when I finally came home to country at about 25, my upbringing was rooted in country music and songwriting but I got to pull from all different genres to craft my own unique sound."

In November 2021, Johnston further elaborated with Country Town saying "When I did Idol and The X Factor, I always felt like I was kind of playing a character of sorts and it felt so disingenuous. I was young when I did Australian Idol. I didn't know myself, and I would never have called myself an artist at that stage. I was a singer that loved to sing songs. So, for me, I didn't mind getting pushed and pulled in different directions."

Released: 29 September 2023 Format: CD, 2×LP, digital Label: James Johnston 7

Released: 24 October 2025

— ARIA: Platinum

2024 30 Where You'll Find Me

Awards and nominations APRA Awards The APRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand by the Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually. 2023 "Raised Like That" Most Performed Country Work of the Year

ARIA Music Awards The ARIA Music Awards is an annual award ceremony event celebrating the Australian music industry. 2024 Raised Like That Best Country Album

Bokkies The Bokkies are an award show, organised by South Africa's Bok Radio. 2025 "Country Is for Me" (with Appel) Song of the Year

Country Music Awards of Australia The Country Music Awards of Australia is an annual awards night held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival. Celebrating recording excellence in the Australian country music industry. They commenced in 1973.

Queensland Music Awards The Queensland Music Awards (previously known as the Q Song Awards) are an annual awards ceremony celebrating Queensland's brightest emerging artists and established legends. They commenced in 2006.

"Country Boys" Country Award Rolling Stone Australia Awards The Rolling Stone Australia Awards are awarded annually in January or February by the Australian edition of Rolling Stone magazine for outstanding contributions to popular culture in the previous year. 2023 James Johnston Best New Artist