Zoe Johnston
Encyclopedia
Zoë Johnston is a British
singer-songwriter
(1976– ), who grew up in Nottinghamshire. Johnston is best known for her vocal contributions to Faithless
, Above & Beyond
, Bent
, and Delerium
.
. She wrote the song "Private Road" on which she performs guitar and vocals and co-wrote the song "Swollen", which the British actor Sir Michael Caine later proclaimed to be "one of the most romantic songs in chill music I've ever heard". He included the track on a self-made chill-out compilation CD entitled Cained and chose it for the BBC Radio 4 programme "Desert Island Discs" which aired on 20th December 2009. Almost without exception Johnston has written all of her own lyrics and vocal parts even when collaborating with other acts. She has a degree in journalism and film. She is also a photo-realist painter.
who initially believed her voice had been sampled from a recording in the 1940s. This led to Johnston singing on the Faithless album Outrospective
, released by BMG in 2001. She performed for eighteen months with the group throughout their world tour to promote the album.
, Sleepthief
, Delerium
, and Above & Beyond
on their singles "Good For Me", "No One On Earth" and "You Got To Go" on record label Anjunabeats
. She has been part of Above & Beyond album Group Therapy
, released in June 2011.
. The album was re-released on the Favourite Records label in 2008.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
(1976– ), who grew up in Nottinghamshire. Johnston is best known for her vocal contributions to Faithless
Faithless
Faithless were a British electronica band consisting of Maxi Jazz, Sister Bliss and Rollo. The group is best known for their dance songs . Faithless recorded six albums. During their career they sold over 15 million records worldwide...
, Above & Beyond
Above & Beyond (band)
Above & Beyond are a British trance music group formed in 2000 and consists of the members Jono Grant, Tony McGuinness, and Finnish Paavo Siljamäki. They have their own record label Anjunabeats, which releases trance and progressive music, and they also host their own weekly radio show Trance...
, Bent
Bent (band)
Bent are an electronica act from Nottingham in England, consisting of Neil "Nail" Tolliday and Simon Mills. They gained critical acclaim from their debut album Programmed to Love in 2000....
, and Delerium
Delerium
Delerium is a band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, formed in 1987, originally as a side project of the influential industrial music act, Front Line Assembly...
.
Early career
Zoë Johnston made her debut in 1999 when she was featured on a number of tracks from Neon Heights' house album A View from the Heights. At the same time, Johnston was writing for Bent's debut album Programmed to LoveProgrammed to Love
Programmed to Love is the debut album from the electronica chillout duo Bent, released in 2000. The album contains various styles of electronica music and samples.-Release:The album was released in several versions...
. She wrote the song "Private Road" on which she performs guitar and vocals and co-wrote the song "Swollen", which the British actor Sir Michael Caine later proclaimed to be "one of the most romantic songs in chill music I've ever heard". He included the track on a self-made chill-out compilation CD entitled Cained and chose it for the BBC Radio 4 programme "Desert Island Discs" which aired on 20th December 2009. Almost without exception Johnston has written all of her own lyrics and vocal parts even when collaborating with other acts. She has a degree in journalism and film. She is also a photo-realist painter.
Touring with Faithless
Her vocal contribution to "Swollen" caught the attention of Faithless member Rollo ArmstrongRollo Armstrong
Rollo Armstrong is one half of the music producers/remixers team Rollo and Sister Bliss and is a founding member of the electronic music group Faithless.-Early life:...
who initially believed her voice had been sampled from a recording in the 1940s. This led to Johnston singing on the Faithless album Outrospective
Outrospective
Outrospective is the third album by Faithless, released on 18 June 2001 it was the follow-up to Sunday 8PM and the predecessor to No Roots. The Single "We Come 1" had the most success charting at no. 3 on the UK Singles Chart, "One Step Too Far" charted at no. 6 with vocals from Dido, while...
, released by BMG in 2001. She performed for eighteen months with the group throughout their world tour to promote the album.
With other artists
Johnston has also performed with Paul Heaton of The Beautiful SouthThe Beautiful South
The Beautiful South were an English alternative rock group formed at the end of the 1980s by two former members of Hull group The Housemartins, Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway. The duo were initially joined by Sean Welch , Dave Stead and Dave Rotheray , all of whom stayed with the group throughout...
, Sleepthief
Sleepthief
Sleepthief is an American electronic music recording project formed by producer and composer Justin Elswick. Elswick began writing music for the album ten years prior to its release. The album was mixed, mastered, co-produced, and co-arranged by Israel Curtis...
, Delerium
Delerium
Delerium is a band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, formed in 1987, originally as a side project of the influential industrial music act, Front Line Assembly...
, and Above & Beyond
Above & Beyond (band)
Above & Beyond are a British trance music group formed in 2000 and consists of the members Jono Grant, Tony McGuinness, and Finnish Paavo Siljamäki. They have their own record label Anjunabeats, which releases trance and progressive music, and they also host their own weekly radio show Trance...
on their singles "Good For Me", "No One On Earth" and "You Got To Go" on record label Anjunabeats
Anjunabeats
Anjunabeats is a British record label, started by producers Jonathan "Jono" Grant and Paavo Siljamäki in 2000 which releases trance music. The first 12" record was titled Volume One, released under Grant and Siljamäki's alias, Anjunabeats, in 2000. As the label got the name Anjunabeats, they...
. She has been part of Above & Beyond album Group Therapy
Group Therapy (Above & Beyond album)
Group Therapy is the second studio album by British trance group Above & Beyond. It was released on 6 June 2011 by Anjunabeats. The album features collaborations with Zoë Johnston and Richard Bedford.-Track listing:...
, released in June 2011.
Solo album
Zoë Johnston's solo album Happenstances was released on 27 November 2006 by Shiva Records. The album includes an original version of one of Johnston's best known tracks — "Crazy English Summer", from Faithless album OutrospectiveOutrospective
Outrospective is the third album by Faithless, released on 18 June 2001 it was the follow-up to Sunday 8PM and the predecessor to No Roots. The Single "We Come 1" had the most success charting at no. 3 on the UK Singles Chart, "One Step Too Far" charted at no. 6 with vocals from Dido, while...
. The album was re-released on the Favourite Records label in 2008.
External links
- Zoë Johnston on MySpace
- Shiva Records