Blame it all on his roots, Daniel Johnson showed up in boots at Cowboys Bar to pay homage to his second home in Statesboro.  It has been six years since the singer/songwriter did an interview with Connect.  A lot has changed for Johnson since then, including his growth as an artist.  Even off stage, Johnson has a compelling voice to describe his style.

“I think as a songwriter in general, you are an observer of life. You find those snapshot moments and put them in writing for the world to connect with,” Johnson said. 

Because of this perspective, variety is the key to quality, and the young artist has been tailoring his music to new sounds.  Those unique sounds made a debut in his song “Morning After You,” which features a brassy jazz section.  

“A body of work is fun and I don’t think you can wrap your whole artistry around just one song.  I’m trying to go a little more rootsy, dialing it back to a tone like the Eagles, or Jon Pardi, something with roots and rock.  That is the kind of stuff I really identify with. The stuff that is a definitive country to me,” Johnson said.  

Inspired by artists like Eric Church, Johnson released his latest single, entitled “Thank God for Church.”  

“It was a cool idea that I wrote with Ray Fulcher and Josh Phillips.  I’m a huge Eric Church fan.  So, one night I was on my way to Kentucky when I came up with a chorus for a song about what I learned from Church’s music.  I decided to play up the church line, making it the title. I had a write with Ray and Josh that following Monday, where we wrote the song and called it, ‘Thank God for Church.’  We made that song for an audience who knows and appreciates Eric Church’s music.  But then we decided it would be a cool spin if someone didn’t know a thing about him, and thought we were just singing about church.  I think we nailed it.”  

The idea Johnson had later manifested into a music video, which was recorded in a pre-Civil War church just south of Nashville.

Having recently moved to Nashville in 2016, Johnson is advancing in his career and living a life that is fully devoted to his music.  Before moving to Music City, Johnson wrote around 10 songs in a year.  However, living in Nashville is a different beast, albeit a good one.  

“My typical schedule includes booking songwriting sessions just as much as I book shows. So, the first year I was there I wrote around 115 songs,” he said.  

The structure that comes along with cowriting has the potential to enhance creativity.  

“What is really great about the whole co-writing side is that several people get to pitch thoughts to each other.  What it turns out to be is a think tank, where you can bounce ideas off one another and create something that you may not have thought about originally.  It gives the opportunity to write a lot more, and writing is just like every other muscle.  The more you do it, the better you get,” he contended.  

Sometimes Johnson writes up to two songs a day, which he confessed can be a little draining.  But having all those irons in the fire has led him to write for labels such as Big Machine, and open for artists like Darius Rucker, Cole Swindell and Luke Combs.  

“It’s hard to look at performing as one steady graph that goes straight up.  You hit milestones along the way.  I picked around on the guitar and found a love for it. Later, I started writing songs.  Eventually I was playing by the campfire for friends and making money.  You just keep pushing until you find the next opportunity, whether it is a small gig, or a sold-out arena,” Johnson said.

It is certain that Johnson has reached many milestones since his humble beginnings in Statesboro.  

“One of the first shows I did was in this place,” he said, while looking around the bar.  “This was my first venue and the place was packed out.  It is bittersweet being back here and remembering all the people who supported me.  Very early on I had friends that would say, ‘hey man, you should do something with this.’  They pushed me in a direction that I don’t think I would have gone in without them,” he said.  

Johnson will be performing at Gnats Landing on March 8 during a run of shows this spring. 

“Statesboro is like my second home.  You can’t know where you’re going until you know where you’ve been, and I will always come back here for that reason,” he assured.

Aside from his busy life on the road, Johnson is making big life plans, as well.  He is engaged to Jamie Lynn Lebrun, who cheers for the Tennessee Titans when she isn’t on call as a nurse.  As they plan for a wedding, Johnson will be working on a project this summer that includes a tour to introduce new music.  

To stay connected with his upcoming events, you can follow Johnson on social media and check out his website.  His latest songs are available for download and can be streamed across all music platforms such as Apple Music, iTunes, and Spotify.