Clayton Johnson On Finding His Way Back to Country Music And The Stories Behind His Debut EP, ‘Live To Learn’ [Exclusive]

Clayton Johnson has been running in musical circles with some of the biggest names, having played guitar for artists like Scotty McCreery and Sabrina Carpenter. Now, signed to Universal Music Group Publishing, and Audio Chateau Records, the singer/songwriter is making a name for himself with his biggest solo project to date — his debut EP called Live To Learn.  

Growing up, Johnson lived in Modesto, Calif., a highly agricultural part of the state. His mother, an avid listener of ‘90s country music, helped shape his love of the country genre. But he didn’t truly immerse himself in country music until later in life. After picking up the guitar at a young age, Johnson went on to dabble in various scenes, including pop-punk. He even ventured off navigating through different entertainment projects, including joining a handful of bands, starring in music videos, and modeling for Boot Barn. But, through all of his endeavors, country music is where he has felt most at home. 

“That is where I felt most at home, the most like myself,” Johnson confirmed in an interview with Country Now. “It connected me the most to my family. So I think it was a natural progression for me to come full circle from growing up on it, checking out other genres, and coming back to what inspired me to the first music I grew up listening to growing up.” 

An Unexpected Journey Of Ups and Downs

“My career and my path has not been…. a straight path. It hasn’t been an easy path. It’s been a lot of — I find myself trying to find where I feel the most at peace and where I feel the most like myself. It’s taken me to different places of exploration with acting, other genres, living in different places,” he added. “I’m in my mid-30s now and I feel like, as a kid, you have to fall off of a bicycle a couple of times and scrape your knee and feel that pain.”

While his musical path began with a viral moment after a comedy influencer discovered him via a “Howdy” pillow, Johnson didn’t turn his main focus to music until he connected with Kevin Bard, a multi-platinum songwriter and producer who has worked with artists like Dan + Shay and Parmalee. 

“I wasn’t trying to start a career being an artist, but as they say, when you are not looking for love that’s when it finds you,” Johnson, who has scored a songwriting credit on “Tough,” a song by Quavo and Lana Del Rey that landed on the Billboard Hot 100, shared. “I decided to step away from music and was just doing it for fun, but that’s when doors started opening up for me with opportunities to pursue something full-time in country music.”

Johnson’s Debut EP Marks A Fresh Start

“I partnered with Kevin Bard, an old friend of mine, and we started working together. It felt right and natural and people were loving the songs,” he added. “Here we are 6 years later, still doing it, still touring, and this is the first full body of work that I put out a few weeks ago, the Live to Learn EP.” 

Johnson’s seven-track EP reflects the journey he has been through, with deeply personal lyrics that explore themes of heartbreak, growth, and resilience. The collection also offers some windows rolled-down kind of songs that are perfect for summertime. Perhaps the title track sums up the road Johnson has taken thus far. The track shares the message that life doesn’t come with a how-to book, and the only way to survive is by learning from one’s mistakes. But the tune isn’t a sad song by any means. With its driving melody and vibrant acoustics, Johnson’s delivery of the track is bound to put a smile on the listener’s face.  

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“If you wanna break in your boots / You gotta kick up some dirt / You gotta play with some fire / To know how not to get burned / Falling in love’s gonna / Come with a little bit of heartbreak hurt / You’ll take a couple wrong turns / But you gotta live to learn,” Johnson sings throughout the chorus of the track, written alongside Katie Cecil, Shawn Chambliss, and Chris Ganoudis.

“‘Live To Learn’ is the title track on the EP and Lord knows I’ve done a lot of living and a lot of learning. If I hadn’t gone through some of the poor choices I’ve made or things that happened in my life that are out of my control, I wouldn’t be the man that I am today,” Johnson said. 

Feeling At Home In Tennessee

One positive choice Johnson has made was moving to Nashville, Tenn. The rising artist says he felt compelled to pack up his bags for Music City early on and couldn’t be happier that he made that decision because “I’ve always felt at peace and at home here.” 

“Ever since I moved and was visiting Nashville years ago, I’ve always felt a calling to be here,” he shared. “I had a Facebook memory pop up 15 years ago that said, ‘I can’t wait to move to the South’ and sure enough, here I am years later. I finally made it happen. But, I’ve always felt at peace and at home here. California will always be my home. My parents still have their little ranch out there. We’ll go out there for the 4th of July, which will be nice, but I feel like this is where I’m supposed to be right now.” 

Johnson notes that the closing track on Live To Learn called “I’ll Quit Drinking Tomorrow” reflects his current lifestyle in Tennessee the most as he’s always finding a reason to leave the house, whether it’s to hit the lake or to watch a football game with friends.

The highly-relatable tune offers a more traditional-leaning fix for country fans, with its simple melody, subtle pedal steel, and classic electric guitar licks as Johnson sings: “‘Cause the good times are rollin’ / The drinks keep on flowing / And I’ve never been one to say no / Friday to Friday / There’s always a party / And, yeah, it’s gonna take its toll / I’ve said it all before, I know / That I’ll quit drinkin’ / But I’ll quit drinkin’ tomorrow.” 

“I’ll Quit Drinkin’”

“That’s kind of like my life in Nashville sometimes, where after a weekend of going out with your friends, you’re like, “OK. I’m going to be healthy, and hit the gym this week. I’m not drinking tomorrow and then someone calls you and says, ‘Hey. Monday night football is tonight. We’re going out to a bar to watch the game,” he shared. “It’s like, ‘Alright. I’ll quit drinking tomorrow.’ There’s always a reason to go out and celebrate life.”

“Some of these songs are meant to just be turned up, to be fun to listen to, to set a vibe driving or hanging out with friends,” he insists. “Other songs are meant for a little bit more reflection. There’s a ballad on there called “Never Have To Say.” It’s one of my favorites.”

Writing Love Songs Inspired By His Parents

“It’s a beautiful love song. I have parents that have been married for almost 40 years and I see the kind of love they have and I’m a single man,” the singer, who was once engaged to Lana Del Rey, adds. “So writing songs that are inspired by them and the love they have, it’s been great to put everything I’ve gone through into this EP. There are some fun songs on there too that are based on true stories. So I think there’s a little bit of everything for everybody.” 

“Anybody” also taps into the love song sphere. The track features an uptempo finger-snapping melody, with Johnson swooning over a love interest, telling her: “You make a diamond look like coal / You make the night stars lose their glow / You make every classic fairytale sound the same / What can I say? / You make a champagne high taste sour / You make a day feel like an hour / You make a burnеd out heart like mine feel thе fire again / I never guessed / That I’d be out here writing a love song for anybody / But girl, you ain’t just anybody.”

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One song that falls somewhere in the middle of serious and lighthearted is the flirtatious “Talk Is Cheap,” which finds Johnson sharing the reminder that getting to know someone doesn’t cost money.

He sings, “‘Cause talk is cheap / So let’s see you and me / Let our lips get lost / See where it might lead / Yeah, there ain’t no price / On a back booth night / Ain’t gonna cost you a dime / To spend your time on me / ‘Cause talk is cheap.”

“I wrote that song with Kevin Bard and my brother Chantry Johnson, a songwriter out in California. As a single man, you want to be a gentleman on dates. You meet girls and you want to take care of everything. You want to make her dinner and Uber and all of those things. It adds up over time,”’ Johnson said while describing the meaning behind the track. “If you go on a couple of dates a month, that starts adding up quickly. The dates are worth it. I have no problem spending the money on it, but the whole point of the song is you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get to know somebody.” 

Earned Recognition From LeAnn Rimes

“‘Talk Is Cheap’ is about how it doesn’t cost anything to find out your favorite song at karaoke or where your parents are from or who your home team is and things like that. It’s a really fun play on words for me and it was cool because at one point in the song, I say, ‘What’s your go-to LeAnn Rimes song at Karaoke?’ I posted it on Instagram with a video clip, and LeAnn Rimes, the queen herself, commented on the video about how much she liked the song,” he added. “So that was cool for me to have somebody like her comment and acknowledge my song with her name on it.”

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Elsewhere, Johnson packs in nostalgia in “18 Again,” reflecting on those tender teenage years and the euphoria of falling in love for the first time. The song paints a stunning visual of summertime romance with its powerful descriptions that embody the feelings of being young and carefree while also paying a sweet tribute to lasting love. 

“Tailgate dreaming / Jumping off the dock in the midnight moon / And speakers singing / American Girl in the middle of June / A Tennessee sky, you by my side / I swear I can still see your / Feet on the dash, hand in the wind / And just like that, we’re 18 again,” Johnson sings.

“All of these songs are my journey and my stories of love lost and even manifestations of love that I hope to find one day…I think people can relate to the songs that send you back to a time in your life….” Johnson shares of his EP. “I just want to encourage people and hopefully they can relate to this EP where just because you’re going through the fire doesn’t mean that you’re going to completely burn down. You can come out of it stronger and it can make you a better person from it. So that’s really what this whole album encapsulates.” 

More Music And Tour Dates To Come

Johnson, who draws comparisons to Thomas Rhett and Luke Bryan, recently wrapped touring dates opening for Tyler Rich. Drawing more than 400,000 monthly Spotify listeners, he hints that he may have a full schedule of shows coming later this year.

“As far as what’s coming up next, I have some tours and shows that I’m excited to announce pretty soon. I can’t talk about it quite yet. But, I’ve got some great things in the works because I’ve been doing everything by myself. I haven’t gotten a manager yet,” Johnson said. “Now I’m starting to see a little bit of success. So I’m taking bigger management meetings and booking agent meetings. So I’m just excited to keep this thing going and keep writing songs for myself and for other artists. We’re shooting three videos next week for the last three songs on the EP and it’s going to be great to put out visualizers and keep promoting these songs throughout summer.”