Lara Johnston is one of America’s most promising young artists poised to break into the music industry. Likened to a young Britney Spears by the man who discovered and has managed Britney for most of her career, Lara is blessed with a honeyed and powerful voice along with formidable stage presence: a combination that points to a very bright future indeed.
Although she is just 18, Lara already has a great deal of experience in the recording studio. Most recently, she recorded two songs with Makeba Riddick, one of the best songwriters and producers in the business. Makeba has written songs for Beyoncé, Janet Jackson, Toni Braxton and Rihanna to name but a few incredibly successful female vocalists and what’s more, she possesses a real gift for developing new talent. As well as benefiting from Makeba’s stewardship and support, Lara is lucky enough to be working with a team of experienced vocal and dance coaches. It takes more than just talent to succeed in this business: discipline and dedication are required in abundance and this is a fact not lost on Lara. More will follow as Lara continues her journey, always learning and constantly honing her craft not only as a performer but as a songwriter as well.
It will be some time before the album is completed and available but it promises to be worth the wait, representing a real progression from the demos Lara has previously recorded. Not to take anything away from these — they themselves sound like real records and are proudly showcased on this site. All six demo songs were recorded at different times between June 2007 and September 2008.
Lara continues to add to her experience in live performance. This May, she and her band are scheduled to open the show for the five week run of the musical Man of La Mancha in the spectacular outdoor ampitheatre atop Mount Tamalpais, near where she grew up in Marin County. In 2008, she opened for Joan Jett at the Marin County Fair and headlined a gig at the San Rafael Street-Painting Festival. The year before she performed in a charity concert for Tony LaRussa's Animal Rescue Foundation at the Fox Theater in St. Louis, Missouri. She sang two songs of her own and two duets with Michael McDonald, backed up by the St. Louis gospel choir. She received a standing ovation for her performance, another huge boost after already having won plaudits for her performances at the B.R. Cohn Fall Music Festival in California. She has now appeared there three years in a row, sharing the bill with big-name acts such as Tower of Power, Kris Kristofferson, Huey Lewis & The News and Willie Nelson.
It was her musical pedigree that led to her first B.R. Cohn charity concert gig in 2006, where at the tender age of sixteen she sang nine songs with a full band behind her.
Lara’s father is Tom Johnston, the lead singer of the Doobie Brothers. Lara had toured with her dad’s band on a number of occasions over the years so music had always been a way of life. She had even been joining the band on stage for their performance of the song Listen to the Music from the age of two! The Doobie Brothers are B.R. Cohn Music Festival regulars and Lara was such a revelation in her full debut festival performance that she was invited to perform as a special guest in their shared concert with Willie Nelson in Maui later that year.
Lara participated in the MTV show Rock the Cradle in 2008. It wasn’t her first experience in television. She was cast in and filmed a pilot TV show called The Moon Girls in 2006. Although her primary passion is for music, Lara acts and also has thirteen years of training in classical ballet. She has performed The Nutcracker to audiences of two thousand.
A natural performer eager to further her career, with a successful musician as a parent, Lara was an ideal choice for a contestant on Rock the Cradle. The format of the show lined up 9 children of well-known musicians in competition against each other for a record deal, one being voted off the show every week. Lara featured in all six episodes but fell at the final hurdle. The eventual winner was Crosby Loggins, son to Kenny. The experience was nonetheless invaluable and Lara learned a great deal from it, gaining an appreciation for the industry machine and getting direct feedback from a panel of judges which included Belinda Carlisle, Jamie King (choreographer on Madonna’s Sticky and Sweet tour and the Britney Spears Circus tour) and Larry Rudolph (mentor and manager to Britney Spears).
Lara officially moved to Los Angeles last year where she continues her development as an artist, undertaking intense tuition in singing, acting and dance while on the path to recording her first album. The big time beckons for this young lady.
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Thank you much And I'm going to keep this comment short so I can rush to your page and take a listen :) And my summer is going pretty good, it's flying by though. Real fast. I hope yours is filled with music making and awesome'ness
Hey Just wanted to drop a line & see wat the fam is up to...We are really happy to have you as a friend! Get back @ us & let us know whats good We also have NEW tracks up now,that we think you will enjoy! Let us know what you think when you hit us up Thanx Harry Chronic Jr. & The Celebriy Rehab Rejects
*New Track "Killin This" Just Uploaded! Check It Out Your Gonna Love This Shit! & Leave Some Feedback* **Thanx**
I'm makin' my rounds and tryin' to reach out to all my myspace homies. I have a lot, so if I haven't hit u up in a minute...my bad!!! But bang back and let me know what's cookin on your side...I hope all is well. Check out my new single, "Lose Control"...available on ITunes and all other major distributors shortly...
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hey lara, debi drums here! i will be playing with THE JILL WARHOL BAND next Sat., July 11 on the main stage at THE KNITTING FACTORY. if you and your mom are in town i would love it if you could make the show!!
just comin through to show ya page some luv!! hope you have a great weekend! when you get a chance come through my page and check out my new single called "My Life".
I’m not sure how to say this without it sounding like another one of those advertisements that get put on your page, but here it goes. I want to thank you for being a friend, fan and supporter of me and everything I do. Now it’s time to repay you the favor. The Shifted2u TV Show just went global by launching, Shifted2u.com. I’d love for you to be part of the celebration, stop by the site, swing by my page and show me your Shifted Swagg!
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hey lara, thanks for the comment back! it means a lot to know that you right back to fans, lots of stars won't do that! anyways I sent you a message with my address and I was just checking to see if you got it. I'm VERY excited to get the demo! I've been spreading the word about you to my friends posting links to your site so they can listen to your music! I hope sometime you come to Ohio for a concert because I want to see you live! thanks again for the comment!
