Haley Johnsen at the Mogo Music Festival at the Star Theater this past November—click to see more photos by Miss EllaneaIf there's one constant about Haley Johnsen's burgeoning singing career, it's that she's consistently exuding stunning emotion. A beautiful voice and presence, her powerful vocals impress both on and off stage. This past summer, she released her debut EP, the seven-song Through The Blue (watch a live video for the title track below), and now she's ready to follow up that effort with a brand new single for 2016.
"Feel The Water" is a song that "emerged for me while I was receiving a guitar lesson from my bandmate, Tim Karplus," Johnsen explains. "The guitar melody line became the starting point" and "the song eventually wrote itself. The vocal melody came very naturally, almost as if it was certain it could be no other way."
"As I was writing it, I couldn't help but keep hearing the word 'water.' I wasn't sure why it kept insisting on itself, but the water came to represent something much greater than I'd imagined. The water represents all of our potential. Our depth. Our wildest dreams. This song became a reminder to myself and others to not be afraid to live a life of excellence. To make no excuses to settle for mediocrity or wade in shallowness, and to believe in oneself despite the ever-looming shadow of complacency."
With Johnsen on vocals and acoustic guitar and Karplus providing bass, the song also features Barrett Johnson on acoustic guitar, Tom Dawson on electric guitar and Mark Powers on drums. "This is the first song that my band and I collaborated on both outside and inside of the studio," she explains, "and I feel so grateful to have found the right group of musicians to create with."
Next on the horizon is playing more shows with her band. "We just got back from a California tour together, had a blast, and really began to gel as a band. My plan is to continue writing more music, release a few more singles, and get started on my first full-length album this year."
