By Reporter
Talented, Beautiful, Modest, these three words describe singer/songwriter Beckie Johnz perfectly. Born in Ethiopia and mostly grew up in Kenya and came to Australia in 2005 when she was 15 years old. In her early teens, Beckie grew up in a Christian family, whereby she went to church and was involved in a choir. Beckie looked up to her choir masters and even though she was shy as a child, this gave her the confidence to want to use her God given talent to pursue a career in the music industry. Beckie started singing at a very young age even though her family members weren’t supportive of her.
Up until when she arrived to Australia, Beckie always kept in the back of her mind that if she were to be presented the opportunity to pursue her passion that she would always take that chance.Growing up, Beckie has always been inspired by music legends such as Nyankol Mathiang Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, usher Raymond, Alicia Keys and Toni Braxton, Keysha cole as well as the Destiny childs. She says that “at a young age i used to sing while playing with my friends but as soon as I reached home I would stop because my cousins would make fun of me saying “you’re a girl you shouldn’t sing”. At the age of 13 Beckie started taking singing more serious, although she was a very shy child. Over the years she started to come out of her shell more by letting the music guide her. Johnz speaks alot on her insecurities as she grew up.
She experienced bullying from distant family members who put her down, furthermore affecting her self esteem. This experience is what eventually inspired Johnz to turn to music. Music became my therapy” states Johnz. It lifted me up and guided me through my painful and dark days, so this was my way of expressing myself”. Beckie studied music in high school without the knowledge of her mother,and over the years Beckie strengthened her vocal skills and paid her way through vocal coaching. Through her performances Beckie met with an artist and producer Marvelous under the label BMC that would work with her to present an awesome demo and help take her career to the next level. Through those musical relationships,Beckie was connected with the duo Mavelous B producer and recorded a mix tapes of “that could be us” by Maino and” nothin on you” by B.O.B ft Bruno Mars.
Beckie Johnz took a long break (5 years) from music due to personal issues that she was embarking on, however Beckie remembered how music made her feel and why she should continue to use her God given talent. She moved with her family to Melbourne, Australia in 2016 where the music is very versatile and undeniablely wide. She knew best to continue to do what lifted her soul up from the beginning ” I want to pave way for my young south Sudanese female up coming artists, who are afraid to rise up,simply because of the lack of support. I knew best to be a role model in the male dominant industry within our community. Beckie Johnz has released her first ever EP (Just the Beginning) and first music video now available on all music platforms. She is working on her first album date to be announced soon. Stay Tune!
