We were lucky to catch up with Johnny Majestic recently and have shared our conversation below.
Johnny , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
I’ve been extremely fortunate to have just finished my first project as a composer recently! It’s an arcade style prison break video game I worked on in collaboration with the great Mark Mothersbaugh (DEVO) called [REDACTED], and it’s coming out very soon. There’s a big synth punk influence and it was so fun to create.
Making music isn’t about making money, but getting rewarded for your work financially is honestly a great feeling. It really gives you a certain drive and motivation. This is the first job where I’ve legitimately felt that. It makes you very hopeful and excited.
Most people in this industry put a lot of energy into their craft, despite the fact that independent music production rarely results in large payouts. Streaming platforms pay out fractions of pennies, and the saturated live scene isn’t ideal for making money. That results in a financially dry craft – driven exclusively by passion. Music-making is currently in a weird spot, more accessible than ever but often totally non-profitable, you need to seek out ways to make it work. Hopefully some laws get put into place to change the whole streaming situation soon.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Hey, my name is Johnny Majestic.
I’m a musician, artist and performer based in Los Angeles. My style is influenced by lots of flamboyant Rock Music, 70s and 80s Glam, as well as a little bit of Pop from almost every era. Visually married with Surrealist and Fantasy themes.
I like to mix things together a lot. Combine and create. But I think my core is a glam-ish rock singer who loves really weird stuff and out-there details, intertwined in my little polished visions of perfection.
My life’s biggest mission is probably creating a world through my imagination that can act as an escape from reality (for myself and whoever my creations resonate with). The sound of my world is big, soulful and melodic.
As the director of my music videos and general image, there’s definitely a certain dreaminess to what I like making, visual-wise. In no way, though, am I implying that it’s mellow or relaxed. The art I make screams bright, vivid and fantastical. Using things like prosthetic makeup, special effects, and the vast arsenal of fashion-inspo from rockstars of the past.
Within my project I’m the songwriter/producer/director and stage performer, and I currently put all of my music and videos out independently. Verbal descriptions of one’s creations can be imperfect, so take a listen to some of my music if you feel inclined. I suggest my latest music video “Everybody Likes Me!” (keep an eye out for pink cat!)
Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?
Honestly I don’t totally get them haha. But I do have my music on this platform called sound.xyz where anyone with a crypto wallet can buy my music, pretty much the same system as an NFT which I think is super cool, I’m stoked to be a part of it, it’s a whole platform specifically made for music.
I think when NFTs came out, everyone was really hopeful about the fact that you could finally have a proper way of selling what you make. What it ending up being is crypto punks and those ape pictures. Just like a, sorry, artless profile picture to use on your “X” profile, that you paid a bunch of money for. Dunno, maybe Id be more excited if I had a bunch of money invested in it. I love the idea, but so far the most popular stuff was never really about quality of the creation, which is kind of sad.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Bringing a vision to life. Maybe even just the scheming process of: “how do I take this phantasmagorical vision and bring it to life?” It’s so exciting ughhhhh.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://johnnymajestic.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/johnny_majestic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnnymajesticbro/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JohnnyMajestic
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/johnnymajestic/
Image Credits
Personal photo – RaesRoll
Photos 1, 2 & 3 Alex’s Bar, Dec 2023 by Christian A. Cadena
Photos 4 & 6 by Kiti Wullich
Photo 5 by Vivi Paxland