Teagan Johnston’s current course began when she decided, during her final semester in high school, to begin recording her debut album between classes.
Unusual, yes. But not seemingly out of the ordinary for the Yukon native, a self-starter who had lived in Canada, South Africa, Spain and Switzerland by the time she was 13.
To complete the recording, Johnston, now 18, would go from class to the recording studio and back again, juggling her studies all the while.
Her friends were off behaving like typical students while Johnston was in a studio with producer Colin Nealis, crafting what would be become Winter’s Child.
“It was an interesting end to high school for me,” Johnston said with a laugh.
She graduated from Vic High in June and spent the better part of the months that followed readying the EP for release.
Though her future was unclear at that point, she knew instinctively during the recording of Winter’s Child that a post-secondary education was not in the cards. “The money I would have put toward school I’ve put into recording and putting on shows, doing it on my own.”
Winter’s Child will officially be released at her concert Saturday at Fairfield United Church. It is the first of many gigs Johnston sees in her immediate future.
A long-term goal, Johnston said, would be to take songs from the recording and get them into high schools, where they can be discussed.
“I’d love to talk to girls about relationships throughout high school, because that’s mostly what the EP is about for me. I’d like to provide some education for girls about how to be there for each other and be there in relationships in an educated way.”
Johnston is a lively sparkplug, no doubt. She also takes things very seriously, and clearly has a unique worldview that suggests she is wise beyond her years. Having travelled extensively with her family — which moved often during sabbaticals undertaken by her father, Stephen Johnston, a UVic geologist and expert in plate tectonics — she has seen and done more than most people her age. She is determined to take not a second of it for granted.
“Victoria is home base for me, but [travelling] has definitely sparked a feeling of always wanting change in me.
“I enjoy moving around, meeting new people, and the change of environment is so educational and beneficial to me.”
Her family moved to Switzerland when Johnston was in Grade 4, and when she was in Grade 8 their travels saw them relocate to Spain. It was there, Johnston said, that she grew into herself as a person.
“I went to school in Spain hardly knowing any Spanish. It was kind of do or die. If you’re shy [in that situation], you’re not going to have friends. I put myself out there, and they are such an accepting culture it was really a wonderful place for me to grow.”
She has met and collaborated with some of the city’s best performers, including Steph Macpherson and Nealis’s bandmate Aidan Knight. Both appear on Winter’s Child, which is a testament to both her skill as an artist and drive as an individual.
“It’s not enough to write some songs and be happy with them, and hope people come to you,” Johnston said.
“It takes a lot to put yourself out there and ask people to help you. But I got some great support out of some really great people. It’s a super feeling.”
Where were you born and raised?
I was mostly raised in Victoria, but I was born in the Yukon.
When did you arrive in Victoria and what brought you here?
I moved here when I was four years old, from South Africa, and have lived here since then.
What is your favourite thing about Victoria?
It’s beautiful, first of all. It was a nice place to grow up because it is not too big and it’s not too small. It’s a very openly creative place.
What is your greatest accomplishment as a person?
Being happy, first of all. It’s a big thing for a lot of people. I noticed in my last year of high school that everyone was getting really frightened about what was going to make them happy for the rest of their lives, and what they were supposed to do. Making it through that and finding something right now that is really fulfilling and making me happy is a really great feat, I’ve found.
And as a professional?
It’s a huge accomplishment for me to have a CD in my hands; I can say that I have done it. Music is a pretty scary career, and this might be my first or my last or my first of many CDs, I don’t really know. It will definitely always be something that I’m proud of, so that feels like a huge accomplishment. Even if I have nothing for a while after this, it is something I really had the guts to go after.
First album you purchased?
The Beach Boys, Endless Summer. I loved it to bits.
Favourite album?
The Beatles, The Beatles.
First concert you attended?
It was an Avril Lavigne concert when I was nine, in Switzerland.
Favourite concert you attended?
Dan Mangan at the Alix Goolden Hall [in 2010]. It was a big one for me.
If you had one motto, or rule to abide by, what would it be?
There is one thing I learned at that Dan Mangan concert, after talking to his bassist, who gave me the best advice: “You have to have the confidence to tell people you are a musician.” I struggled with that for a while, because there is so much judgment. Being able to say it is a super-important thing for me, and it’s something I am still working on.
Teagan Johnston is performing Saturday with Leisure Suit and Fintan O’Brien at Fairfield United Church (1303 Fairfield Rd.). Show is at 8 p.m. Doors are at 7:30. Tickets are $14 at Ditch Records.
