James Johnston Takes Us Behind The Scenes On Video For ‘WE GREW UP ON’

James Johnston has invited us to his family farm for a rare peek inside his creative process, sharing a home video from the making of his latest film clip. 

The clip in question, for new single WE GREW UP ON, was released alongside the track on April 28th. It’s a rather intimate affair, starring some of Johnston’s own family members, as well as a few budding actors he met through a call-to-arms posted on social media last month. 

In the clip, Johnston takes his father’s ute for a spin and reminisces on his halcyon days; while he strums along to the tune on a Telecaster, perched on the ute’s bed at sunset, we see snippets of a young Johnston – replete with the fuzzy warmth of old-school VHS footage – exploring the countryside with his mates, taking his first love out on a date, and singing along to what we’re sure were ripping mixtapes of ‘90s country hits.  

In a Facebook post shared alongside the making-of video, Johnston said he had “an incredible few days” working on the video for WE GREW UP ON. “I pulled this little behind the scenes video together so you can see a little bit of the magic,” he added. The making-of video was also film entirely on one of those classic VHS cameras, adding to the “home video” vibe that makes it feel decidedly intimate.

Check out the making of WE GREW UP ON below, then take a look at the official clip.

WE GREW UP ON came as Johnston’s second standalone single for the year, following the release of GOT IT GOOD back in January. That tune peaked at #1 on the Countrytown Hot 50 Country Airplay Chart, just like all four of the single he dropped last year: ANYTHING LIKE ME, COUNTRY BOYS, SAME SONGS (a collab with Kaylee Bell) and MY PEOPLE.

Johnston’s rise to the forefront of Australia’s country scene has been a long time coming: prior to his debut single in 2021 (RAISED LIKE THAT, which recently earned a Gold certification from ARIA), Johnston placed third in the 2009 series of Australian Idol, then made the top 24 in the 2014 series of The X Factor Australia.

Thus far in 2023, Johnston has also picked up three prestigious awards. He took home the ‘Country Award’ at this year’s Queensland Music Awards back in March, and in January, walked away with both ‘New Talent of the Year’ and ‘Vocal Collaboration of the Year’ (the latter alongside Kaylee Bell) at the 2023 Golden Guitar Awards.