My name is Gemma Johnson and I would like to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about myself and behind the scenes of Gemma Class Act.
How long have I been singing and how did it all start?
Well, I have been singing since the age of three but my first performances were at school. I was performing in all of the productions whilst participating in a drama group in my local area. I loved music as well and I did have the backing from my family and teachers to help further my career in the music field.
When I left school at 16, my mum and dad made a decision to move to Skegness, Lincolnshire UK in the Summer of 2003. I enrolled at Boston College to study Performing Arts but soon changed my course to study music on advice from my parents as they had noticed how my voice was developing.
Whilst I was at college I did the odd gig for experience in some local hotels. I then entered a Talent Competition in Skegness. I had made it through to the finals and everyone thought that it was a good achievement at just 16.
Both my mum and dad supported me. Everything was going great until my mum started to feel ill and eventually we decided to move back to the Midlands UK in 2005. Not long after that, my mum was rushed into our local George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton with severe head pains. After many tests and scans she was diagnosed with Cerebral Deep Vein Thrombosis (three blood clots on the brain). While she was ill my dad felt so low that he went to his keyboard and started to write this tune. It wasn’t until she received the all clear that he turned it into a happy song, wrote the words and then came up with the theme of the wedding. It’s called “Our Special Day (From Me To You)” and it is a very sentimental piece to us. We had the song professionally recorded in London and it made the semi-finals in the UK Songwriting Contest 2007 out of over 5000 entries.
We also recorded a Christmas song last year which got quite a lot of downloads but due to a late recording we were unable to promote it as we would have liked, so we will be bringing this record out later this year.
Who are my influences?
My influences would have to be The Carpenters. They were fantastic! My dad was always putting on videos of their performances so I must know all of the words by now! (I’m not trying to copy Karen Carpenter, because she was special. She was unique in her own way but I do sing in the same vocal tone as Karen).
What am I doing at the moment?
Me and my dad are currently performing at places that really appreciate our music. We have performed to a wide variety of age groups and cover small and large venues throughout the United Kingdom.
We’re also promoting “Our Special Day (From Me To You)” on MySpace at the moment which everyone is really enjoying listening to. It has been played on our local BBC Radio Lincolnshire and I have done a number of commercial interviews with radio stations across the United Kingdom.
"Seasonal Wishes" (our latest single for Christmas) was written and sung from the heart. Our supporters,friends and family inspired my Dad to write this song on guitar which we will be playing over the Christmas Holiday period and we would like to personally dedicate "Seasonal Wishes" to them. We are delighted to announce the song has just made the semi-finals in the UK Songwriting Contest 2009 in London out of over 6000 entries.
We both enjoy music. My dad loves to write the songs and I love to sing them. We work well together as a team.
Where do I see myself in a few years time?
I don’t like making too many plans but we have a lot more music and ideas for the future. As long as everyone is enjoying the music that we are putting across to the world, that’s all that matters.
Conclusion
Thankyou so much for taking the time to read my Biography so far. My mum has now fully recovered from her illness and after being given the all-clear we are all absolutely delighted. We have now moved back to Skegness, Lincolnshire UK and we will continue to make beautiful sounds for the world to hear. I know this journey may be a long one… but with your support we hope to share many more “special days” with you.