When the GRAMMY Award nominees for Best Gospel Performance/Song are announced Feb. 4 at L.A.鈥檚 Crypto.com Arena, 2023 海角论坛 grad Elyse Victoria Johnson will be in the audience, holding her breath as her name is called.
Johnson, who crossed the commencement stage on Dec. 10, 2023, with a BA in Music Industry, is nominated as a songwriter for the upbeat Gospel anthem 鈥淕od is Good,鈥 along with seven collaborators: Stanley Brown, Hezekiah Walker, Kierra Sheard, Karen Clark Sheard, Kaylah Jiavanni Harvey, Rodney Jerkins and J Drew Sheard II.
It鈥檚 been an emotional, eventful year and a half for Johnson, who almost left school after unexpectedly losing her father, Gospel artist Keith 鈥淲onderboy鈥 Johnson, in September 2022. With support from a network of faculty, staff and friends, she kept going, finishing an 18-credit courseload and completing her Music Industry classes and required internship hours the following semester. Last summer, she landed a position in the creative A&R division at Sony Music Publishing in New York City and finished her final semester of elective classes online while working full time.
鈥淕od is Good鈥
When the GRAMMY nominations were revealed in November, Johnson was at home with her mom, watching the livestream announcement for a work assignment. 鈥淚 did not expect when I heard the Gospel category to hear 鈥楪od is Good,鈥欌 she recalls. 鈥淚 honestly started screaming and running around the house. 鈥 My initial reaction was I couldn鈥檛 believe I saw my name, and I kept refreshing the page to make sure it was real.鈥
Johnson鈥檚 role in writing the song happened serendipitously on a typical day during her summer 2022 internship at Timeless Music Group in New York City, where her supervisor and mentor was longtime composer/artist/producer Stanley Brown.
鈥淥ne day, they were playing the instrumental and I just happened to walk into the studio room like I always did every day, but that one day Stanley was like, 鈥淲hat do you think about this song, and can you write a verse?鈥 鈥 He already had the hook, but I started humming the verse, and he was like, 鈥極K, this is something.鈥 We started coming up with artists who could possibly be on the record, and that鈥檚 how three artists came together. It鈥檚 very collaborative. And just seeing where it is now, I鈥檓 very excited.鈥
Like Father, Like Daughter
Growing up with a father who was a successful Gospel artist, Johnson always knew she wanted to work in the music industry, but not necessarily as a performer. She started piano lessons at age 8, added vocal lessons in high school and began writing songs 鈥渢o express myself.鈥
She came to 海角论坛 for the Music Industry program, knowing she wanted to study the business side of the industry without venturing too far from home (Elmont, NY.) In addition to getting involved in music-related activities on campus, including Grammy U and the Music Industry Club, Johnson had a job in the Access Opportunity Programs office and joined a variety of clubs that fit her interests, including the Black Engaged and Enlightened Feminist Club, Pan African Student Union, Brothers and Sisters in Christ and Girl Talk, a weekly talk show produced by the WIRE-TV club.
Her favorite classes were in music theory, audio production, music law, music marketing and concert producing. She credits Dr. Joe Pignato鈥檚 Music Industry Communications class with preparing her for interviews and negotiations. 鈥淚 was able to take what I learned and apply it to the real world after leaving Oneonta and starting work in the field.鈥
The Timeless Music Group summer internship exposed Johnson to all aspects of the industry, from audio production to songwriting to administration. In spring 2023, she completed another internship at the Community Arts Network of Oneonta, where she helped with promotions and marketing for community events, workshops and art exhibitions.
She landed a job in the creative A&R department at Sony Music Publishing after four rounds of interviews. 鈥淚t still hasn鈥檛 hit me yet. It鈥檚 a very great experience, and honestly, I鈥檓 very grateful for all of this.鈥
鈥淏utterfly, Fly Away鈥
At 22 years old, Johnson has a college degree, a full-time job in her field and a GRAMMY Award nomination to her name. And she鈥檚 just getting started. Her dream job is to 鈥渕ake an impact in the music industry鈥 as a music executive.
But first, she has focused on a more personal goal, one that motivated her in the dark days after her father passed away. 鈥淚 felt like taking a leave of absence would be an easy way out and I wanted to finish the task at hand,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 knew my dad would be even more proud of me if I just finished.鈥
She recorded a rendition of the Miley Cyrus song 鈥淏utterfly Fly Away鈥 as a tribute to her father鈥檚 life. 鈥淚鈥檓 still grieving,鈥 she said. 鈥淕rieving never ends. But making my dad proud was the main goal and I feel like he is definitely proud of me now. He鈥檚 jumping up and down.鈥