ADRIAN JOHNSTON has had a long streak of top 25 singles on Texas Country Radio over the years; “Rather Have You”#13 in 2017, “Avalanche” #21 in 2015, duet with Jordon Issac "Damn, I Want a Love Like That" #22 in 2018, and “Adult Beverages,” #22  in 2018 as well as “It’s A Song” (#36) in September 2015. 

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Balancing the new dynamic of motherhood, oilman’s wife, country music singer and (during the pandemic) opening a clothing boutique SHEALITY, Johnston is truly TRYING to “make it all look easy”. After 10 years of touring, this new mom is getting back to her first true love, music. 

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Adrian Johnston, Dallas native and sixth generation Texan, is paying close attention to the passage of time these days. After 8 years of being on the road touring the state  of Texas on a whirlwind of gigs or radio stops, or pausing long enough to revel in her family’s deep Texas roots (her great grandfather was a cotton farmer in west Texas and a baseball player who played against Babe Ruth!), she fully realizes that time seems to stand still while rushing past you simultaneously. Seeing that the time is now to make a mark in the Texas Country Music scene, Johnston has spent the last several years winning over fans and industry with her southern drawl and charming them with resounding vocals by bringing a bold voice that is unmatched in today’s country music. And it’s paid off as she recently became the first female to win the Ranch Factor 2017 competition put on by 95.9 The Ranch in Fort Worth!

 

As the music of Amy Grant, Vince Gill, Eric Clapton, The Eagles and James Taylor filled Johnston’s household, it provided a background for her fondness of “singing on the fireplace like it was my own personal stage, and talking and putting on shows and dances and dressing up.” Enlisting the assistance of a vocal coach during high school, Johnston began singing at area Opries and open mics during college. Crafting a style of equal parts “Wynonna’s soul, Carrie’s power, Miranda’s sass, The Chicks don’t give a sh*t attitude, and Dolly’s sweetness and business sense,” she took the leap and started “gigging,” writing music and working with producers to fully insert herself into the scene. By observing other artists, and heeding advice from a host of mentors, she caught a break when she performed during an open mic at the famed Billy Bob’s and was asked to do gigs with other artists in attendance. 

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“It was surreal and it happened so fast that the next thing I know, I was accepted into a radio contest and learning the ins and outs of having original music and putting together a band,” Johnston recalled. “I wrote some songs, rounded up some A-list Dallas players and put on a show! It literally just snowballed from there and hasn’t stopped. I learned quickly that being an artist isn’t just ‘feeling the music’ but learning that you have to have a solid head on your shoulders to be a smart musician."

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Johnston feels her growth as an artist is illustrated heavily on her past records. By being wholly involved in the studio process, and by co-writing each of the songs on IT TAKES TIME, 2017, after her debut self-titled EP in 2014 was her first step into the Texas Country scene.

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Making a name for herself on the live music circuit, Johnston “and the boys” take to the road every weekend and have opened for Texas artists like Jack Ingram, Zane Williams, Turnpike Troubadours, Reckless Kelly, Cory Morrow, Tracy Byrd, Johnny Cooper, Mark McKinney, Mockingbird Sun and more. Covering some classics (Reba McIntire, Fleetwood Mac, The  Chicks, Sheryl Crow & Bonnie Raitt) to compliment her original radio hits, she puts on one of the most entertaining live performances of any female artist currently in the scene.

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Johnston also came up with the idea for “GRITS: Girls Raised in Texas,” an all-girl acoustic tour where everyone drinks wine, tells stories and just hangs with their girlfriends. Taking her favorite downtime activity of hanging out on her patio with a drink in hand to the stage, Kaitlin Butts, The Rankin Twins, Kylie Rae Harris, Charla Corn, Sarah Hobbs, Erica Perry, Kylie Frey and Holly Tucker have all joined in on the fun.

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“I like to put on a high-energy show, but I’m just as fulfilled sitting with a guitar in a silent listening room,” she said. “No matter the venue, the band and I like to make sure everyone is having a good time and connect with the crowd from the first song to the last"

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After years on the road, the single, spit-fire finally found herself an East Texas gentleman to settle down with and in November 2018 Johnston was officially married off as an oil wife to now husband Waine Close. Her music video single “Honky Tonk Wife” was released in January 2019, featuring their special wedding day moments. Since then Johnston has called the piney woods of East Texas home; making her stamp in her new home town with opening of a women’s clothing boutique SHEALITY and a brief stint in the AirB&B business with their renovated 1933 home, The She Shack.

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During the pandemic, Johnston was another casualty of the road-life and was forced to stay home. Fortunately, during the down-time she was able to record her favorite Christmas song, “Where Are You Christmas” filmed by Twinty Films in Austin, TX which lead to recording six new songs including “Morning Person” that was released in 2021. Since then she and her husband have welcome their first baby, Johnston Waine Close into the world on October 14, 2021. To say she has been busy is an understatement!

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