Johnny Orlando

15-year-old social media star and singer/songwriter Johnny Orlando has set course on finding his way through the tumultuous music industry, wanting to write his own story. With an international tour, notable award nominations, such as Teen Choice and the MMVA’s, and signing to Universal Music Canada/Island Records all the while maintaining a normal teenage life as much as possible.

I catch up with him over the phone as he’s just arriving home from a full day at high school in Toronto, Canada. Wondering how Johnny would manage to attend a traditional format school schedule, he informs me he is lucky enough to be enrolled in an “elite athlete school”, meanwhile joking about his perceivable lack of athletic ability. The school poses a flexible schedule that accommodates Johnny’s arguably hectic calendar.

A few days prior, he and frequent collaborator/pal Mackenzie Ziegler, performed their hit “What If ” in the iconic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, an opportunity Johnny views as an “amazing honor”. The holiday tradition also happens to be popular in his homeland of Canada. He recalls those around him watching it on TV or tuning in on the radio throughout his childhood.

Johnny was an imaginative young boy while growing up in a small town outside Toronto. He dubs art as his favorite subject in school and one would often find him putting his vocal range to work in the choir room. At only 8-years-old, Johnny sought out the help of his older sister Darian to utilize YouTube as an outlet for his creativity. The unknowingly promising venture began with covers of songs with the intent of publishing for family and friends to see. It didn’t take long for his first video, a rendition of Justin Bieber’s “Mistletoe,” to be shared and streamed across the country. Johnny recalls riding in the car with Darian as she shouted out, ‘Oh my God, we just hit a thousand views in a week!’ “I remember this was my first video. I was like, ‘Nice.’ I had no idea what they were even talking about,” he explains, “I couldn’t even fathom that a thousand views in a week in 2011 was insane. Especially for kids like me. I’m just an 8-year-old kid.” With his channel’s amounting popularity, the pair continued to brainstorm ideas for future videos including more covers and vlogs giving fans an inside look at his daily life. Johnny has since amassed a following of over 16 million dedicated followers across his social platforms.

You’ll find it hard pressed to make it a minute or so in conversation without him mentioning one family member or another. He’s joked before that the Orlando’s are often referred to as a cult on account of how they always travel in packs. For any appearance, interview or tour stop, there is at least one other Orlando accompanying Johnny for support. “Every single time that I’ve ever gone anywhere, they’re always right beside me and I’m just so grateful because I don’t want to be traveling with a manager or people that I’m not related to,” he says, “There’s so many artists now where their parents just stay home and wait for them to come back. But my family has always been involved with my life and they continue to support me and are involved today.” Johnny suggests fellow younger artists who are upand-coming in the industry follow suit. “It’s 100 times better to be with your family, especially if something happens, like something breaks down your family’s right there to comfort you,” he says.

Darian has been deeply intertwined with her brother’s musical efforts since his start, serving as a sort of creative advisor who was responsible for steering the ship in terms of producing original songs when Johnny was very young. “When we made original songs on YouTube, I think we made the first one when I was 9-years-old, I was really too young to know what was going on,” Johnny reveals. Present day, his creative process stems from thoughts that pop into his head. “The real start of the song is what you’re thinking of beforehand.

Words by RACHEL HILL | Photos by CATHERINE POWELL