Naomi Cooke Johnson Talks Her Childhood, Starting A Solo Career, and “Girls Of Summer”

Naomi Cooke Johnson is stepping into a new chapter of her life. After spending years in the country music trio Runaway June, Johnson announced she would be starting her own solo ventures as an artist. “I just knew it was the right time to express myself,” she says with ease, “The songs I was writing on my own were really different from Runaway June and it was like my heart was being pulled towards those more than anything.” Johnson’s new era was kicked off with the high-spirited track “Girls Of Summer” which effortlessly reflects Johnson’s adventurous spirit.

Johnson didn’t have what people would describe as a normal childhood. For starters, she was one of 11 children born into a family of searchers. Her mom was a midwife to the Amish communities in Virginia and her dad was a park ranger. When she was around 8 years old, her parents sold everything they had, bought a school bus, and renovated it. That’s where they would live for the following years as they would travel around the United States, most times living in national parks.

When they were on the bus, her mom bought a cheap pawn shop guitar which ended up in Johnson’s hands. “We ended up at this hippie commune,” she explains through a laugh. “This little girl, she was my age, she knew how to play guitar. It was a family guitar, but I ended up playing it the most.” She vividly remembers a time when they got stranded in Arizona; she was 11 years old. “I started playing my guitar on the street corner for tips and that’s kind of where it all started.”

As life on the bus progressed, things got tougher. Johnson’s father struggled with depression, a topic that was still largely taboo, and her parent's marriage started to fall apart. “The bus story started off really cool and whimsical and magical. We were living off the grid and we were just wild children running in the woods, but it ended pretty hard,” Johnson notes.

Photo by P Tracy

Her family settled down near the gulf coast and she started to play gigs around Florida. “I didn’t know anyone who did music. I didn’t think I could do it as a career,” Johnson shares. She spent four years in Florida before taking odd jobs like working on a salmon fishing boat in Alaska. When she came back to Florida, she met Rob Hatch, a songwriter from the area who had penned hits for Lee Brice, Randy Houser, Justin Moore, and Faith Hill. He invited her to have a jam session. “I play him some songs and he’s like ‘You need to move to Nashville. You can totally do this.’” After having that singular person who believed in her, she thought she could make it work. “It was my first foot in the door, and so I moved.”

When she first touched down in Music City, she got a job at Tootsies downtown. She credits that gig with teaching her how to be an entertainer. Her goal to become a solo artist was still on the table. “It was at a time where labels were literally looking at girls in the face and being like, ‘You’re a star but we’re not signing females.’ It was pretty bleak,” Johnson recalls. Then, Benny Brown, the founder of Broken Bow Records, offered her the chance to be the lead singer of the three-piece female band he was putting together. “I was like, ‘Damn, okay. He’s gonna take a chance on three girls. Let’s see where this goes.’”

Johnson joined Jennifer Wayne and Natalie Stovall in Runaway June. She would be in the group for seven years and had success with tracks like “Buy My Own Drinks and “Lipstick.” Fast forward to the present day, Johnson felt an inclination to go a different route. “I gave the girls my blessing to take on the name and keep doing their thing and I did mine,” she explains. “The stuff that I’m making now is definitely more edgy and has a whole different vibe than Runaway June. I didn’t want to force it into this mold it didn’t belong in.”

When revealing her solo career on social media, Johnson described her sound as “sports, sex, and America.” She expands on the niche while smiling, “It’s like a tougher Shania Twain.” She continues, “I’m kind of a wild person. I like things that are a little bit provocative. I’m not afraid to put sex back in the music. I love sports; I grew up all over the country. I want to infuse some of those elements into the music.” Besides typical country pop soundscapes, Johnson finds inspiration from Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp.

The industry’s first taste of her solo venture is the upbeat, sunshiney track “Girls Of Summer.” When asked why it’s the perfect lead, she shares, “It’s the one that I identify with the most right now.” She adds, “I love love but I started writing this song about the women that were coming to the shows.” Johnson had just wrapped a tour with Luke Bryan and had a fiery, energizing set at the Tortuga Music Festival. “I was coming off of a high and I was like, ‘Man, the women that show up to these shows are so sick. They’re so fun.’ I just wanted to write a song about how that felt.” In “Girls Of Summer,” Johnson captures the freedom, magic, and collectiveness that washes over the crowd when they experience live music. Despite the fun-filled nature of her first single, Johnson shares that all future releases aren’t going to contain similar themes, instead pulling from the crazy ups and downs she’s faced in her unconventional life. “I’m talking about life in a way that’s not sugary,” she admits. “It has sweet moments, but it’s a little more gritty.”

Besides new music, Johnson gave birth to her first child this year. She kept the news extremely private; it was something she hadn’t shared publicly with fans and the general public until after the baby was born. On Instagram, she wrote, “I’m grateful to have a healthy, beautiful baby and even more grateful for my female body and the power and strength she holds.” Becoming a mom has changed the way she views life and her job. “I’m so much more intentional with my time and my energy. That’s made everything more valuable. It’s made everything better.”

As Johnson gears up for the remainder of 2023, as both a mom and a solo creator, she’s never felt more freedom. She also teases, “More music is coming.”

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