Meet Johnny Schaefer | Award-Winning, LA-Based Eclectic Singer-Songwriter, Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Johnny Schaefer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Johnny, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I knew that I wanted to be a singer-songwriter as soon as I became aware that they existed when I was four years old, which is when my Mom helped me write my first song. My Dad was a Lutheran minister. I sang my first solo in church at that tender age, too. At night, my family would often stand around the piano and sing instead of watching TV. Music has always been my way of relating to the world. I graduated from Cal State University, Fullerton in 1983 with a degree in voice and composition. At that time, indie musicians were locked out of widespread distribution of their work by record labels. I spent years trying to get their attention with limited resources. I got a “day job” in marketing in the financial services industry while I continued to make music. As the digital world opened up new opportunities for musicians to bypass the labels, I dove in and did my best to learn the various aspects of DIY music creation and distribution.

I have friends who are Grammy® Award winners and had teams of hundreds of people at their labels, PR firms, and management handling various aspects of their careers and, in some cases, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on production and promotion. But all of that comes at a cost of creative control and a siphoning off of their financial rewards. Some left the industry because they couldn’t make the music that was in their souls, or the deals were structured in such a way that they were practically slaves to the labels. It is still very difficult for musicians to make serious money. Wearing all the hats is daunting. Streaming platforms take the lion’s share of the profit as their CEOs become billionaires. Every time we turn around, someone has their hand out. I sometimes feel like everyone is making money off of my music but me. The trade-off is that I can take the eclectic approach to songwriting and production that feeds my soul, and reach people all over the world with my songs.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I often tell people that since there are more than 300 million people in the US, if just one in 300 became a fan of my music that would be a million fans. I am quite confident that more than one in 300 would genuinely appreciate my songs, partly because I am very eclectic. And there are billions of other people in the world and digital streaming allows me to reach them. I love many genres of music and love juxtaposing different styles and ideas.
I’m also thrilled to be part of the Big Blend Radio and Magazines podcast family, At least once a month I join Lisa Smith and Nancy J Reid to discuss a wide range of topics centered around music, books, art, food, film, theater, travel, culture, and more.
In an age when AI is intruding into the creative sphere. I believe authenticity will be more important than ever. I am a complex person with many factors that make up who I am. I do not shy away from controversial subject matter. Lyrics are very important to me. I am a gay man who is also very spiritual. Consequently, you can find the Bach-Gounod Ave Maria, musical prayers, a Halloween dance track, music with gay themes, political themes, and a wide range of styles on my discography. I have had multiple songs at the top of LGBTQ charts, smoothjazz.com, dance charts, and indie music charts and playlists. My songs have been featured in audiobooks, children’s albums, and won film festivals. My @hearjohnny YouTube channel has more than 4 million views.
I frequently receive messages from people who have been touched by my music. One such message was from a woman late at night who wrote that tears were falling on her keyboard as she typed. She had an eight-year-old daughter who was non-verbal with autism. The two of them liked to watch music videos before bedtime. For some reason, the daughter loved one of my songs and wanted to watch the video over and over. That night, she began singing along, and it was the first time she had ever verbalized anything. That message will stay with me forever and, for me, is success beyond my wildest dreams.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Given the staggering amount of wonderful things to do in Los Angeles, I can easily keep visitors busy for a week. I’m a Disney guy, having performed in the Main Street Electrical Parade when I was in college, So a day in Disneyland would be a blast, I also love the amazing hiking opportunities LA offers, so a couple of hours hiking in the hills at Debs Park or Elysian Park with their stunning panoramic views of downtown LA, the Valleys, the mountains, the city stretching in all directions, and the ocean in the distance is a must. I would also drive to the ocean. Two of my music videos, “Find a Place,” featuring 9-time Grammy® nominee Gerald Albright and “Finlandia Brasileira” were filmed at local beaches. A weekend trip to the Pinata District for authentic street tacos, Mexican ice cream, and bargain hunting is always fun, and the people are wonderful. Olivera Street and Chinatown are not far away.
In the Spring I would drive us out to Lancaster to see the poppy fields (taking care to stay on the trails.) At night, a Dodger game, Laker or Clippers game, or one of many other sporting events would be fun. A night at LA Opera (Where my brother sings) or the LA Philharmonc at Disney Hall or the Hollywood Bowl would be wonderful. A night or matinee at the Pantages is always a treat, as are performances at The Groundlings and some of LA’s smaller theaters, like The Lineage Performing Arts Center in Pasadena where we filmed my music video for “You Can’t Hide the Light.” Many of the colleges and universities offer a wide range of excellent entertainment, and there are festivals and events year-round in many of LA’s diverse ethnic communities. There are terrific museums everywhere.
If my friend was a meat eater, I would take them to Damon’s Steakhouse in Glendale or the Tam O’Shanter in Los Feliz. If not, there are many great vegan places. My husband and I love the Chinese take out at ABC Seafood. Twoheys in South Pasadena is great. There’s a cute little breakfast diner in Alhambra called Bun ‘N’ Burger, and we love shopping at Super King in Cypress Park to buy well-priced, quality ingredients to prepare great meals at home.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have been blessed every step of the way on my musical journey to have teachers, family members, colleagues, industry professionals, and peers who recognized and nurtured my talent, encouraged me, and opened doors, I could write a whole book listing them and created a song and music video called “You Paved the Way,” in which I did get a chance to thank some of them. In a previous interview here on Shout Out So Cal I spoke of the amazing opportunity I had to record my song, “You Can’t Hide the Light” with my all-time favorite Grammy® Award-Winning singer-songwriter, Melissa Manchester. I ended up winning “Best Original Song” in the UK Songwriting Contest out of 6,500 entries from 82 countries and many wonderful opportunities resulted.
Today, though, I would like to give a Shout Out to my high school band director, Dale Anderson, who just passed away on New Year’s Eve. My hometown community of Porterville, California is still reeling from the news. Dale touched countless lives and was a key component of my early musical development, along with Dave Rasmussen, the choir director. I was incredibly fortunate that both of these fantastic teachers attended the church where my dad was pastor, so I grew up singing with them in church choir and was able to get to know them very well. When I attended Monache High School there were 17,000 people living in Porterville and 1,300 students in the high school. We marched over 300 kids onto the field for halftime shows and had five choirs. It was actually “cool” to be in music and I thrived. The music building was my home base, and I really didn’t spend much time elsewhere on campus. I was in every performing arts group I could fit into my schedule. My junior year I took a music composition class from Dale and that one year gave me the tools to compose an entire piece for the band titled “Prelude and 10th Anniversary March.” I wrote the entire score and then transposed all of the parts myself. The piece was performed at our Spring Concert, attended by more than 1500 people and I got an extended standing ovation. It was one of those moments etched in my brain. I recently came across a cassette recording of the piece and had it remastered. I am in the process of assembling photos of Dale and the band for a tribute video.
Porterville has produced a huge number of professional musicians over the years. There are music educators at all levels, singers, instrumentalists, and composers. Dale’s dedication to his students was a catalyst of that, He was a short, soft-soken man, but when he stood up in front of a room full of kids with noise makers in their hands you could feel the quiet respect he commanded. Kids wanted to do well for him. We performed all over the world and won many competitions. People were always amazed that such a huge band came from a small town they had never heard of. At concerts, Dale would ask all of the students who were on the Honor Roll to raise their hands, Most of the band did so, He attributed that to the way music engages both sides of the brain, the discipline involved in learning to play an instrument, and the communal experience of working toward a goal and literally listening to others. It certainly altered my life.

Website: https://hearjohnny.com/home

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hearjohnny/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnny-schaefer

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/johnny-schaefer

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Johnny.Schaefer.Music

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@hearjohnny

Other: Big Blend Radio Podcasts: https://bigblendradio.podbean.com/?s=johnny%20schaefer
Johnny Schaefer Press/Podcasts: https://hearjohnny.com/press-podcasts
Apple Music/iTunes: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/johnny-schaefer/728105890
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3NJ44P2Kanzg8jFxOVD8Vp?si=CGgFKh9fTl-8uLZr8a7wYQ
Amazon Music: https://www.amazon.com/music/player/artists/B00FZMY8KG/johnny-schaefer
Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hearjohnny
Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/hearjohnny.bsky.social

Image Credits
Paco Silva
Jesse Cova