It's been a busy year for 16 year old, Storm Johnson. A year filled with self-discovery, perseverance, and of course, music. Storm is a student at Windsor Park Collegiate in Winnipeg, currently attending Nelson McIntyre Collegiate's project-based learning program, Propel. When applying for Propel, Storm knew exactly what he wanted to do and has stuck with that plan.
Storm comes from a music-loving family, each of which have some musical abilities and interests themselves.
"My dad played the trombone when he was in high school, my mom is a singer, she plays the piano and she's in a band. Both my parents also do karaoke in bars."
An average day for Storm at the program consists of producing a beat or two, and writing lyrics for one of his songs. Storm's music is heavily inspired by Logic and Juice Wrld, popular 2018 rappers and two of Storm's favourites.
Many in this world would give anything to be in the music industry, but only few have the motivation and passion Storm has. Storm mentioned his family always used to play songs around the house, which was what instantly got him into music from a young age.
"What drew me to the music industry was my friend, Zach. He started producing and I knew I wanted to do that too because it was really cool, making your own music. When I was about 8 years old, I would listen to the radio and ask myself, 'Where do the beats come from? Who makes them? and How?"
Storm started making his own beats in July of 2017, and it's safe to say he has come a long way. With time, his knowledge and talent has evolved in the producing realm. He too was once a beginner, and has some advice for any nervous rookies out there.
"Basically, just don't be afraid to put your stuff out there and be confident with what you make, even if it's bad. Don't take negative feedback as something to bring you down but use it more as motivation to get better. Never stop."
Storm says his favourite part of this line of work would have to be letting go of all his creativity and putting it all into his D.A.W, which stands for Digital Audio Workspace. Like any career, everyone has a least favourite part as well.
"My least favourite part? Hmm.. I don't really have a least favourite part, but writing is really hard so I'd have to say that."
Storm has been adding his beats to the website, Soundcloud, for months now. He uses the stage name, Stormy J. When asked if this is what he would like to do as a career, he replied:
"Oh definitely! If I have the opportunity, of course I'm gonna take it."
Live performances are a dream for most artists trying to get their content out there. Once getting a big following, artists will often tour the world, showcasing their popular and beloved music. The thought of doing his own live performances put a smile on Storm's face.
"I'd definitely love to do live performances someday. That would be so awesome. Doing concerts would be amazing!"
Storm has improved so much within a year and continues learning new techniques each and everyday day. His improvements did not magically happen over night, they came with months of dedication and hard work. For anyone wishing to follow in his footsteps, Storm suggests a few things.
"Never give up, keep on doing what you're doing and follow your dreams."
Storm will only be attending the Propel program until the end of January, which means a lot of work will be put into the remaining months to achieve what he has in mind for his final project. This is what is next to come for Storm regarding the program and afterwards:
"I want to get an EP done as my final project and afterwards, I want to pursue my career in music, as in making an album, maybe two years from now with about 14 songs on it. I just want to get it out there, I wanna make it."
You can check out the music Storm has produced on his SoundCloud by clicking the link below.
*Quotes have been edited for conciseness and clarity.