Derby singer-songwriter excited about performing at Y Not Festival and Tramlines
‘This is one of my biggest dreams’
Jemma Johnson is a pop-rock musician from Derby inspired by artists David Bowie, Paramore and Damian Rice.
She has more than 20 million streams on Spotify and her fanbase has been growing rapidly since the release of her latest single Love Rush.
Alongside her band, Jemma will be playing on the BBC Introducing stage at Y Not Festival and they have been hand-picked for the Tramlines festival in Sheffield.
Jemma told DerbyWorld: “I’m feeling kind of scared excitement because there will be a lot of people there but we’re really ready for it.
“This is one of my biggest dreams to play these big stages.”
She started her music career singing covers on YouTube where she built a big following.
Over the years, she has developed her songwriting skills and found her style as an artist.
Her song Love Rush was a defining tune for her and it was the first time her music was played on BBC Radio 1.
Jemma added: “I would probably say my Radio 1 play is the proudest achievement of my music career so far.
“It felt like such a whirlwind of a moment.”
She performs plenty of gigs in and around her hometown of Derby with her band - her festival warm-up show is taking place at the city’s Dubrek Studios this evening (Friday) with support from local artists The Collide and Charlotte Bettson. Buy tickets from Fatsoma.
She said: “It’s literally the best performing in Derby because there’s a mix of fans and friends and family there.
“The amount of talent we’ve got in Derby is actually ridiculous.”
Jemma is currently working on new music - she said she has really found her style - and is putting together an EP.
She plans to do a big UK tour next year alongside some travelling around Europe and would love to play at Glastonbury in the future.
Y Not Festival takes place between July 28 and July 30 and Jemma will be playing on The Quarry stage on the Sunday.