Introducing the composers - Part 4.: Johnny K. Palmer

Johannes Karel Palmer was born in Budapest as the eldest son of a Jamaican pastor, Johnny was raised with music all around him. His earliest memories of performing are those of his family of eight caroling in their Austrian neighborhood on cold Christmas nights.

"Whenever we sang I would see people's faces light up and I realized that it only took so much to make someone happy."

Growing up mainly in Vienna, Austria, as well as regularly traveling all over Europe while accompanying his father on his many journeys, gave him a multi-cultural worldview. 

"Whenever I'm on stage I like to get the crowd involved in what I am doing so that they feel they are part of the action and we are doing this together".

The first step toward his musical career began through his love for dancing. At the age of thirteen he formed his first HipHop dance group, and soon started composing his first rap lines which eventually led to more. Under the mentorship of Hannes Sommer as an intern at 'PowerHouse Studios' in Carinthia, Austria and collaborating with rapper and producer MekMC, Johnny took his first steps in the studio.

In the fall of 2006 Johnny was finally introduced to a wider audience after his move to Vienna as one of the finalists of the Austrian casting show STARMANIA , which he entered at the urging of Sommer. After his successful run, he received an offer for a record deal with Universal Music Austria as part of a boy-band project. He consequently went on to sign with Universal releasing 2 singles, an album, and touring Austria as one of the 4 members of the group "JetztAnders".

Johnny played countless shows and events in Germany, Holland, Rumania, France, Belgium, England, Switzerland, USA, Jamaica as well as his native Austria and Hungary. He gained experience and know-how by sharing stages with big names like Delirious, T-Bone, Jermaine Jackson, Kevin Max and Kirk Franklin and worked with TV networks (RTL, ORF, Puls4...etc) as well as major companies (McDonalds, Nike, YWAM Kayiko,...etc.).

Johnny Palmer recently starred in the German-Austrian Motion Picture "Kottan Ermittelt" (2010).

Over the years Johnny evolved in skill and confidence as a performer. His singing has often been compared to Maxwell and John Legend, his music to Justin Timberlake and Neye, an eclectic mix of Pop, Soul, Gospel and R'n'B.

Together with his live band, back up singers, dancers and signature charismatic stage presence, Johnny infallibly captures crowds, connects, and draws the audience into his world.

(All the infos from: http://www.facebook.com/officialJKP)

Johnny wrote the English lyrics for this year's Hungarian entry: "What about my dreams?". The songwriters and Kati asked him to leave the lines: 'What about my dreams?, What about my needs?' in the official lyrics, since Kati made them up when she recorded the Hungarian version first with dud English.

Check out some of Johnny's work!

Johnny K. Palmer: Promise


KERI feat. Johnny K. Palmer - Crazy Baby