I am so excited to be catching up with Singer & Songwriter Chadwick Johnson, whom I last featured in 2022 with the release of his album Unbreakable.

Now, Chadwick is getting ready to make his 54 Below debut with his new show, What The World Needs Now.

In this NEW interview, Chadwick once again answered my call, but this time around he shares:

• What made now the right time to premiere What The World Needs Now
• Why he wanted this show to focus on the music of the iconic Quincy Jones and Burt Bacharach
• How he finds sanity amongst the chaos of the world
• What he gets from riding horses that he does not get from singing
• So much more

Connect with Chadwick: Website, Facebook, Instagram

Billboard charting singer and songwriter Chadwick Johnson makes his 54 Below debut with his show What The World Needs Now.

This show will celebrate the music of two legendary songwriters, Burt Bacharach and Quincy Jones, with Chadwick’s soulfully reimagined arrangements of the hits: “The Look of Love,” “Alfie,” “A House Is Not A Home,” “The Wiz,” “Man in the Mirror,” and more.

Discover the stories behind the songs as Chadwick invites you on a journey to explore the timeless works of these two icons and their universal message of love.

Chadwick Johnson will perform at 54 Below on Sunday, September 7, 2025 at 7pm EST. 

1. On September 7th, you are making your 54 Below debut with your new show, What The World Needs Now. What made now the right time to premiere this show? Thank you for this awesome opportunity to share a little bit more about myself and my upcoming show.

I could not be more excited to make my debut performance at NYC’s own iconic 54 Below. I had a blast building this setlist and found very timely inspiration in the message of the title song "What The World Needs Now."

Tho I am pretty sure that we humans have always needed to be reminded to take a step back from the pressures of life and focus on loving one another, what better way to do just that than to come together with a mutually shared love for live music and theatre.

2. The show will be celebrating the music of two legendary songwriters, Burt Bacharach and Quincy Jones. What made you want to focus on their music catalogs? As a songwriter myself, I always love studying great songwriters. These are two of the very best and I am a huge fan of their works and iconic careers.

Both Burt and Quincy, each in their own unique way, brought a diversely provocative range of musical styles to the world from pop to R&B and Broadway. Singing from their combined bodies of work has allowed me to explore the nostalgic sounds of a simpler time while expressing my own artistic range of styles in a meaningful way.

Chadwick Johnson Singing

3. How do you feel their music fits together so perfectly? Though they both had huge commercial success, they each allowed their own creative inspirations to take them beyond the boundaries of the “business.” In a time when so many artists are willing to “sell out” just to “make it,” I find their freedom of artistry so inspiring.

4. Each songwriter has a vast catalog of music. What was your process like to figure out which songs would work well together? While it certainly wasn’t easy to narrow it down and choose from their gigantic repertoire, it is really important to me to sing lyrics with a message that I relate to and believe in.

So I focused on sifting through their brilliant catalogs to find the songs and lyrical themes that spoke to me personally. What I found in their libraries were timeless themes of love and a longing to make the world a better place.

So I chose my favorites and filtered them through my own artistic lens of expression with new arrangements and a few medleys all weaved together with personal stories of how this music has made an impact on my life.

Chadwick Johnson, Photo Credit: Jeremy Ryan

5. Playing off of the show's title, What The World Needs Now, what is something you feel the world needs at this moment? Lots more LOVE, Hope, and genuine Kindness.

6. With the crazy times we are living in, how do you find moments of sanity? Tho it is my livelihood, music is still my precious release, my ultimate escape, and my way to process all that this life brings. There is so much beauty if we choose to see it.

7. Using some of the songs you will be singing in the show, let's find out more about you.

• The Look of Love - What does love look like to you? This is a romantic kind of love that I really enjoy singing about. After all, who doesn’t love a little romance. I sure do. The theme to my love life has always been “practice makes perfect” lol and I’ve had plenty of practice ;-) 
• A House Is Not A Home - When have you ever lived in a house that didn't feel like a home? I personally have loved deeply and lost. For me it has been life changing to lose someone I love. This song very eloquently describes those feelings of how the material things we strive for can feel quite empty without your loved one to share them with. It’s not the material things that hold meaning themselves, but the relationships we have that give them meaning. I have found my way through those feelings of emptiness. Somehow singing through the pain can be so healing. 
• The Wiz - When life is not going in the direction you want it to be headed, who do you turn to and sing, "He's the Wiz, He's the man, He's the only one, Who can give your wish right to ya, He's the Wizard"? My personal favorite song from The Wiz is "Home." I really relate to this song as I’m sure many do. I was just 19 years old when I left the small farm I grew up on in Wisconsin to move to Hollywood to pursue my dream of becoming a recording artist. Wow, was I innocently naive. The road has been full of highs and lows and many homesick nights. This song has always helped me to express and process those feelings of longing for home and a simpler time. 
• Man in the Mirror - What is a change you have recently made in your life that made you sing, "I'm gonna make a change, For once in my life, It's gonna feel real good"? The last couple years it has really been impressed upon my heart to do what I can do to use the gift of music to bring people together and to share LOVE through my own music and the songs that I chose to share in my shows. Day after day I look around me and I see so much division in the world and I’m reminded how many people are hurting. It can be so easy to fall into placing blame on public figures and social systems, but then I find myself asking, really what good does that do? I’ve come to realize that there is only one person that I can manage, one person whom I have incredible influence over their behavior, and that person is ME! I am certainly not perfect, but I can make an effort each day to lead with love and focus on the good I see in others. Who knows, maybe the love I share will encourage someone else to be their best too.

Chadwick Johnson & his Mom
On the set of Chadwick's music video for Stormy Love

8. Outside of singing you have a huge love for horses. What kind of freedom does horse riding give you that singing does not? Horses are another huge part of my life. They keep me grounded. My relationship with horses began when I was just 10 years old and has brought so much depth to my life.

As an animal of flight, a horse’s psychology is quite different than ours. They are very sensitive, yet extremely powerful with profound intuition. It takes discipline to step outside of our human thinking and learn their ways. There is nothing like the feeling of your body becoming one with that majestic animal and moving together in sync. I am a better human being for my time with my horses.

9. If you could write a song about horses, what do you think it would be about and what might you call it? It would be about their majestic, yet gentle strength. Maybe I would call it: "Powerful Whisper"

10. What goes through your head when you walk through the streets of NYC and see all these beautiful horses chained to their carriages while trying to navigate these crowded streets when they should be free and running through beautiful grasslands? Being just a simple guy from the country I’m definitely not an expert on integrating horses with city life. What I do believe is that humans and horses have a rich history of working together and taking care of each other. I love my horses and work to give them the best life and comforts I can afford. Like any domestic animal, it’s our responsibility to care for them, keep them safe, and give them a good life. Horses are a gift.

11. What is something we didn't get to talk about in this interview that you'd like my audience to know about you? I touched on it earlier, but I’d love to share about some of my new projects and how important writing my own original music has been. As I prepare to come to the Broadway musical capital of the world I am happy to share that my writing partner, Kalani Queypo and I have been commissioned by Children’s Theater Company out of Minneapolis, MN to write a new multigenerational musical called The Mainlanders. This is my first musical and it has been an awesome experience to write for theatre. We are currently on our second draft and I hope to share songs from The Mainlanders on a future trip to NY.

Other exciting news I have to share is that I am currently in the recording studio recording a new original Pop/ Soul record with Grammy and Academy Award Nominated Producer, Kent Wells (Dolly Parton's RockStar). It has been an awesome experience and truly a dream come true working with Kent. He is a gifted producer and has certainly brought the best out in me. I can’t wait to share all of this new music with the world!

I invite anyone interested to check out my website for updates on these two new projects: ChadwickJohnson.com  

Thank you for reading and I hope to see you in person at 54 Below on September 7th!

More Chadwick Johnson Interviews:

2022 (Read Here): Taking My Breath Away with Unbreakable

Chadwick Johnson, Photo Credit: Jeremy Ryan

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