Christian Review Magazine Issue 4 - April 2015 | Page 56

DEREK
JOHNSON
an exclusive interview

Derek Johnson is a singer-songwriter and a worship leader
with Jesus Culture Music. His solo debut album, Real Love,
gets released April 7 and recently we caught up with him
to ask a few questions…
Christian Review (CR): What has it
been like to be part of Jesus Culture
for the past 6 years?
Derek Johnson (DJ): We are a
movement of people who have been
profoundly impacted by Jesus. I think
it’s an amazing thing to run with
people like that. So when any of us
step out to share Jesus, it’s coming
from a deeply personal place. To me,
it’s so much more than just a
ministry. It’s a family. We love and
believe in each other. That’s what
makes it wonderful and lasting in my
eyes.
CR: How did you originally get
involved with Jesus Culture?
DJ: I met Banning (Director / Founder
/ Senior Pastor) in 2008 while
attending ministry school at Bethel
Church in Redding,Ca. He asked me
to come and lead worship at a sister
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campus that he was overseeing. It
gave me an amazing opportunity to
serve and grow as a worship leader.
From there, I began leading worship
for sessions at our annual conference.
In 2012 we released EMERGING
VOICES which was a compilation
project featuring 4 of my original
songs. I’ve been a part of the team
ever since. We moved to Sacramento
in 2013 to plant Jesus Culture
Sacramento, where I lead worship
regularly.
CR: Your debut solo album, Real
Love, is coming out on April 7. Can
you tell us a little bit about that?
DJ: I’m really excited for this release.
I’m passionate about worship leading
and songwriting. I’m passionate
about people encountering Jesus.
This is a collection of songs geared
toward that very goal. It was a great

process working to pin point exactly
which songs belonged on this album.
I think the theme of “Real Love” is
interwoven through each song. We
worked intently to deliver a strong
message inside a creative
soundscape. Most importantly, we
focused to keep worship at the center
of it all.
CR: What was the songwriting
process like?