{"id":314,"date":"2019-01-15T20:30:17","date_gmt":"2019-01-16T04:30:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/?p=314"},"modified":"2026-08-30T22:59:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T05:59:48","slug":"making-beautiful-music-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/making-beautiful-music-together\/","title":{"rendered":"Making Beautiful Music Together"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Chic<\/span><\/div>
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This article was printed in the<\/em>
\n Winter 2019 issue of Chic Compass Magazine<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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\"Louie<\/span><\/div><\/div>

From Left, Michelle Johnson and Louise Goffin are interviewed about their Masterclass in Las Vegas, Nevada.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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Making Beautiful Music Together<\/h1>\n

BY STACEY GUALANDI<\/p>\n<\/div>

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What happens when Grammy-nominated recording artist Louise Goffin and Sin City\u2019s \u201cFirst Lady of Jazz\u201d Michelle Johnson decide to collaborate? A match made in masterclass heaven, of course.<\/p>\n

Budding Las Vegas songwriters recently got a front row seat to Goffin\u2019s \u201cSongwriting Masterclass\u201d at The Space in Las Vegas, made possible by the legendary local songstress.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I\u2019m known for is doing the things that people say can\u2019t be done,\u201d says Johnson. Fortunately, the prolific singer-songwriter\u2019s reputation remains firmly intact.<\/p>\n

Born in New York City and raised in Cairo, Egypt, Johnson credits Carole King\u2019s Tapestry<\/em> album for inspiring her musical journey to versatile Las Vegas headliner. She began writing songs on her piano as a six-year-old. \u201cI would get in trouble secretly playing at 2 a.m.,\u201d she jokes.<\/p>\n

She carried that passion through college ... graduating from Yale, but exchanging a parent-preferred legal career for a booming backup singing career with such icons as Gladys Knight and Sheena Easton and studio work with Paul McCartney and Elton John.<\/p>\n

Now, she impresses audiences with her one-woman musical tribute to the album that started it all in, \u201cTapestry Unraveled\u201d at The Smith Center.<\/p>\n

Louise Goffin was born in Brooklyn, and raised in Los Angeles by her parents, legendary lyricists Gerry Goffin and none other than Johnson\u2019s inspiration Carole King. At 19 she released her debut - the first of eight solo albums - and is now a critically-acclaimed singer-writer-producer in her own right.<\/p>\n

In 2011 Goffin earned a Grammy nomination for producing A Holiday Carole<\/em>; she works with top-notch musicians like Rufus Wainwright and Benmont Tench; and 4 years ago, through her Favorite Song Academy, Goffin started teaching songwriting seminars to help students lose the ego and insecurity and empower them to be their best creative selves. (Her advice? \u201cKeep going in spite of the voices in your head!\u201d)<\/p>\n

Coincidentally, these two talents came together in late 2017 thanks to someone who worked for Goffin and happened to know about Johnson\u2019s Tapestry<\/em> show. He told Johnson to attend one of Goffin\u2019s classes in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

Johnson did just that. The experience, she says, was transformational. \u201cI saw Louise take a class of strangers, put them into groups and, by the end of the class we had written all of these songs,\u201d says Johnson. \u201cSome of them were really good!\u201d<\/p>\n

Less than a year later, Johson decided to bring Goffin\u2019s Masterclass to Las Vegas, a city filled, she believes, with untapped talent. Now, it looks they might be onto something.<\/p>\n

Chic Compass Magazine<\/em> recently caught up with this dynamic duo to talk songwriting (of course!), paying it forward and their plans to keep making beautiful music together.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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\"From<\/span><\/div><\/div>

From Left, Louise Goffin and Michelle Johnson.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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CHIC COMPASS: So how do you feel about joining forces?<\/strong><\/p>\n

MICHELLE JOHNSON: Louise gave me the tools to not only be a better writer but also a better person. Maybe all this time the reason I was drawn to Carole King is that I needed to meet Louise and work on my craft! From the moment I saw Louise\u2019s face and heard her speak, in the first 10 minutes of [that first] class, I didn\u2019t think a thing about Carole King; it was all about Louise. I consider her a friend now.<\/p>\n

LOUISE GOFFIN: Michelle is a rare breed who puts her mind to something and gets the job done and done well. She took a chance having me come out to do a masterclass. But she was determined, saying we must start somewhere. I think she hit on something deeply needed in Las Vegas. Almost everybody works, but there\u2019s not a lot of nourishment for people\u2019s artistry outside the jobs they have to pay the rent \u2026 compared to Los Angeles where you have entire neighborhoods of out-of-work musicians who spend all day going from house to house, recording in studio to recording studio creating their dreams. Las Vegas seems to be a place where you have to dig deep to find a place to connect on that level.<\/p>\n

CHICCOMPASS: Describe your first Las Vegas masterclass?<\/strong><\/p>\n

LOUISE: What I loved most about the masterclass was how people got in a room with other songwriters - who for the most part they\u2019d either just met or had never written with - and boom! Out of the ether, a song is born! To hear the performers and new songs and to see how people\u2019s faces were aglow to be on stage singing something they\u2019d just written, that\u2019s always a thrill. And I love having the opportunity to be one more \u201cyes!\u201d in their heads, when so many of us are battling too many \u201cno\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

MICHELLE: It was transformative the way she taught. It was a class on the craft and personal freedom as a creative person freeing your muse, working with insecurities and time management. Louise has a knack for tapping into what your strengths are and how to better take care of your soul as a creative person in a non-traditional job. [At The Smith Center\u2019s Composers Showcase], it\u2019s like a family of people who come to watch in a completely supportive, safe environment, but that\u2019s not the same thing as sitting down and really breaking down: How do I write this song? What is a hook? Where do I get ideas from? How do I let go of my fear? It\u2019s almost like therapy!<\/p>\n<\/div>

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\"Photo<\/span><\/div><\/div>

Photo of Louise Goffin by <\/em>Amanda Bj\u00f6rn Photography<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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CHICCOMPASS: What is your personal take on the songwriting process?<\/strong><\/p>\n

LOUISE: My process is mysterious. I think songwriting has to be a bit like diving for treasure. Most of the work is knowing what to look for, not necessarily making something good up. It\u2019s more about discovery and less about invention. Then there is skill and instinct and a couple of good things to learn so you don\u2019t mess up a good idea.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE: My job as a performer and songwriter is to impact you. That\u2019s the whole point. The side benefit is I get to unload the demons out of me if I\u2019m in pain and I get to let whatever I\u2019m feeling - joy or sadness - out of my body and onto the stage\u2026 but that\u2019s not the end goal. The end goal is to connect the material to the listener and to let empathy and connection drive the performing experience on a uniquely personal level.<\/p>\n

CHICCOMPASS: What do you hope students \u201ctakeaway\u201d from a songwriting masterclass?<\/strong><\/p>\n

LOUISE: I try to remind people that songs are to be sung, not read on a page. So the words are best if they have vowels and sounds that you can sing. Sometimes the words are percussive, sometimes more melodic, but it\u2019s essential that they have something that people feel good singing. Add in there some true meaning and make sure you deliver an emotional build so it\u2019s not just a trance of repetition. I try to bust up people\u2019s locked patterns... put phrases and words together they might not normally put together for inspiration. I think everyone can be creative at something, but I don\u2019t know if everyone is a songwriter. Fish shouldn\u2019t ride bikes and cats shouldn\u2019t take swimming lessons. However, it\u2019s rare that someone wants to write songs and can\u2019t get better at it.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE: The joy is not to overthink it. Everything doesn\u2019t have to have a specific meaning. To me, a song has a job and that job differs for every person who listens to it. To me\u2026 a song may mean healing from my first husband\u2019s passing \u2026or joy because I fell in love again. Songs are chameleons. The point of my [Tapestry<\/em>] show and what I\u2019m doing now is to show that music can be a healer and a bridge between us so that we communicate.<\/p>\n

Songs used to tell a story. With the exception of country music, which is still very story-oriented, most music I hear today is all about, \u201cLet\u2019s get to the hook ASAP.\u201d That doesn\u2019t mean today\u2019s popular music doesn\u2019t have value or meaning. There is something to be said for simplicity too. My point as a songwriter: Find whatever works for you.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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\"Photo<\/span><\/div><\/div>

Photo of Michelle Johnson performing in Las Vegas, Nevada<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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CHICCOMPASS: Why do you both feel compelled to give back?<\/strong><\/p>\n

LOUISE: I realized that something that was almost invisible to me, like the water a fish swims in, was wasted if I didn\u2019t share what I had learned with others. I wasn\u2019t interested so much in teaching people how to write a song; rather, in inspiring them to feel they had something to say. I did some mentoring with WriteGirl<\/em> along with major women songwriters who had a lot more success with writing hits than my journey took me on. I used to feel I couldn\u2019t get in some of the same rooms they could get in because I didn\u2019t have the chart success. But because I could always perform my own songs and survive as an artist whether people recorded my songs or not, I developed a unique set of survival skills. I wanted to share with others what advocating for myself as a songwriter and artist had given me, which turned out to be essential to my psychological well-being.<\/p>\n

MICHELLE: If you don\u2019t pay it forward it\u2019s not rewarding. It doesn\u2019t finish until you pay it forward. You get the skill, you get the experience, you get to a certain level and then even though you want more - you must start giving back in order to make room for more stuff to come. That\u2019s how I see it.<\/p>\n

CHICCOMPASS: How important is it to invest in your craft?<\/strong><\/p>\n

LOUISE: You can\u2019t get any good at anything if you don\u2019t invest in it. Period. The more you invest in it, the better you\u2019ll be at it. Genetics don\u2019t buy people sustenance. Time will inform where people\u2019s passions lie. You then see what they do when no one\u2019s paying attention to them. That\u2019s where the juice is. When it gets you when no one\u2019s watching.<\/p>\n

CHICCOMPASS: What have you learned from your parents?<\/strong><\/p>\n

LOUISE: My dad taught me about economy. Every syllable mattered, and the feeling has to be 100 percent authentic. My mom taught me about that 100 percent authenticity too. And like her, I have laser focus and a strong work ethic. She was the \u201cOG\u201d on female empowerment in the studio. She never asks permission, she\u2019s always taken it as a given that she\u2019s got the goods and steps in to do her job. I never felt like I had to fight because \u201cwomen don\u2019t get an equal chance.\u201d I just get in there and do my thing. I take the reins. You want to produce, arrange, lead a band? Then get in there and don\u2019t wait for someone to give you a green light. Because they won\u2019t.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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CHICCOMPASS: What did Carole King teach you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

MICHELLE: As wonderful as it is to be able to cover all kinds of genres and write all kinds of songs nothing is truer than when you find your own voice. Carole wrote for so many different artists but her true breakthrough came with the Tapestry album. That album represents more than a collection of great songs. The album represents Carole\u2019s self-empowerment as a producer and writer and performer, all in one. That is why the album is so important to me. She got to tell her own stories and to express them using her own voice. That\u2019s where I am now in my career, recording my first solo album of original songs. It\u2019s not about being a cookie cutter artist that looks a certain way or who is a certain age or who fits a certain mold ... it\u2019s about telling your truth, no matter where you are in your life. And in the end, that\u2019s all we have.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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CHICCOMPASS: What are your future plans?<\/strong><\/p>\n

LOUISE: Too many things to name! It\u2019s taken me a long time to get over stage fright, self-criticism of my voice and measuring myself according to rules a now-outmoded industry imposed on my mindset. I think I got good at so many jobs and skills because I wanted to keep going; what I didn\u2019t know, I\u2019d learn. I couldn\u2019t take no for an answer! I have stories in me that may need a platform that is different than the short form of a song. I love editing. I have my podcast [The Great Song Adventure<\/em>] with Paul Zollo. I want to make a film, expand the masterclasses to be 5-day intensive retreats, bring my show to bigger audiences and, lastly, be able to afford a roadie!<\/p>\n

MICHELLE: I\u2019m at peace making a living doing what I love. In 2019 I will be recording my album of originals with Grammy-winning producer Kamau Kenyatta. I am currently writing a book about the music business. One part is on basic business and music career advice and simple survivor techniques; the other is on the underbelly of the music industry and how to navigate relationships so that you retain power over your career. My husband and I will continue running our \u201cbackline\u201d production company that supports touring artists and I will still produce corporate events. I would also like to take what I\u2019ve learned and use it to create an \u201cartist development academy\u201d for career advancement through seminars and workshops using the concepts in my book - especially those that empower women. I have access to a lot of big names in the music industry, and I want to leverage those relationships at this phase in my life by involving them in the academy project. The recent masterclass was just the beginning. Ultimately, I want to encourage people to boldly pursue their passions. My true calling is to be an \u201cinfluencer.\u201d And I would love for Carole King to see my show. That would be bucket list!<\/p>\n

For more information about
\nLouise, visit:
\nwww.louisegoffin.com<\/a>
\nwww.thegreatsongadventure.com<\/a><\/p>\n

For more information about
\nMichelle, visit:
\nwww.michellejohnson.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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What happens when Grammy-nominated recording artist Louise Goffin and Sin City\u2019s \u201cFirst Lady of Jazz\u201d Michelle Johnson decide to collaborate? A match made in masterclass heaven, of course.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":316,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4520,403],"tags":[676,267,672,674,673,675],"class_list":["post-314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","category-issue-2","tag-interview","tag-las-vegas","tag-louise-goffin","tag-masterclass","tag-michelle-johnson","tag-songwriting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=314"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11522,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314\/revisions\/11522"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}