Johnnie Hayes’ Sojourn in Music as a Means to Create Value and Impact Lives
For many, a music career is a means to an end — for some, to turn their lives around, while for others, to be an agent of change for not just themselves but others. Johnnie Hayes finds himself in the latter category, and since his career kicked off, he has been a voice of change and impact.
The “African Girls” singer has quite an interesting story that has shaped his unraveling as a musical artist and influencer. He was once an active gang member who turned his life around to become today’s inspiring musician, entrepreneur, humanitarian, and leader. He is the founder of Talent Urban Resource Network (TURN), a nonprofit organization in New York that engages at-risk youths all over the Tri-State area in music production training, songwriting camps, workshops, music lessons, and a host of other musical talent developmental initiatives.
Lending further credence to his enthusiasm for philanthropy, in 2016, he established Global Environmental Exchange Network (G.R.E.E.N), a nonprofit dedicated to providing essential resources to the less privileged globally. G.R.E.E.N provides resources like educational items and services, financial support, emotional care and support to less privileged young people. The initiative has reached hundreds of lives in places like Ethiopia, Thailand, India, and China.
As a musician, he believes the most important thing about having a loud voice is the impact one makes with it. While creating music, on the one hand, he’s uplifting souls and changing lives on the other hand. His goal is to make sure everyone he encounters evolves into the best version of themselves. As a musician who started his career in church at the age of seven, he embodies music’s full essence and spirituality. He believes he has a greater purpose beyond entertaining people, and he intentionally heeds every calling to help others around him become better.
The singer uses his music to defy cultural, gender, socio-economic, and religious boundaries. As a result, his musical content bears viral messages that many people can easily relate to. An example is shown in his most recent music video for his “African Girls” single. He gives props to African women while telling a story with African themes. On what sets him apart as an artist, he said, “My unique perspective and experiences separate me from my competition.”
The motivation to build his brand comes from his lack of control of his brand in the past. It limited his creative ability and hindered him from structuring his career in the way he wanted. Now that he’s in complete control, he’s building his career exactly how he wants, both in his music and philanthropic activities. His goal for the next five years is to continue to empower young people in a more prominent capacity. “I see myself in a bigger and broader platform where I will continue to advance in education and abundance,” he said.
Learn more about Johnnie Hayes on other media publications and watch the “African Girls” music video on YouTube.
