Throughout his career, singer-songwriter Nathan Johnston has taken the road less traveled—and it has certainly made all the difference.  

Brought up in the musical hub of Mullingar, Ireland, Johnston set out on his own journey as a performer at a young age, first picking up instruments around his family home.  

“My grandad was a showman,” says Johnston. “He used to perform onstage, but singing old ballads and things like that. My grandmother played the cello. My mom was an English teacher, but she’s also a very creative person, and she had myself and my siblings learning piano from a very early age and always singing around the house.” 

Through some minor negotiation, Johnston went on to learn the guitar, over the course of a few formal lessons and self-led YouTube tutorials: “I begged my parents to get me a guitar, and they said I had to learn the classical guitar first, before I learned the electric,” shares Johnston. 

From there, it did not take him long to find his musical stride, taking his initial cue from the iconic 2000s pop rock scene. 

“I taught myself to play every single Green Day song there was, and when there was none left, I decided I would start writing my own songs to replace those Green Day songs,” laughs Johnston. “So, my first songs were just really angsty, teen, ‘I hate you mom and dad’ type of songs, and then I just kind of fell in love with songwriting.” 

Around the age of 11, Johnston began writing original music, going on to form his first band and play local gigs, all by age 13. After later transferring to a boarding school in the west of Ireland, the group broke apart, leading Johnston to eventually found his second band, the Arizona Kings, with his friend and schoolmate. 

While performing in Dublin, the band was discovered and signed to German label Clouds Hill, where the group changed their name to what would unknowingly become Johnston’s longtime stage persona, “Sion Hill.” 

“We actually played our first gig as the Arizona Kings in a girls’ school in Dublin, called ‘Sion Hill,’” explains Johnston. “So, there’s a girls’ school in Dublin called ‘Sion Hill.’ My auntie lived on ‘Sion Hill’ Road. It’s a very common place name in Ireland, and in Mullingar, my town, ‘Sion Hill’ is just down the road. So, the name was popping up a lot. […] I liked it specifically because the word ‘Sion’ in ancient Gaelic, not what Gaelic is now, meant ‘heaven.’”

Despite his bandmate later exiting the project, Johnston went on to record a full album with the label and retain the band’s moniker for his own. 

He was then picked up by Warner Music, going on to tour Europe with legendary artists like A-ha, Pete Doherty, and Alice Merton, ultimately carving out his place in the international music scene.  

In addition to touring, Johnston also began performing with German soul collective Angels of Libra, recording multiple records with the group, as well as contributing original music to their eclectic discography. 

In 2023, he returned to Ireland after living abroad for nearly a decade. Johnston has since become an independent artist and decidedly left his well-known alias behind. 

Now, he is reintroducing himself and his music to the world under a far more meaningful name: his own. 

“It means a lot to start again,” shares Johnston. “And to do it under my own name is really nice. […] I think it’s like a time and place. Right now, in this moment, I feel like using my name. It’s me, it’s myself.” 

And while his style and artistry have evolved over time, Johnston’s relationship to music remains rooted at its core. 

“I’m still a huge fan of the blues and soul music,” says Johnston. “I found a lot of love for Brazilian music over the last few years, specifically through certain record labels that are promoting different artists. That’s kind of changed my style a lot. But I think coming back to Ireland, maybe made me come back to [the idea that] just me and the guitar is enough. And it doesn’t need to have all the frills and extra things, you know. I just released a song that does have all the frills and extra things, but I tried to simplify it as much as possible.”

That song happens to be Johnston’s latest single, “Outlanders,” released this past July. As his first major release under his own name, this track comes as a soulful anthem that explores the winding road to belonging. 

Motivated by the fierce discourse surrounding immigration in Ireland, “Outlanders” speaks to the greater definition of home, as Johnston calls for deep reflection and profound acceptance toward those seeking refuge in the country. 

In addition to the single, Johnston has been working on his next full-length album, which he anticipates will be out sometime next year. 

“I think it’s nice because [the album] is kind of an evolution of what happened since I was in this record deal and stuff, and how my career but also my personal life has progressed over that time,” says Johnston. “There’s kind of a country influence in a few of the tracks. There’s a little bit of blues guitar throughout it. There’s also a couple of songs that are a little bit more political.” 

The new record will also draw inspiration from Johnston’s humanitarian work as an ambassador for The Bridge Music, a community of musicians using their platforms to promote peace and oppose war. 

“I’ve traveled to Ukraine twice in the last two years and put on peace concerts there, and really started writing about those experiences,” says Johnston. “So, it’s quite a personal album. It has a lot more to do with my own life.”

Along with more upcoming shows this fall, fans can look forward to seeing Johnston’s name in the Electric Picnic Festival lineup later this month. This will mark the singer-songwriter’s second time performing at Ireland’s biggest music festival, and his first time appearing as a featured solo artist. 

Now, as Johnston begins this next leg of his musical journey, he wants his songs to be a light for those finding their own path in the world, as it so often is for him. 

“I think I very often have this sort of hopeful outlook in most of my songwriting that saves me,” expresses Johnston. “And if I’m ever down and not feeling very good about the world, or about myself, music is that light that gives me hope for what’s to come, or makes me feel a little bit better about my situation. And I hope it gives other people that feeling too.”

Photos courtesy of Nathan Johnston | Interviewed July 22, 2026