When James Johnston finished school last year, he made a pact with himself that he would devote a year to music. “I set out this year to see if I’ve got the chops to make it in the industry,” he affirms.

James’ family had always been supportive of his musical aspirations – they just wanted him to finish school first. Meanwhile, James enjoyed growing up in the bush, where he rode motorbikes with his mates and did “all that dumb stuff that boys like to do.”

Year 12 over with, the 18-year-old moved from his family’s farm near Wingham, NSW to Newcastle. Playing gigs and busking to make ends meet, James has been living week to week and is mostly pleased to have been able to pay his bills. “It’s pretty good, I’ve been supporting myself off my music,” says James cheerfully. “Hopefully with all this exposure, I can keep doing it for longer than just this year.”

James’s experiences as a working musician haven’t always been a bed of roses but it hasn’t changed his mind about wanting a career in music. “I think a lot of people get caught up and just want stardom straight off,” he observes. “But I’ve done gigs where they’ve told me to go home half way through the night because there’s not one single person in the place. I’ve realised that’s the reality of it and it just doesn’t come easy. You’ve just got to keep sticking with it.”

James has been singing since he was four, started playing the guitar when he was about 13 and lately has been getting into making his own music; “I’ve been song writing for about a year and a half now. It’s one of my favourite things about music because it’s just you - it’s an expression of yourself, and it’s just really great to have your own creation.”

As for the future, James is hoping his time on Idol will give him a leg up in the industry and let him avoid some of the less inspiring gigs he’s been doing. “To have this behind me would be great,” says James. “And hopefully I can just keep building on my career.”