Ragers and romance _{by Madelaine Empson}

Last on our shores for a killer of a show in 2023, multi-GRAMMY®-nominated, gold-certified rock band Highly Suspect will shred the stage at TSB Arena on the 29^th of November. I was lucky enough to Zoom with frontman Johnny Stevens about the tour, which supports their latest opus As Above, So Below (2024).

Good morning Johnny – or afternoon? What time is it where you are?

I don’t know! Don’t ask me these questions, I live in dark rooms [laughs].

People must ask you this all the time, but is there a story behind your band name?

I definitely wanted to use the word high somehow and be clever about it. This was the 20-year-old version of me that was in that mentality. And name generators were all the rage – the newest, hottest technology on the interwebs. I put the word high in a name generator for bands and it popped out with a list and Highly Suspect was there and I thought, that’s pretty cool. Now I hate the name [laughs].

And it’s too late now.

Yep!

You spent from 2009 to 2015 grinding it out on the underground scene, emerging with a platinum debut album and a GRAMMY® nomination. What memories most jump out at you from that time?

Living in New York. Moving there at that period in life was probably the most formative thing I’ve ever done – wild times. New York has never let me down. Every time I need to be creative or heal or just feel alive, it’s there for me. Even though it goes through its changes, it’s got a certain rhythm, a certain beat, that doesn’t change. I love being there.

Back then, did you envision the success waiting for you?

I envisioned more, dammit! [Laughs] I’m not even kidding, I thought that I was on a faster path. But I guess originally I didn’t anticipate ever making this a career, I just enjoyed making music – always have, always will. The level that we hit, didn’t expect that. Once we got there, I just expected that it would continue to go forever and I’d be the next Drake, but that didn’t happen – so, still out here grindin’ [said with a smile]. If this is going in a magazine, you have to write ‘[said with a smile]’ after everything sarcastic I say. When it says, ‘He hates the name Highly Suspect’, make sure they know I was laughing while saying it!

Done! What moment since the release of Mister Asylum has most bowled you over?

All of them. There’s been some moments where I’ve met some people and I’ve gone, ‘You’re a real human? How? You were just on TV!’ kind of thing. That’s always kinda crazy when you get starstruck. Maybe the first time I heard a song on the radio or was approached by a record label or got told about a GRAMMY nomination or received a gold record or sold out a club. This is one of those moments – the fact that I’m on a computer talking to somebody that is thousands of miles away that is interested in what I do. It’s always humbling. Like, holy sh*t, this is real. They don’t stop, these moments. They knock me out of my socks.

Anything still left on the bucket list?

I want to live somewhere that’s not the United States and I got a few places in mind. I’ve spent a good amount of time travelling, visiting – I think more than 40 countries, less than 50. But I’ve never spent more than three months outside of the United States. I’d like to be out for a few years, that’d be cool. Or forever.

And obviously you want to move to Wellington, New Zealand…

Honestly, I would. In a heartbeat. That’s not fluff. An absolutely beautiful city in an absolutely beautiful country, what’s not to like? I think about it and speak about it often.  Trying to speak it into existence.

I’ll join you. Johnny’s moving to Wellington [crazy eyes].

Let’s manifest that sh*t [crazy eyes].

What most struck you last time you played here and how was the crowd? Can we turn it up a notch?

They were definitely amazing, as every city in New Zealand is. What struck me the most was the coastline drive and also I stayed in a pretty cool and artistic hotel. That’s all the experience I really got, unfortunately. It’s about to happen again where I’m just in and out, which sucks. I’d like to spend a lot more time, but I can’t be resting, prepping, and doing what I need to do to have a successful show and give the audience what they deserve at the same time as all the things I want to do as a tourist. All I can really tell you about Wellington is that it’s gorgeous visually, from what I recall on the drive from the airport to the hotel. Otherwise I was inside the venue and everybody was really cool.

How do you think your fifth studio album As Above, So Below fits in or stands out from your catalogue?

It fits in the sense that it’s another chapter of my life’s narration, another entry in my audio journal, lyrically. And I think it stands out in that nothing is over-produced – it’s very raw and tangible this time. So, I think it fits in and stands out.

What would you say is the coolest feedback you’ve heard from a listener about how your work has impacted them?

One dude told me once through a DM that he was on the way to murder his wife and he stopped because he heard our music and it changed his mind on his mood. So that’s pretty crazy. I feel like we stopped someone from… that was a heavy moment. I would say on the regular, it would be when someone says that they’ve decided to pick up an instrument or go back to playing or have gained confidence in themselves to do what they want in the art world. That’s always a really rewarding and gratifying moment.

That’s amazing. I wanted to tell you that Little One ended up being a really important song for me – it’s beautiful to have that in my history and my memories.

Right on!

Sort of pales in comparison to the ‘prevented me from murdering someone’ feedback though.

[Laughs.] That’s one thing I didn’t anticipate, right? When I started making music – I hate that this is so played out, the words cathartic and therapeutic, but it really was. I didn’t anticipate so many people being able to relate to the experiences. Even 16, which is a pretty niche and specific story about thinking you’re having a kid and you don’t, it’s somebody else’s kid. The amount of people that have also shared that experience... A lot of people go through painful things, joyous things – to know that people can resonate with the lyrics is something that I didn’t necessarily expect. I don’t sit down and say, ‘Huh, how can I write this story and captivate the audience?’ I just word vomit my truth. The fact that there are so many other people who have also had to go through those experiences and can benefit from hearing the songs? That’s pretty cool. I’m proud of that.

Finishing up on that note of impact, what do you hope Wellington audiences get out of their night with Highly Suspect?

I sincerely hope that they notice how much better we’re playing this year [laughs]. Genuinely, I think we got better! I want everyone to walk away from it and never forget it. You know when you’ve got certain concerts and memories that you’ll never forget? I’m hoping that it can be a romantic time for people – I don’t mean that in the love way, I mean romanced. I hope that when we leave there, everybody that’s there is going to tell their friend and be like, ‘Hey, next time, you gotta come with me’ type of thing. I like to bring people together. I hope everybody has a good time, stays safe, and absolutely rages.

I love you guys and I’m very appreciative and I cannot f***ing wait to be there. I genuinely love New Zealand, I can’t stress it enough. It’s so cool to be able to play art in what feels to me like a very far away and exotic and distant land. I’m pumped.