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Drumming News
When drummer T.K. Johnson was invited in Mayto audition for a spot backing up a touring musician, she didn’t know who the artist was — until it was finally time to sign the paperwork.
“They had me record three more songs, and that’s when I signed [and] saw who the artist was,” the 23-year-old Richmond native said. “It said it was Karol G. I’m like, ‘Oh, I’ve heard of her. That’s a big artist!’”
Johnson joined the Colombian pop star on the European leg of her “Mañana Será Bonito” world tour, which sold more than 2.3 million tickets and brought in over $300 million in revenue, according to Billboard.
After the tour, VPM News spoke to Johnson at one of the places where she developed her drumming skills: Asbury United Methodist Church in Church Hill.
“We started on buckets and whatever we had around to play on,” Johnson said. “Eventually I got drums. Just rudiments and buckets — it’s how I started.”
Kevin Davis, a local musician and member of Asbury Church, was her drumline instructor. He said Johnson has always been a versatile drummer.
“To know that she’s on tour around the world, to know that she’s on TV doing major programs, it pleases my spirit to say I know this student, and I see her rising,” Davis said.
Johnson doesn’t speak much Spanish, but quickly learned before joining Karol G on tour. She told VPM News she was in awe of the reception that the artist received.
“Playing an arena show every night, and then the stadium shows the last four — all these people came to see [Karol G], and I’m a part of this,” Johnson said. “It’s breathtaking to say the least.”
Johnson’s No. 1 fan and promoter remains her mom, Evelyn Woodward Johnson — who told VPM News she didn’t realize the magnitude of the tour until the last concert in Madrid, which was livestreamed on YouTube.
Billboard reported that at one point, the livestream surpassed one million viewers. Karol G made history on her tour — becoming the first artist to have four sold-out nights at the Santiago Bernabéu.
“That told me she actually has lived out so far the message that she posted on her high school graduation cap,” Woodward Johnson said. “It said ‘I just want to be famous,’ and well, I think she’s done it.”
Read the full VPM NEWS article by Keyris Manzanares HERE
