About
Johanna Demker is a Swedish singer-songwriter based in Oslo. Johanna finds inspiration in Americana roots-, and Swedish pop-rock influences, creating lyrically focused and melodically driven songs about love, nature, relationships and the human condition.
Johanna has toured throughout Scandinavia and Europe and released seven albums over the last 20 years. As a songwriter she has written songs that sold millions in Europe already at an early stage in her career.
Her musical journey has put her in collaboration with well-known local and international artists such as; Jenifer (FR), Knut Reiersrud (NO), Asle Beck (NO), Claudia Scott (NO), Hjerterknekt (NO), Malcolm Holcombe (US), Jared Tyler (US), Amund Maarud (NO), Toini Knudtsen (NO), Dr. Bekken & Gjems (NO), Morten Harket (NO) and Jojje Waldenius (SE).
Johanna grew up in a musical family where she gained appreciation for traditional Swedish folk, pop and rock music, combined with classical musical influences. While in high school she continued studying music, singing in classical choirs, as well as experimenting with different genres like soul and jazz.
She discovered Bruce Springsteen during her teens which began her appreciation for Americana folk-rock. Her musical interests led her to learn more about songwriting and the works of iconic American songwriters like John Hiatt, Shawn Colvin and other classic American artists.
Driven to grow as a songwriter, Johanna learned to play guitar and shortly after graduating high school moved to Oslo, Norway. There she quickly immersed in the local music scene, performing in local venues where she developed her own style of Scandinavian/Americana folk-rock. Her diverse background in music has led to a sound that crosses many genres, both in words and melody.
Albums like «From An Outlined Silhouette» reveals Johanna as a singer songwriter, while «Madness» evolves in a more electric sound, recorded with parts of the Norwegian band Hellbillies in 2011.
In 2014 she released her first album in Swedish, produced in a pop-direction, reflecting her roots and the musical traditions she grew up with.
Her long-time collab with singer-songwriter Alf Bretteville, led to the Trudy & Dave-release, just as the pandemic broke out. A classic rock-Americana album from their duo-project named after a song by their long time hero, John Hiatt.
After writing songs during the pandemic, Johanna released Unfolded Wings in 2023. She describes this album as a display of her personal and musical growth and believes the new arrangement of songs will connect with audiences on a more personal level.
“The album very much sums up what I am about musically and sets a new standard in how to express myself as a musician and songwriter,” says Johanna.
Since then she has written new songs and toured with her band, leading up to the Live album; Johanna Demker Band - Live from Lillehammer Mikrobryggeri, which was released in the summer of 2025, right in time for the band’s concert at Notodden Blues Festival. This album really shows the power of her band, a more unpolished country-rock sound featuring impressive instrumental parts from the band’s always high-quality musicians. It is also a great introduction to Johanna as an artist as the album includes various pieces from her catalogue.
The same band also entered the studio in the spring of 2025, recording a new album scheduled for release in the winter of 2026. The first single Mourning Song, was released in September ´25, one year after the passing of Johanna’s mother. Musically, the song is far from sad, but rather a celebration of life. It's a driving feel-good song with references to both Swedish and American pop-rock, such as Winnerbäck and Springsteen - both great sources of inspiration.
Johanna says this about the song:
This song was written during an unusually warm September last year, that made the evening sky red (ref. lyrics). My mother was on her deathbed and left us before the month was over. Despite this it is not a sad song, it’s a tribute to a mother with reflections on a life that is fading.
The latest single release, Walk Me Through This Time of Year, came out November 7th, 2025. This dreamy, melancholic song for the season was first intended for Morten Harket. Johanna wrote the song for him after an incentive from a mutual friend. He liked it very much, but was working on music in a different direction at that moment. They finished the lyrics together, and Johanna ended up recording it for this holiday season.
Stay tuned here and follow on social media for album release dates, upcoming shows and other announcements!
