Meet the UGA grad from Woodstock who sang ‘Georgia on My Mind’ at her commencement

“I really had to fight off tears at the beginning, because I was just so blown away,” the Woodstock native told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday morning. “With the second note to come out of my mouth, knowing that this was going to be OK, and the nerves melting away and just getting to enjoy it.”

Credit: Grace Johnson

Credit: Grace Johnson

Video clips of the 22-year-old singing at graduation have gained popularity on TikTok, with many commenters praising her talents. Some are convinced she deserves a record deal.

Last year’s singer, Maddie Alexander, also earned high praise and landed a job working as a music therapist for a children’s hospital, according to social media. In 2018, country music group Lady A was invited give the commencement address and also performed the song since two of the members are UGA graduates.

Johnson has been singing in front of an audience since she was 8 years old — from elementary recitals and rock bands to musical theater, chorus and collegiate a cappella performances.

“That was where so much of the experience came from, was just playing constantly and playing a wide range of music,” the Etowah High School graduate said. “It was a lot of rock, funk, soul — think like Aretha Franklin, like Led Zeppelin or Stevie Wonder."

Much to several social media commenters’ surprise, she’s an advertising major. She decided against studying music in college, but continued singing through a jazz a cappella group for which she became president as a sophomore.

“I have not really seen music as something I wanted to rely on for a salary for much of my life, just because I have such a deep love for it,” she said.

UGA’s commencement singer is chosen through an audition process, starting with a video that leads to an in-person callback with the School of Music if candidates meet the criteria.

The tradition is only 5 years old, but it has had a lasting impact. After the second year, many more students auditioned.

“The process began earlier because that year’s singer was particularly fantastic and their performance really seemed to buoy the commencement ceremony,” Michael Hadary, a music lecturer who adjudicates auditions, said in a statement. Each year, the chosen singer “has knocked it out of the park,” he added.

Before Johnson’s callback, she was told to incorporate the director’s critiques into her singing to improve the song. But by the time she finished, “he had no notes,” she said, much to her shock.

After she was selected, Johnson practiced as much as she could, belting out music in her apartment and soliciting her friends’ feedback on her rendition, careful to do the storied song justice.

“I sing so loudly, and I think my neighbors probably suspected that I was the commencement singer,” she said.

But Johnson didn’t practice the song in front of her family; she wanted her parents and two brothers to hear her sing it for the first time at the ceremony. They were very proud of her, she said, and thought she was fantastic.

And so did the rest of the thousands in the audience. She earned a standing ovation.

“All of these graduates are just trusting me with this massive moment in their lives. It’s such a privilege to be able to sing people into their graduation,” she said.

While she’s not likely to become the next big pop star, Johnson said she’s open to other music opportunities if they arise. For now, a summer advertising job in Atlanta in creative direction, a career she is also truly passionate about, is up next.

“I can never stay away from music,” Johnson said. “Even if I tried, I don’t think I could because I just, I love it so much.”