If you feel like you’ve watched Johnny Orlando grow up right before your eyes, you aren’t alone.
It seems like just yesterday the Toronto-born singer-songwriter was capturing hearts across the Internet as a viral teen sensation. Fast forward to today, and the 23-year-old artist is officially entering a new era — one defined by independence, maturity, and a deeply personal new sound.
Today (June 12), Johnny officially dropped his highly anticipated sophomore album, Songs for Young Lovers, via Position Music. The 12-track collection is his most authentic work to date, serving as a sonic blueprint of who Johnny Orlando really is today. To celebrate the release, Johnny made his Today Show debut this morning with a stunning performance of his single “Have Your Lovin’” and blessed fans by dropping the official music video for his track “Oh!”
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Celeb Secrets caught up with Johnny on the red carpet at the 2026 American Music Awards in Las Vegas on May 25, where he opened up about his journey to this album, relocating to Los Angeles, and how he almost walked away from the music industry entirely.
“The last time I saw you, you were itty bitty, and you’re all grown up now,” Celeb Secrets host Juliet Schroder told Johnny on the star-studded AMA red carpet.
“Well, I graduated high school… narrowly,” Johnny joked with a laugh. “And then I moved to LA. Now I’ve been making music. Doing the same thing.”
But the “same thing” looks a lot different for Johnny these days. With nearly a billion global streams and a massive worldwide following of over 26 million, the pressure to constantly produce hits can be grueling. In fact, Johnny candidly revealed that a few years ago, he hit a breaking point.
“I almost quit, like, three years ago,” Johnny confessed to Celeb Secrets. “And then I just took a break. I left my label, started writing a bunch with one of my friends, and that’s what’s happened so far.”
Taking that step back to regroup as an independent spirit allowed Johnny to fall back in love with the creative process. Instead of treating music like a job, he treated it like a craft.
“We were in the studio for, like, weeks straight, which was nice. I’ve never done that before,” Johnny shared when reflecting on his favorite moments making Songs for Young Lovers. “It felt less like an assembly line of songs and more like something, like, like art that you were making, you know, which was nice.”
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That artistic freedom heavily influenced the vibe of the new record. While fans might remember him for his bright, polished pop tracks, Songs for Young Lovers leans into a much more organic, raw, and atmospheric soundscape.
“It’s definitely more, like, rock leaning, kinda like a Cigarettes After Sex vibe. Like, dark,” Johnny teased of the album’s sonic direction.
According to Johnny, he wanted to prioritize emotion over perfection this time around. “I wanted the record to feel live and lived-in,” he explained. “It was less about perfecting details and more about chasing a feeling.”
The result is a flawless 12-track alternative pop journey that masterfully balances massive, anthemic hooks with deeply intimate storytelling. Fans have already gotten a taste of the project through hit singles like “The Crowd,” “Emilia,” “Have Your Lovin’,” “Charlotte,” and “Heads Up” — many of which Johnny teased live during a string of recently sold-out shows in New York, Toronto, and Los Angeles.
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With four consecutive MTV EMA wins for ‘Best Canadian Act’ and multiple JUNO Award nominations already under his belt, Johnny is no stranger to success. But Songs for Young Lovers feels like a true victory lap for an artist who chose to rebuild his career on his own terms.
Watch our full exclusive interview with Johnny Orlando from the AMAs red carpet below, and don’t forget to let us know what you think of Songs for Young Lovers by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sliding into our DMs on Instagram at @celebsecrets.
For more coverage from the 2026 American Music Awards, click here.
