Naomi Johnson Builds a Powerful Story with "Bricks Make Houses"
Naomi Johnson's journey is nothing short of remarkable. Raised in a school bus alongside ten siblings, sleeping on plywood shelves without air conditioning or plumbing, and escaping not one, but multiple cults her family was involved in—her life has been a winding road of resilience and self-discovery. Now, with her latest release, "Bricks Make Houses", Johnson channels that extraordinary past into a song that’s as deeply personal as it is universally resonant.
With a voice that balances raw emotion and dreamlike strength, Johnson delivers "Bricks Make Houses" with a grace that feels both delicate and unbreakable. The production—crafted alongside co-writers Sam Bergeson, Kat Higgins, and Lydia Vaughan—doesn’t overshadow her message but instead lifts it, allowing the storytelling to shine through every note.
The song’s opening verses paint a vivid contrast: a childhood spent marveling at picturesque homes adorned with Christmas lights, only to return to nights of beans and rice, laughter around the dinner table, and whispered dreams between sisters. But
Johnson’s narrative doesn’t wallow in longing. Instead, it finds beauty in the simplicity of her upbringing, revealing a truth that many overlook: wealth isn’t measured in bricks and mortar, but in love and shared experiences.
“We were barely getting by / But we forgot most of the time / We weren’t broken, we were just a little broke.”
The chorus lands like a revelation—one that Johnson seems to have earned through years of hard-fought perspective. Bricks make houses, people make homes, she sings, transforming what could have been a lament into a triumphant declaration. The second verse continues to pull back the curtain on a childhood defined by movement and adaptability. Sharing shoes, marking growth on the walls, playing games in narrow hallways—these weren’t just moments, they were the foundation of something unshakable.
And then comes the bridge, a moment of introspective brilliance: All houses have two stories / That don’t always align / The way they look out front / And what’s going on inside. It’s a line that lingers, capturing the contrast between external appearances and internal realities—a theme that resonates far beyond Johnson’s personal history.
With "Bricks Make Houses", Naomi Johnson doesn’t just tell her story—she builds something lasting. It’s a song about hardship without bitterness, about struggle without defeat. Most importantly, it’s a song about the things that truly matter, told by an artist who understands them better than most. If this is just the beginning of Johnson’s journey in country music, there’s no doubt she’s laying the groundwork for something extraordinary.
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