Happiness, Jaylene Johnson's third and latest full-length album, may sport the local singer/songwriter's name on its cover, but to simply call it a solo affair would most definitely be unfair.

"This one is a pop-oriented record, a lot of collaboration on this record, many of the songs are co-written which was a goal of mine," Johnson says. "I wanted to embrace collaborating in a way I hadn't done in the past."

On the new disc, Johnson works with many writers, including Nashville-based musicians JJ and David Heller, and Toronto songwriter Simon Wilcox, who, along with her own material, has penned tunes for the likes of Three Days Grace, The Kooks, BEAST and even Paris Hilton.

In addition to those collaborators, Happiness was produced by two well-known 'Peg producers: Brandon Friesen and Phil Deschambault.

"Both have a very different approach and I love both approaches very much for different reasons," Johnson says. "Brandon is like a mad professor in the studio and he comes up with a very lush sound. He thinks big epic orchestration. He definitely got that out of my songs and I'm thrilled with that.

"Phil is a really quirky, amazing, energetic guy, who draws a lot of the subtle colour out of my songs. The record is very cohesive but I wonder if people will be able to tell who produced what. It'll be interesting to see.

"I'm really excited about (Happiness) and I think that everybody really brings something great to the record. I'm learning that more and more in life as well as in music. It's a beautiful thing when people can come together and work together on something."

And Johnson works well with others. In 2006, she signed to Casablanca Media Publishing in Toronto, the first writer to do so, and has shared songwriting credits with many musicians throughout North America. Recently, along with Sierra Noble, Chris Burke-Gaffney and Keith MacPherson, Johnson co-wrote I Love You More, which appears on Noble's breakthrough Possibilities album.

"It really broadens the palette," Johnson says of working with other musicians. "As an artist I have the thing that I do and what I like to sing, but when I can write a country song or a folk song or something that's a little out of my own genre, it's very freeing. It's very liberating artistically to not be confined to my own demographic."

Keeping on the theme of partnership, Johnson has licensed many of her songs for television, her tunes appearing on such shows as Dawson's Creek, Joan of Arcadia and Being Erica. She recently contributed her song Just Be to www.more2girls.com, an e-zine that encourages girls to get involved in philanthropy. Speaking of, Johnson is also spokesperson for World Vision and promotes humanitarian organizations Boost Up! and Song For Africa on her website.

"It's important for me to give back when I can," Johnson says. "I feel very blessed and very fortunate. It's easy to forget that. We all have good and bad days, but I do feel I have the opportunity to speak about what I'm passionate about, and if that can help somebody else, that's fantastic."

JAYLENE JOHNSON CD RELEASE PARTY
June 18, 7 p.m., Park Theatre