Sarah Johns Credits Hard Work

4/18/2008 Meaghan Mitchell   The old saying 'hard work pays off' is certainly the motto for country newcomer Sarah Johns. The advice she gives for any young country hopeful: move to Nashville and bust your rear. Johns has recently been touring as an opening act with the King of Country, George Strait. "I learned so much out there," she gushes. The self-proclaimed work-a-holic was discovered by Toby Keith's manager while singing in a seafood restaurant back home in Kentucky and he encouraged her to make the move to Music City. After breaking up with her boyfriend and relocating, Sarah Johns finally called Nashville home. "I called my dad every day bawling my eyes out," Johns says. "I didn't know what to do. I was sad. I was scared." No longer sad, nor scared after opening for two big acts, both George and Toby Keith, the 27-year-old still credits good old fashioned hard work as the key to her successes. "The thing is, it's just meetin' the right people," Johns says. "I totally think that's what it is. And I think you have to have a really good work ethic." Johns' debut album, "Big Love in a Small Town," was released in 2007 on which she co-wrote every track.