Syleena Johnson (Photo Provided).
Given her accomplishments, longevity and gifts, there is ample evidence to declare Syleena Johnson as “one of one,” a rarity, a distinguished singer-songwriter of the highest caliber who embodies the term “soul survivor.”
This Chicago area artist who hails from Harvey is most known for vivifying Kanye West’s runaway hit “All Falls Down” with her supple vocals. But she has enjoyed quite the career herself as a recording artist, actress, author, daytime talk show host, reality star, and health and wellness devotee, someone who still owns the deed to one of the most soulfully abundant voices in music that feels like a hug or a hearty stew for our brittle bones when we hear her.
In a homecoming of sorts, Johnson will be performing at City Winery in Chicago this Friday and Saturday (Feb. 28 and March 1).
Days before she was set to take the stage, Johnson spoke with The Chicago Defender about her influences, love for Chicago, and why she is pausing her solo projects to work with the supergroup The Chi, with fellow hometown artists Dave Hollister and Carl Thomas. Johnson also reflected on the passing of the legendary Roberta Flack, her commitment to holistic wellness, and what fans can expect from her upcoming shows at City Winery.
Remembering Roberta Flack
Over the phone, days after it happened, Johnson said Flack’s passing felt like a loss for all music.
“Her writing and the timeless sound of her voice—Roberta Flack is a household name in African American music,” Johnson said. “Her staying power, her connectivity, and who she’s worked with… she’s a legend.
Johnson added, “We’re losing one of our great, great artists, and that’s always going to feel tragic. Not so much tragic, but almost for us, as artists in the industry, it feels like a piece of us goes away.”
But she conceded that Flack’s music is eternal.
“Every artist who has ever been in love with a Roberta Flack record—a piece of us is all gone with her,” she said. “But she will live on forever in music.”
‘Legacy’ and ‘The Chi’
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Johnson’s latest album, Legacy, is deeply personal. It’s a tribute to her late father, Blues legend Syl Johnson, featured on every track via sample, and uncle Jimmy Johnson, also a Blues luminary. Both men passed six days apart in 2022.
Other publications previously reported that “Legacy” would be her final album, but she said that wasn’t true. There will be more music, but she is chilling out on the solo projects for now.
“It’s not the final solo album, but it is for a while,” she explained. “I’ve been just moving, moving, moving and creating, creating, creating, and not stopping to take a beat. I wanted to give my catalog a moment to breathe.”
But for concerned fans, no worries because the music won’t stop.
“I am in the process of recording an album with my Chicago brothers Dave Hollister and Carl Thomas for The Chi project, an album with the three of us as a group,” she said.
“That’s my new priority,” she said, along with “Legacy.”
“I am in the process of really trying to live in and immerse myself in those two projects,” she said. “It’s not that I won’t create something later on. It’s just that right now, those are the priorities.
The Sound of Chicago Soul
Johnson’s music is unmistakably Chicago—soulful, gritty, and deeply rooted in the city’s rich musical history, a tapestry of blues, gospel, soul and house. But what exactly defines “Chicago Soul?”
“My father told me a long time ago that soul is not a genre. Soul is about what you’ve been through,” she said. “Soul comes from circumstance. Soul comes from pain. Soul comes from progression. Soul comes from whatever you’ve gone through.”
For Johnson, Chicago’s sound is a seamless evolution of its musical heritage—from the blues and gospel to house and jazz.
“Chicago does a good job of staying true to its core,” she said. “You say Chicago, and you say house music, the blues, good gospel. We even have Taste of Chicago. We’ve been able to have a soundtrack for our city, and that soundtrack stays true to who we are.”
A Father’s Influence
Album cover for Syleena Johnson’s “Legacy” album.
Johnson’s father, Syl, was a towering influence on her musical journey. His presence in their home ensured that music was always at the center of her life.
“My dad played guitar every single day,” she recalled. “As a little girl, I watched his bands rehearse. He had a little recording studio in the basement. We listened to albums in the basement. It was just a very music-filled home.”
As a child, Johnson learned jazz and classical music. When she was in fourth grade, Johnson played in her father’s band, singing background and writing records for him—a well-rounded musical education.
“Some of the sounds in me subconsciously come from that kind of instrumentation, as well as the sound of the blues,” Johnson said. “But as I got older, it evolved into R&B.”
And when Johnson started hanging out in the city, she gravitated toward the clubs that played house music and other Chicago sounds, destined to continue in the family business.
“It was nothing I could do to ever escape it, even though I had tons of different other interests and things that I’m really good at. But it always comes back to the music,” she said.
The Freedom to Create
Johnson has been recording since the age of 14. And when she reflected on her journey from the 1990s to now, with double-digit albums and two Grammy nominations, Johnson pinpointed the most significant change in her approach to music—freedom.
“As you get to know yourself and grow, I’ve grown as a woman, a mom, a wife, a businesswoman,” she said. “The greatest gift I’ve been able to adapt to is freedom: my freedom to be able to sing what I want, say what I want and be who I want to be in my music.”
For Johnson, that freedom has come from embracing independence.
“This last album, Legacy, is 100% independent. We’re just distributing through TuneCore,” she said. “A good friend of mine, Avery*Sunshine, just won a Grammy as an independent artist. That hasn’t always been the case for artists.
“So freedom is the biggest lesson I’ve been able to adapt to and be proud of.”
Health, Wellness, and Holistic Living
While music remains central to her life, Johnson is just as passionate about holistic wellness. Though she’s stepped back from bodybuilding competitions, her commitment to health remains foremost.
“I’m always on a total wellness journey,” she said. “Mind, body, spirit—the whole package. Yoga, strength training, sauna every day, stretching, eating right, taking vitamins, drinking water, reading my Bible. The people around me have to give off wellness, too. If not, none of this matters.”
She’s also feeding her mind with books. “Right now, I’m reading Barracoon [by Zora Neale Hurston], because it’s Black History Month. Last month, I read [The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins].”
City Winery: An Intimate, Raw, and Real Experience
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City Winery audiences will get treated to a Syleena Johnson show that is “real” and “raw”—true to her brand this Friday and Saturday.
“We use an acoustic set,” Johnson said. “There’s no auto-tunes and plug-ins and all that stuff. We try to be as raw as we possibly can.”
She said audiences should expect a gamut of songs from throughout her career.
“Other than that, just high energy all the way from top to bottom. High energy. Fun, fun, fun. We have a great time at my shows,” she said.
“Absolutely authentic and organic.”
For More Information
Syleena Johnson performs at the City Winery (1200 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL) on Friday, Feb. 28 (7:30 p.m.) and Saturday, March 1 (6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.).
All three shows are sold out as of this writing. Interested parties can join a waiting list for the March 1, 6:30 p.m. show.
For more information, visit citywinery.com/chicago.
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