Le'Andria Johnson

Gospel and praise & worship singer Le'Andria Johnson's journey to a recording career almost ran like the plot for a made-for-TV movie of the week as she overcame obstacles, hardships, and personal disasters to get there. Born on January 23, 1983, Johnson was the twice-divorced single mother of three children when she fell on hard times, losing her home to foreclosure the day before a friend convinced her to drive to New Orleans in a borrowed car to audition for the cable TV show Sunday Best. The daughter of a preacher, Johnson had sung in front of her father's congregations since she was two years old, but she had hardly considered a professional career as a gospel singer. She arrived at the TV audition with little time to spare, and wearing flip-flops and the clothes she drove there in, she was amazed to be selected as a contestant. Johnson ended up being declared the winner at the end of the show's third season in 2010, a placing that not only came with the gift of a new car and a cash prize, but also, in time, a recording deal through the show's newly formed Sunday Best imprint under the Music World Gospel label umbrella. A debut seven-song EP, The Awakening of Le'Andria Johnson, was released in 2011, followed by a second seven-song EP, The Evolution of Le'Andria Johnson, in 2012. The two EPs were then combined in 2012 to make a full album, titled The Awakening of Le'Andria Johnson Deluxe. A second full-length, the live The Experience, also appeared in 2012.