Tag Archives: Le’Andria Johnson

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Le’Andria Johnson Debuts New Album “Bigger Than Me” in Atlanta! (VIDEOS+PHOTOS)

Photo Credit: James Pray for RCA Inspiration

Hello World,

My favorite “bad girl” of gospel Le’Andria Johnson is back with her new album “Bigger Than Me,” which is available where you buy music as of TODAY! On behalf of RCA Inspiration, she debuted singles from her album in the packed out The Gathering Spot in downtown Atlanta last night, and I was blessed to be able to hear her new music in person. Another gospel great Marvin Sapp said something on his “Unsung” episode on Sunday that I’ve been thinking about since then. He said he is not sure if he wants any more hit songs because they were birthed out of painful experiences. Well, Le’Andria may have at least one hit on her hands because her song “All I Got” is dedicated to her brother Gregory A. Johnson Jr. , who passed away last November. In addition to singing “All I Got,” she also showed the video for the single. Check out the video of her singing a bit of “All I Got.”

Below are a few pics I took as the video was screened for the audience…

That is a picture of Le’Andria and her brother. Apparently, the video, which was directed by Derek Blanks,  was filmed on his birthday….

Saanging’…

Sometimes you have to sing in the rain…

The last shot was beautiful…

To her surprise,  Le’Andria’s father Bishop Gregory A. Johnson Sr. was in the house. I’m sure it was an emotional night for both of them, but she had everybody laughing when she said she wouldn’t have worn her short shorts if she had known her father was going to be there. I can relate! (And I still I want to know why I’m the only PK I know who can’t sing especially when my father can 🙁  )

Another song she sang “Gone Too Long” is about when you’ve been gone too long from the presence of the Father. Every once in a while, I get rebellious with God and walk away but thankfully, I haven’t got gone that long. And I’m diligently praying for those in my life who have been “gone too long” from God. She sang this song beautifully, but when she invited Zebulon Ellis and her brother Michael to sing the song with her, babaaay…Take a listen for yoself…

And of course, the title cut from “Bigger Than Me.” See below….

Le’andria’s producers Chuck Harmony and Claude Kelly of Weirdo Workshop were introduced as well. They have worked with Bruno Mars, Rihanna, Ludacris, Ledisi and legends such as Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston. Claude told the audience as they are usually “locked in a studio,” they never get the opportunity to see how audiences respond to an artist in person. He also said that when Le’andria came to their location in Nashville, she had to walk by plaques commemorating all of the artists they have worked with in their career. When she walked by Whitney Houston’s plaque, she told them that was what she wanted. “It wasn’t about her fame though. It was about the effect that a positive female voice can have on generation.”

Chuck and Claude with Gabby Jones of RCA Inspiration….Photo Credit: James Pray for RCA Inspiration

Here is Le’Andria with her father and brothers…Their genes are strong! Photo Credit: James Pray for RCA Inspiration

And for my OWN “Greenleaf” watchers, Le’Andria is on Volume 2 of the “Greenleaf” soundtrack!!! Photo Credit: James Pray for RCA Inspiration

Judging by how folk responded to her performance last night, Le’andria  new album “Bigger Than Me” is fire! Get that!

Any thoughts?

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Today is My Blog Relaunch Anniversary: Why I’m Not Happy…

jackie pic 4 resized

Hello World,

A year ago, I relaunched my blog with the intention of focusing on “blogging the cross section of faith, relationships and pop culture,” my handy dandy tagline above! I’ve always wanted to be a celebrity journalist so I decided to hire myself AND I wanted to cover the important matters of faith in a mostly fun way. And in this first year after my blog relaunch, I did that.

My first very blog post on the day of my relaunch was interview with gospel music star Tamela Mann and her experience singing at the White House! Read Tamela Mann Shares About ‘The Gospel Tradition: In Performance At The White House’ & More: MY INTERVIEW…if you haven’t had a chance to do so. I also interviewed Christian movie star Dayid Oyelowo in my blog post Actor David Oyelowo Captures Brian Nichols in Hostage Crisis Movie ‘Captive’: My Interview (With Audio) which was as a wonderful opportunity! I also wrote some scandalous posts such as Was It Wrong for ‘Sunday Best’ Winner Le’Andria Johnson to be Drunk Allegedly on Periscope? and Bishop Eddie Long Releases New Book ‘The Untold Story’ While Pastor Jamal Bryant Sidesteps Paternity Claim Today… as sometimes the situation call for that. But I’ve also delved into some series issues in blog posts such such as Jordan Davis’s Mother Lucy McBath Stars in New Disney Documentary About Faith & Gun Control: My Interview (WITH AUDIO) or Mother & Daughter Survivors Treated for Breast Cancer One Year Apart, Inspired By Deceased Relative’s Fight…And thankfully, my blog traffic has increased!

My page views have increased by 106.75 percent, and my users have increased by 117.86 percent! And yet, even as my numbers have increased I vacillate between satisfaction and discontent. Why? Because I cannot seem to stop playing the comparison game…smh…

My earliest remembrance of this destructive behavior in my life goes back to when I was about six years old. A single mother who worked nights lived next door to my family and me.  In neighborly kindness, I guess, the single mother’s daughter, who shall go nameless, was allowed to stay over at our apartment each night. In the morning, her mother would come and get her. The girl was about a year younger than me and so we became fast friends.

But I quickly  noticed that this girl had things that I didn’t have. She wore name name brand clothing for instance and had jewelry even. In my six-year-old mind, I deduced that the reason my parents didn’t lavish name brand clothing and jewelry on me was that there was three of us and they couldn’t afford to spend their money on such frivolities. And I also deduced that my friend’s mama only had to cover two people, and that’ s why her mama could spend that way. But I was still jealous…I would try to comfort myself by saying to myself, I bet she wishes she had a daddy and brothers like I do…And that sentiment would work for a while, but then I would find myself thinking of what she had and what I didn’t have again. It got so bad that sometimes I would be up at night worrying about it all…Can you believe it? I was just six years old! That is sooo terrible…My friend slept in my room with me and that made it worse. Sometimes I would get up in the middle of the night and quietly open the door so the hallway light shone in the room and I would peer at a ring on her finger. I don’t even remember what it looked like exactly, but I do remember it was sparkly and reminded me of one of my favorite fairytales – Cinderella.

Fast forward 30 plus years later and I still find myself dealing with this insidious habit. I remember when I was in 20s and I was making $10 a paycheck at my first journalism job. All of my friends were going on trips, getting fabulous apartments and starting investment clubs…With my meager earnings, I had to live at home, and the only trip I could afford was the trip to work and back. As far as investments were concerned, I tried to comfort myself with the knowledge that I was investing in my future by taking a job in my field and getting experience. But I was still seething on the inside…and sometimes the vitriol spilled out…My father gave me countless pep talks during this time…He assured me that “my time” was coming…And he reminded that I chose a field that often doesn’t yield large earnings- at least at the beginning of your career, and I had to accept that or go into a different field. And he also told me that God had a purpose for my life and as long as I was in His will, I was where I needed to be.

Once I entered the blogging arena, I have found myself hating on other people’s blogs or their careers. Here is what I think sometimes – Why her blog got all those comments? I’m a good writer too. Or why did she get a book deal when her topic is hackneyed at best?  I could write that story with one hand tied behind my back…Yes, it’s gets really ugly in my mind sometimes…A friend wisely told me maybe one of the reasons why my blog doesn’t get as many comments as others is because I am talking about religious topics and religion will never be as popular. That may be true, but one of my favorite blogs, a religious blog, got scads of comments…how come my blog doesn’t? I swear I’m still six years old….

So by this time, I should be wrapping up now and telling you how I’ve overcome my haterism…I haven’t…but sometimes, I have moments of clarity after I have whined about it to anyone who will listen…One particularly spiritual friend frequently states that I shouldn’t compare my insides to someone else’s outsides. What that means is that what someone has doesn’t necessarily equate to happiness. Over the years I have learned that is true. Sometimes I’ve been told to pray for the person that I resent. I’ve found that if I pray for the person to get everything I want in my life, I often find that I don’t feel as bad…And I recently discovered that some people want what I have. That makes me feel really good…I swear, I’m terrible, huh? And sometimes hate can be a good thing actually. Sometimes, it has propelled me to do things I wouldn’t ordinarily do…For instance, I learned to be smart about my money and I’ve come a long way baby…And sometimes the answer is to stop thinking about myself and think of how I can help others…Self obsession is a trap for sure…prayer is a good tool too…

I will say this, and I’m thankful that God has given me this conviction: Whether 1, 10 or 10,000 people flock to my blog, each person is valuable. If God’s angels are joyous about even sinner who comes to God, I’m thankful if even if only blog reader is encouraged or has fun in their faith in God or comes to know God through my words!

So happy blog relaunch anniversary to me, and I’ll pray for you and you pray for me 🙂

Any thoughts?

 

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Was It Wrong for ‘Sunday Best’ Winner Le’Andria Johnson to be Drunk Allegedly on Periscope?

Hello World, periscope

I was scheduled to write a recap of Season 1 Episode 7 of “Born Again Virgin” but after checking my Google Analytics this morning and seeing that my blog post on Le’Andria Johnson got some major hits yesterday, I decided to do a quick Google search on Season 3 “Sunday Best” winner and GRAMMY Award winner Le’Andria Johnson and why she was blowing up yesterday. And this is the result I got – “leandria johnson drunk on periscope.” Well, so I went to a link and this is what has caused the hubbub, according to to the September 8 blog post “Gospel Singer LeAndria Johnson Appears Drunk And A Lil Off On Periscope” on yallknowwhat.com.

No one loves Periscope as much as we do. The newest social media craze has gotten everyone broadcasting 24 hours a day. This is a dream come true for fans of celebrities. On the other hand, it allows the public to see different artists in their element and their comfort zone.

Unfortunately, this isn’t a good thing for some celebs. It proved to be a disaster for gospel singer Le’Andria Johnson last night. Thousands of viewers witnessed the Season 3 Sunday Best winner ranting for 10 minutes about different things. She admitted to drinking Patron during her Periscope video, she cursed a few times, and she was blasting secular music (Drunk In Love) in the background.

The video of Le’Andria Johnson on Periscope has seen been removed but the damage has been done. Whoa!!! I have lots of thoughts about this. First thought, Le’Andria Johnson has never claimed to be a saint. She is a Christian saint but not a saint by the most widely accepted definition. In my interview with her, the preacher’s daughter admitted she has been divorced twice and was pregnant as a single mother while recording her third album under “Le’Andria Johnson, The Experience.” And she even started Imperfect People Changing Ministries during that time period. As a preacher’s daughter myself and an imperfect one at that, I have real empathy for her and her story. While I’m not a two-time divorcée or have given birth to children out of wedlock, I’ve indulged in my fair share of sin. And there is a lot of pressure to be perfect as a pastor’s daughter that other Christians don’t understand. And Le’Andria Johnson spoke about that in my interview of her.

leandriaAs a pastor’s daughter, did you ever resent the requirements of ministry on you parents?

Heck yeah! Yes, I did, because I was taught God, God, God, God, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. There ain’t anything wrong with that but I never understood life because we were always in some Bible meeting. We were always in some revival. We were always in some shut in…Being in church all of my life crippled me. That’s how the whole issue with men that I was dealing with came to be…I couldn’t wait to put on a pair of booty shorts. I couldn’t wait to put on a pair of hoop earrings, red lipstick, eyelashes…I couldn’t wait to get tattoos… I couldn’t wait to smoke, couldn’t wait to drink, couldn’t wait to have sex…But by me doing those things, I had to go through my own personal issues and in that I found God to be who they didn’t teach me He was. I was taught that God is a ‘reprimander’ and that He was jealous. I was taught that God was going to punish you for this. It was negative…But I found out He was the sweetest. He is the sweetest man I’ve ever known…I had to find all of that stuff out after I did the sin…

All that being said, if Le’Andria Johnson was allegedly drunk on Periscope, blasting “Drunk in Love” in the background while cursing, is that wrong? Well, first of all, it’s funny to death…C’mon man, you know it is…Secondly, it was bad judgment. I don’t think anyone wants to see their favorite gospel singer turnt in real time with Beyoncé in the background…But here’s the thing…What if she likes to drink Patron, listen to Beyoncé and curse in the privacy of her own home  but did not broadcast it for the masses to see? Would that make her any less of a sinner – according to some people’s assessment? Would it disqualify her to be a gospel singer and minister? Before I answer these questions, there are two verses that should be referenced here…

Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. James 3:1

So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live–for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble.
 1 Corinthians 8:13

I have never wanted to be a pastor because of that first verse. Pastors do get held to a higher standard. It’s a part of the job description. Le’Andria Johnson does not profess to be a pastor but she does have a platform as a gospel singer and minister so that verse could be applied to her situation too. But let me not be a hypocrite, I remember after my book came out, my father had a discussion with me about how I conducted myself in public. Basically, he told me that people would be watching me. And that is true. I remember I went to restaurant/club to a birthday party for a friend, and I was dancing with my husband and I felt someone looking at me. I came of age during the Booty Shake music era so when I dance, I’m not doing a two-step…And I remember on another occasion, I went to a restaurant with some friends who all ordered drinks, and I declined – not because I didn’t want one or think it’s wrong to have a drink but because of how it would look. I hate that. I truly do because I’m just a regular ole girl tryin’ to get this thang right with God at the end of the day…

But according to the second verse, it’s not about me – particularly in public. As a Christian, your main job is tell others about Christ. period. the end. And even if you like to get turnt in your house, if doing that in public will cause even one person to think you (the Christian) is crazy and that Christ may not be all that because of you, then you have to check yourself. I hate that too. I do. But it’s true.

So back to to the questions that I asked. We are all sinners saved by the grace of God, but the fact of the matter is that none of us, not even preachers and teachers, will be without sin until we get to Heaven. However, that being said, that is not an excuse to act like we don’t know what the Bible says because will will never get it right. In fact, that means that we have to depend on the Holy Spirit even more to do what is right…And the Holy Spirit will convict you of what is wrong and what is right and help you do the right thing according to YOUR personal relationship with God…For example, according to my own personal relationship with God,  I don’t have to listen to gospel music all day long…I love gospel music, but I’d die and have to go to Heaven right now if I had to listen to gospel music all day every day…And if you see me out and about acting “non Christianly,” try not judge me. God is not through with me yet, and I’m still working out my salvation fa sho…And trust that my personal relationship with God is the best thang that eva happened to me!!!

Finally, that’s why y’all need to stay off Periscope….

Any thoughts?

P.S. I hope to have my “Born Again” recap up by tomorrow…