Name: Angela Johnson
Nationality: American
Occupation: Singer, songwriter
Recent release: Angela Johnson teams up with Opolopo for Best Of Both Worlds, out via Reel People.
Pure vocal music recommendations: I’ve been a fan of Michael Jackson since FOREVER! In the past few years, I have watched YouTube videos of MJ’s stripped down vocals, lead and backgrounds. His vocals are pure with the emotion intact. I’ve always admired how he stacks his vocals. I study them to this very day. To hear them broken down, part by part, it confirms how hard he worked to perfect his performances.

[Read our Opolopo interview]

If you enjoyed this Angela Johnson interview and would like to stay up to date with her music, visit her on Instagram, and Facebook.



Do you think that some of your earliest musical experiences planted a seed for your interest in your voice and singing? How and when did you start Singing?

Certainly, my upbringing played a significance in my interest in singing. Both of my parents sang in church as well as my extended family. They were all musical. Some played instruments, but everyone sang.

My mother was my biggest influence. When I was a toddler, my mother played the piano and sang gospel songs to me. As soon as I could climb the piano bench and reach the keys, I started imitating her, banging away and singing off the top of my lungs.

Shortly after, my mother noticed something different about the way I played and sang. She saw how serious and how committed I was to making up my own songs. I was 4 years old at the time she started recording me. I think she knew early on that this was the path I was going to take.

If you’re also playing other instruments, how does the expressive potential of these compare to your own voice?

I see them as extensions of my voice, but not all instruments can express every emotion I feel behind a lyric or phrase. It’s great to use both as sources to relay to your audience.

Singing is an integral part of all cultures, and traditions. Which of these do you draw from – and why?

It’s undeniable that my African ancestry has given me so much to draw from. The rhythmic and soulful sounds that originated in the Black church was and still is my foundation. R&B and soul music was derived from the church and was obviously gospel music replaced with secular lyrics.

I must add that as a student, I’ve also pulled from years of studying classical music. I think being exposed to as many cultures and traditions as possible is a wonderful tool to create your own sound!

What were some of the main challenges in your development as a singer/vocalist? Which practices, exercises, or experiences were most helpful in reaching your goals – were there also “harmful” ones?

Coming up as an young, independent artist on the road, caring for my voice and properly training it was the furthest from my mind.

Over the years, I learned that I needed help to sustain through long shows and how to protect my voice when playing in venues with a terrible sound system. There have been more than enough times I’ve lost my voice at the end of a performance.

I was frustrated. I couldn’t afford to train with a coach or teacher on a regular basis, so I relied on books, tapes, and CDs. I love warming up with lip trills, lip rolls, running scales, and using a straw to help with challenging parts. I’ve also come to love steaming my voice before any performance or recording!

How do you see the relationship between harmony, rhythm and melody?

Each plays a role in creating a song. In my view, the rhythm and melody creates the structure for a song. One or the other can grab the listener’s attention depending on the song.

Harmony gives the melody support. It adds color, it embellishes, and gives flavor to the song. It’s not needed everywhere, but placed tastefully, it does wonders.

Do you feel that honing your sense of rhythm and groove has an effect on your singing skills?

Absolutely! Especially, when you’re working with other singers, musicians, and producers.

Having your sense of rhythm and groove in tact, gives you the freedom and ease to stay in pocket with the music and other musicians.

What are the things you hear in a voice when listening to a vocalist? What moves you in the voices of other singers?

When listening to another vocalist, I listen to their tone, their pitch, and the emotion behind the lyrics. It doesn’t have to be perfect. I’d rather it not be too perfect, because it might sound too mechanical. I want the vocalist to sell the song and draw me in.

Riffs and ad libs are wonderful too, but too many can turn me off. Some people need to use riffs to sell a badly written song. That’s tough.

How would you describe the physical sensation of singing? [Where do you feel the voice, do you have a visual sensation/representation, is there a sense of release or tension etc …]

It really depends on the type of song I’m singing. For example, if I’m singing house or R&B/ Soul music, I tend to feel it more in my chest and abdomen.

That’s the tension I need to give the songs attitude and rhythmic energy. It also helps to sing songs that are fast tempoed.

What kind of musical settings and situations do you think are ideal for your own voice?

I’ve been in all types of situations, so I really don’t have a preference, musically. If I’m recording, I’d prefer a quiet setting so I can really focus.

Positive energy is also important! So if the engineer or the sound person is being difficult or dismissive, that would be a problem for me. That’s why ! record most of my vocals in my own studio.

We have a speaking voice and a singing voice. Do these feel like they are natural extensions of each other, ends on a spectrum or different in kind?

I feel they’re different. I can tell as soon as I talk on the phone, my voice range drops lower than it should. I usually end up feeling vocally tired after being on the phone for a long time.

When you’re in a club-like atmosphere, you’re speaking over loud music and a building filled with other shouters! It’s difficult to explain when you’re asked to meet with someone before or after your show. I love connecting with my fans, so it;s hard to keep from doing it. They are the reason I’m on stage!

From whispers to screams, from different colours to dynamics, what are the potentials and limits of your voice? How much of your vocal performance can and do you want to control?

These are all elements that can be used to create a song. They express emotion and give you different dynamics to sell the song. I know I have limits, but I do tend to push myself in the studio. I also want to make sure those tough spots I can sing live. I’m a live performance artist and that’s where you really find out who’s the real deal when it comes to singing on stage.

As far as control in a performance situation, I wish I could control all of it! That’s not always possible. I can only hope and ask that I’ll be able to hear myself and that my mic is at the right volume to be heard without me having to push too much.

When you’re writing song lyrics, do you sense or see a connection between your voice and the text? Does it need to feel and sound “good” or “right” to sing certain words? What’s your perspective in this regard of singing someone else’s songs versus your own?

When I’m writing a song, I’m telling a story. I want the listener to feel as if it’s their story and I’m delivering it for them. So, yes, the connection between my voice and the lyrics must be there. Every melody that I assign to a lyric is purposeful. Even if it’s a difficult note for me to sing, I push to record it because it was meant to show that kind of emotion and it feels right.

Of course, it has to sound good with the right lyric or the pronunciation for the word. These are all things that I think about when writing a song.

Now, when it comes to singing a cover, I try not to change the original. The way the original is performed is what made it so great, so why try to rewrite it? All I would want to do is bring some of myself into the cover and give it a fresh take on the song.

Strain is a particularly serious issue for many vocalists. How do you take care of your voice? Are the recipes or techniques to get a damaged voice back in shape?

Over the years, I tried many approaches in caring for my voice. It’s not a ‘one size fits all’ approach. What may work for some may not work for everyone.

I think getting enough rest before a gig or recording session will positively affect your performance and help diminish the chances of staining. I tend to strain only when I’m tired and using whatever energy I have left. Those aren’t great conditions to sing under, but it happens.

I do have a list of things that I do to prepare such as eating light and early in the day, avoiding dairy (easy for me because I eat a vegan diet), hydrating, steaming, and gargling with warm salt water. I do like to use lozenges to help with lubrication. Warming up with scales is essential, so I make sure to do that closer to the time I hit the stage or studio.

How has technology, such as autotune or effect processing, impacted singing? Has it been a concrete influence on your own approach?

I feel like technology has impacted the industry in both positive and negative ways. Positively, singers may not have to work so hard when it comes to recording. We have technology that will allow singers to spend less time in the vocal booth because the engineer and/or vocal producer can manipulate anything they’ve recorded. Negatively, I think this produces weaker performances and less experienced singers who can’t reproduce the songs live without assistance.

The way it’s affected me is that I’m competing with the ‘perfect pitch,’ autotuned vocal sounds that are on almost every music production that’s out today. In R&B and Pop music, we’ve forgotten how a natural voice sounds like on a recording.

I understand it’s a style, but this industry is saturated with it. We’re lacking unforgettable performances on records which create classics.

For recording engineers, the human voice remains a tricky element to capture. What, from your perspective, makes voices sound great on record and in a live setting?

It would be advantageous to make sure the vocalist is feeling comfortable and confident in knowing that they’re in good hands. The engineer is there to give them the support they need to help create the setting for a great performance.

In a live situation, making sure the vocalist can hear themself at all times is incredibly important. Always ask them what they need in their monitors and dial it down on the reverb! Too much is too distracting, hahahaha …

Motherese may have been the origin of music, and singing is possibly the earliest form of musical expression, and culture in general. How connected is the human voice to your own sense of wellbeing, your creativity, and society as a whole?

It’s your first instrument that you’re born with and learn to use. It’s the only instrument you leave this Earth with. It’s your vibration that you put out into the universe to connect you with all that’s around you. This gives you a sense of wellbeing, knowing that your voice is being heard.

Speaking and singing out is what we use to connect with each other. It’s a blessing and we should all respect this kind of power.