The last time many heard from gospel singer Le’Andria Johnson was last year when she apologized for criticizing the church and blasting Pastor Marvin Winans in a curse-filled rant that got her kicked out of the Essence Festival shortly afterward.
But while speaking at the Metropolitan Baptist Church in Philadelphia, which Johnson posted a video of on Feb. 18, the singer admitted to a past drinking problem and said it caused her a lot of difficulty.
Le’Andria Johnson. (Photo: Instagram)
“You free yourself when you be real with yourself,” she began. “I had a drinking problem. It wasn’t nothing for me to go to the liquor store and get some Grey Goose.
“I didn’t realize I drank so much. I didn’t realize it was a day-to-day situation,” Johnson added. “It consumed every part of me. I didn’t realize I was drinking Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. I was drinking a lot.”
Johnson then explained that she used alcohol to self-medicate after her brother passed away. The 36-year-old also admitted that she needed an “awareness check” to change her ways, which eventually came in the form of a 30-day jail stint and having to wear an ankle monitor.
The singer’s legal problems began after she went to a bar eight minutes away from her house and received a sobriety test after getting pulled over, which she failed. That got her probation, but she was sent to jail for violating it. But now Johnson is doing better and hasn’t had a drink since Dec. 7, 2018.
“It took an ankle bracelet for me to stop drinking,” she admitted.
These days, the singer said she has a clearer mind from no longer drinking and handles her business affairs much better. Johnson also admitted that she’s a better mom and her kids say how proud of her they are. They’ve also noticed that she isn’t angry anymore.
Johnson is probably best known for winning the third season of the gospel music competition “Sunday Best” on BET, but she began singing at the age of 2 in her father’s church.
After winning the competition, the Florida-born singer released a seven-song project titled “The Awakening of Le’Andria Johnson” in 2011, which included the song “Jesus” that won her a Grammy Award in 2012.
She released four different projects after that, including her last album, “Bigger Than Me,” in 2017.
You can see Johnson’s full testimony at the Philadelphia church below.
