Syleena Johnson is celebrating Juneteenth with a special performance, though it’s taking place the day after the actual holiday. The singer is slated to take the stage at a college campus, specifically the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
“Well, the Juneteenth concert is amazing because first of all, any time you just get to celebrate Juneteenth that’s lit. Doing it on a college campus is lit,” she tells IPM News, noting the holiday, which celebrates the ending of slavery in the United States, is “important because it highlights a milestone for our country.”
“To be able to, you know, perform in the name of it is always special,” she continues. “It’s just like Black History Month. It’s fun to be able to perform for our own independence, our own freedom.”
Taking place at the university’s Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Syleena’s performance will feature an acoustic set that “sounds like a full band.”
“It’s really dope. It’s two guitars and my percussionist has like Congos and Cajóns and … it makes it feel like it’s a full show and my background singers sing down to the floor. So, it’s gonna take you through a journey of old school, new school, 90’s [sic], love, pain,” she says. “It’s a really fun show. So, it’s gonna be a history lesson for the young people, but it’s gonna be nostalgic for the older people.”
“I don’t know if you guys are ready,” Syleena adds. “It’s gonna be really good.”
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