Songbird, Stephanie Johnson is turning real-life love stories into the most honest R&B moments
GOSEGO MOTSUMI
If Valentine’s Day had a plot twist, Stephanie Johnson would be singing it. The Botswana-based R&B/Soul artist has built a quiet but steady radio presence with Serenity and Lerato. Now, just days before lovers exchange roses and filtered affection, she’s dropping “I Got a Man”, a song that side-eyes romance and asks the uncomfortable question: what happens when love isn’t clean?
R&B THAT FEELS LIKE A CONFESSION
Her debut single, Serenity, is a soft-spoken anthem of hope. “It’s meant to inspire people to keep going and have faith, even when life feels heavy,” she told Time Out.
Then came Lerato, featuring Uth ThaMeek — a love-soaked meditation on falling, floating, and feeling too much.
Together, they form the emotional spine of her upcoming EP: a project she describes as “a journey through a spectrum of emotions.”
VALENTINE’S, BUT MAKE IT MESSY
Her third single, I Got a Man, arrives on 5 February, deliberately timed to drop before Valentine’s day.
“It’s about being caught between two people, your committed partner and someone else who has a strong, irresistible effect on you. It explores temptation and how desire can make situations complicated,” she explained.
“I chose to release it just before Valentine’s Day because it taps into a side of love that many people experience but don’t often talk about: the pull of guilty pleasures and the choices that come with them. I wanted to speak on the sneaky link culture we see today.
WHY R&B, WHY NOW
For Johnson, R&B isn’t a trend, it’s a truth serum.
“It allows me to tell stories that connect emotionally and spark a range of feelings in listeners.”
She believes Botswana’s R&B scene is growing, slowly but sincerely and she’s part of the proof.
FROM CHILD STAR TO SOUL STORYTELLER
Singing since age four and performing professionally by fourteen, Johnson has shared creative space with artists like Oatsdona, BK Proctor and Cici. Now, working on her debut EP with X808X Records, she’s setting her sights beyond borders — exporting Botswana’s feelings, one honest song at a time.