(NEWARK, NJ) -- Horizon Foundation Sounds of The City presents Syleena Johnson on Thursday, July 29, 2020 at 6:00pm at NJPAC's Chambers Plaza. Come for a free outdoor concert with this soul and R&B songstress. Her sultry voice shines on every song—whether it’s a heartfelt confessional or an empowering battle cry. A thrillingly emotional songwriter with nine acclaimed studio records, “Syleena squeezes more heart out of a single verse than many can out of an entire album” (SoulTracks).

Syleena, the Grammy-nominated R&B singer-songwriter and daughter of the legendary blues and soul singer Syl Johnson, combines classic soul and R&B style with a uniquely sultry voice. The Chicago-based songstress has collaborated with everyone from Kanye West and Common to Anthony Hamilton. Her 11th studio album, Woman, dropped in 2020.

In 2018, Johnson added the title of author to her resume by releasing her self-help book, The Weight Is Over. This is her compelling and triumphant journey toward self-love and discovery, while chronicling her battles with body image birthed in adolescence and carried throughout her music career. The book shares Syleena's pain and progression; while providing practical ways to identify and eliminate stressors to sustain optimal mental, emotional, and physical health.

The Horizon Foundations Sounds of the City is a free outdoor concert series which brings residents together every week in Chambers Plaza. It’s a dance party with a festival atmosphere—and you’re invited. All concerts take place on Thursdays from 6:00pm to 8:30pm in Chambers Plaza, directly outside NJPAC’s theaters.

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located at One Center Street in downtown Newark, N.J., is America’s most diverse performing arts center, and the artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey – where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the state’s and the world’s best artists while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has attracted nearly 10 million visitors (including over 1.7 million children) since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents.

HORIZON FOUNDATION SOUNDS OF THE CITY 2021

AUGUST 5 - Tony Vega. Born in the town of Salinas, Puerto Rico, salsa master Vegas grew up in New York City, where he began his musical career playing bongo in an all-children’s band. He soon began singing as well as drumming and went on to perform alongside salsa stars Gilberto Santa Rosa, Eddie Palmieri and Tito Puente before striking out on his own, recording several hit albums including Yo me Quedo and Lo Mio es Amor.

AUGUST 12 - Le’Andria Johnson. Grammy award-winning gospel singer-songwriterJohnson was the season three winner of the BET gospel singing competition show Sunday Best. Her first album, The Awakening of Le'Andria Johnson, led not only to her Grammy win for Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance but to a career on the stage, a continuing ministry as a pastor, and an appearance on the hit Oxygen series Preachers of Atlanta.

AUGUST 19 - Brass Against. A New York based collective of dozens of artists, led by Brad Hammonds, Brass Against is devoted to creating brass-forward political songs that inspire fans to action. Recreating hits by Tool, Soundgarden and Rage Against the Machine and more with a super-sized brass section and fiery vocals, Brass Against has redefined protest music, garnered a huge online fan base, and created a whole new sound for speaking truth to power.

AUGUST 26 - Third World. The grand finale of the 2021 Sounds of the City season is an appearance by one of the longest-lived reggae bands of all time, Third World. Combining reggae with elements of R&B, funk, pop, rock, dancehall and rap, Third World’s style has been described as "reggae-fusion.” With nine Grammy nominations and a catalog of charted smash hits including “Now That We Found Love”, ”96 Degrees in the Shade'' and “Try Jah Love,” the band has toured six continents,and performed with Bob Marley, Santana and Stevie Wonder, among many others.

The series’ title sponsor, Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, is the charitable arm of Newark-based Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. 

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, the state’s oldest and largest health insurer is a tax-paying, not-for-profit health service corporation, providing a wide array of medical, dental, vision, and prescription insurance products and services. Horizon BCBSNJ is leading the transformation of health care in New Jersey by working with doctors and hospitals to deliver innovative, patient-centered programs that reward the quality, not quantity, of care patients receive. Learn more at HorizonBlue.com. Horizon BCBSNJ is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association serving approximately 3.7 million members.