How Atlanta singer Jade Novah became an entertainer on her terms

Jade Novah has built a successful career in entertainment minus recording contracts or sending headshots for auditions.

The Atlanta-area entertainer earned a following from uploading performance clips of cover songs by singers Rihanna, Beyoncé and Stevie Wonder online. Those viral videos led to Novah writing and producing three independent albums with her husband, Devin Mykel Johnson, released through their production company, Let There Be Art.

Wonder became a fan of Novah’s and invited her to perform for him. Her impersonations of female singers landed her roles on NBC’s variety show “That’s My Jam” and Netflix’s 2025 political comedy produced by Tyler Perry, “Miss Governor.”

Novah, who turned 40 last month, disrupts how entertainers are thriving in the entertainment industry. She said her career results from experimentation, community building and family.

“Curiosity is a through-line to how I approach everything, and I want people to navigate the world by understanding things instead of accepting them as they are in pushing our culture forward,” Novah told UATL.

Singer, songwriter and actress Jade Novah (right) and her husband and creative partner Devin Johnson sit together at their home studio in metro Atlanta on May 29, 2026. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Novah, who’s from Cleveland, made her first YouTube video of her singing in her Kent State University dorm room in 2006. She saw a message from Perry under the video inviting her to act in his play, “Madea’s Big Happy Family,” four years later.

She became an understudy and background singer.

“I didn’t believe it was true, but I messaged it back, and sure enough, it was Mr. Perry. That direct message was the catalyst for me to have enough money to save, relocate and make a life in Atlanta,” Novah told UATL.

In 2011, two weeks after Novah moved to Atlanta, she met Johnson, a musician and producer from Columbus, at a songwriting camp. They went to the studio, wrote music and immediately realized there was chemistry.

“We created, made a song together and been working together ever since. It was such a magical, serendipitous experience,” Novah said. They married in 2015,

Johnson said he motivated her to come out of her comfort zone. “She was strictly a songwriter, but I was encouraging her to focus on her artistry. We started working on her solo project and fell in love with the process,” Johnson said.

In 2012, Novah recorded a cover of Rihanna’s “Diamonds” and shot a video ahead of the pop star’s release. It got 13 million views on YouTube, and she became Rihanna’s background singer.

Novah said her husband’s recommendation and sense of urgency led to her virality and meeting the Grammy-winning singer.

“Devin heard the song, told me I had to come home right now, record it and get the video out before Rihanna gets hers out, because if we get it out first, people looking for the song will find our video. I was following his intuition, and it paid off,” Novah said.

Novah also sang behind Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Eminem and Nicki Minaj. She became a familiar face among chart-topping artists but wanted to establish herself as a solo performer.

In 2015, Novah and Johnson decided to live between Atlanta and Los Angeles for four years. He said they wanted to get creative juices flowing and build a solid foundation together.

Singer, songwriter and actress Jade Novah sings as her husband and creative partner Devin Johnson plays piano at their home studio in metro Atlanta on May 29, 2026. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

“A big goal of ours is to build generational wealth and an estate. Building family businesses should be a stronger focus in the Black community if we want to build abundant lives and be financially free,” he said.

Novah wrote songs for R&B singer Mya, who also was an independent artist, and said it inspired her to become self-sufficient.

Atlanta-based music executive Askia Fountain was Novah’s former manager. He said she’s disciplined and intentional. “She possessed a strong work ethic, very creative with authenticity and a clear vision for her future. Those qualities made me want to help guide and support her career development,” Fountain said.

In 2015, Novah and Johnson released her debut album, “All Blue,” independently.

Four years later, Novah returned to Atlanta and became a morning personality on the hip-hop station V-103. She said she only stayed there nine months because the schedule was too hectic.

“It was a fantastic opportunity to talk to artists I admire and be inquisitive for a living, but I was waking up at the crack of dawn, touring on weekends and taking care of a family,” she said.

Novah started doing sketch comedy online during the pandemic. Her impersonations of singers booked her two virtual auditions on the NBC sketch comedy series “Saturday Night Live” but didn’t end with her joining the cast.

In 2024, Novah released “Where Have I Been?,” a concept album about personal healing combining R&B and podcasting. Johnson said his wife is “a complete artist.”

“She sees the big picture in everything and can bring a story to life from beginning to end. Her ability to weave in and out of music, comedy, wellness and storytelling makes her a significant artist,” he said.