Briana Johnson, known by her stage name “Beautiful,” is a deaf performer and advocate from Atlanta, Georgia. Diagnosed as deaf at age four, Briana was inspired by her mother, who taught her to see deafness as a gift and a source of strength—an outlook that inspired her stage name and continues to guide her life.
Her passion for music and performance began early through her mother’s gospel group, Dear Children, where she helped choreograph and perform. Despite facing bullying as the only deaf student in her class, Briana excelled academically and socially—becoming an honor roll student, cheer captain, and dance team member. She later earned a full academic scholarship to Gallaudet University, where she received her BA in Government/Law.
Crowned Miss Black Deaf America (2009–2011), Briana has used her platform to advocate for the Deaf community. She has performed nationwide at events including DeafNation Expo and the Apollo Theater in NYC.
In 2018, she founded Signdance, a dance company dedicated to bridging the gap between Deaf and hearing communities through music and sign language, guided by the motto: “Let’s groove to the beat and learn sign language.”
