“Dr. Lyla June Johnston (aka Lyla June) is a poet, singer-songwriter, hip-hop artist, human ecologist, public speaker and community organizer of Diné (Navajo), Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne) and European lineages. 

“Her multi-genre presentation style has engaged audiences across the globe towards personal, collective and ecological healing. Her messages focus on Indigenous issues and solutions, supporting youth, inter-cultural healing, historical trauma, and traditional land stewardship practices. 

“She blends her study of Human Ecology at Stanford, graduate work in Indigenous Pedagogy, and the traditional worldview she grew up with to inform her music, perspectives and solutions. 

“Her doctoral research focused on the ways in which pre-colonial Indigenous Nations shaped large regions of Turtle Island (aka the Americas) to produce abundant food systems for humans and non-humans. Her internationally acclaimed live performances are conveyed through the medium of speech, hip-hop, poetry, and acoustic music. Her personal goal is to grow closer to Creator by learning how to love deeper.”

(source Artist website)

"...in our language Sodizin means both “song” and “prayer.” So in my upbringing, music was all about deep intention to make the world a better place. Music was seen as a healer and singers were viewed as doctors." -The Navajo Times, Arizona, 2018

"A 27-year-old woman who has traveled the world bringing activism and love to humanity." -Winona Daily Times, Minnesota, 2016

"Lyla June spoke about the importance of including indigenous voices and performed her song 'All Nations Rise,' to a standing ovation." -The Tech, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2017

"[Lyla] works with Indigenous elders around the country to uncover the genius of the continents original cultivators."  ​-Yes Magazine, on Lyla June's PhD Research with Indigenous Food Systems, 2025

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