Idella Johnson was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. She studied theater at Delgado Community College, and later went on to receive a degree in Music from Loyola University in New Orleans. She began her career as a professional actor starring in plays and musicals in and around the city of New Orleans. For her outstanding work she won three Big Easy Awards, including one for Best Actress in a Musical and two for Best Supporting Actress. She made her screen debut in The Mortician (2011), which led to other featured roles in TV and Film, notable credits include, Queen of the South (2019), Greyson Family Christmas (2019), the award winning short, Blood Runs Down (2018), which earned her a Women in Horror Film Best Performance nomination, and the 2021 Sundance Audience Award winning film Ma Belle, My Beauty (2021) where she gives a masterful performance as the soulful jazz singer, Bertie.