Elijah Rhea Johnson (born June 24, 1998) is an American singer and actor, best known as a former member of the boy band

Mindless Behavior Mindless Behavior was an American boy band who were best known for the singles " My Girl" and " Mrs. Right", produced by Walter Millsap. The band was put together in Los Angeles in 2008, by Keisha Gamble, Vincent Herbert and Walter Millsap. The ba ...

. He began his career as a

child actor The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage, television, or in film, movies. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associa ...

, portraying Young Simba in the Broadway production of ''

The Lion King ''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical coming-of-age drama film directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, produced by Don Hahn, and written by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton. Produced by Walt Disney ...

''. Later in his career, EJ became the lead singer of the

Kidz Bop Kidz Bop is an American children's music group that produces family-friendly covers of pop songs and related media. Kidz Bop releases compilation albums that feature children covering songs that chart high on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and/or r ...

crew until 2013. EJ is also known for performance on stage many times as a child and for his singles "Meet Me on the Dance Floor". From 2019 to 2020, Johnson was a member of hip-hop collective Grouptherapy, performing mononymously as Rhea.

Life and career

In April 2014, Elijah was announced to be a new member of

. He remained a member of the group, among

Princeton Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...

and Mike River, until its disbandment in 2017. In June 2016, Mindless Behavior released their first album as the new "MB" titled #OfficialMBMusic. The album made number 100 in the

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Year End Chart. It was released instead of their recorded album "Recharge" due to member Ray Ray leaving the group and having Mike River as a replacement. This left the group as a trio with members Princeton, EJ, and Mike River. Later that summer, the group was part of a film called '' Misguided Behavior'', which was released later in the summer of 2017. Elijah J's anticipated solo EP was due to be released at the end of 2017. EJ also starred in the 2022 BET movie, ''The Millennial''. Johnson stars as

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

/MJ in the Broadway production of ''

MJ the Musical ''MJ the Musical'' is a jukebox musical based on the life of the American entertainer Michael Jackson, focusing on his creative process prior to the Dangerous World Tour. It features Jackson's music, with a book by Lynn Nottage, and directio ...

'' on April 4, 2023, replacing Myles Frost.

Filmography

Stage

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Elijah EJ 1998 births Living people Singers from Los Angeles 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American actors American male child actors American child singers African-American male singers PartyOf2 members