Relatable and raw is how TrueMendous describes her third studio album, ‘Break Offline’ and on 17 April, she’ll be bringing this new record to Symphony Hall alongside some very special guests for her Break Offline Tour.

“Out of all the projects I have released so far this is my most significant for the time we’re in. I’m confident a lot of people will listen to it. At least one song will speak directly to them about a situation they’ve been in or are currently going through,” says TrueMendous. “Some songs may even be uncomfortable to listen to due to how close to home they hit.”

Not one to shy away from uncomfortable topic, this new album is marked by something significantly different from her first two: vulnerability.

“My earlier two projects focused more on the lyricism being clever and witty with only a hand full of songs actually focusing on a specific theme all the way through.” Though that same witty lyricism shines through, there is something raw in ‘Break Offline’. “I’m not excessively dancing around metaphors and double-entendres trying to make it super complex for people to figure out why it’s so ‘brilliant’ and ‘genius’. I’ve stripped it back.”

And this album doesn’t only showcase her signature “storytelling fused with ear clenching wordplay, bizarre punchlines and poetry” – it also gives an insight to who Chyvonne Johnson is beneath TrueMendous’ artistry. There is a sense of rebelliousness, of “no longer confirming to anyone’s expectations of you. Not seeking external validation so much.”

Before she became an MC, TrueMendous was a writer and poet.

“I started by manoeuvring around the Brum poetry circuit. Then once I had done all the venues and events I knew of, I took it one step further to open mic nights and shows in different cities including Nottingham and London,” she recalls. “I would busk in the daytime, attend a show in the evening, get on the line-up somehow and then catch the last train back to Birmingham around 11pm. I was doing this for a good couple of years or so. Busking was introduced to me by Obi Rudo and I still do it to this day. It gives me the rehearsal hours and practise I need for live performances. When I first started, I was doing roughly 8 hours a day in 5 to 6 different cities a week. It has drastically improved my stamina, clarity, vocal strength and more. I’ve definitely put in my 10,000 hours now.”

TrueMendous returns after featuring in Beyond the Bricks of Brum back in 2022. A collaboration between artists Sanity, Casey Bailey, Black Voices, Jasmine Gardosi, Agaama, John Bernard and TrueMendous alongside the BBC Symphony Orchestra as part of the Commonwealth Cultural Festival, the evening was an epic celebration of Birmingham talent. “It was so good,” TrueMendous says. “Hands down one of the best Birmingham shows I’ve done to date.”

Now she’s back with her own headline show. “My set will be performed with a live band which I don’t do often. Live bands bring elements that backing tracks don’t. It’s a whole new more thorough experience for the audience to be immersed in. I will be sharing the space with some of Birmingham’s best upcoming artists.”

TrueMendous will be joined by Priscilla Cameron, KeziaSoul, NEONE The Wonderer, Janel Antoneshia, CreezOn and DJ Janelle Wynter.

“I’ve always said some of the best UK artists I know are from Birmingham. It was a no brainer to have as many as I could fit on this show. I also wanted there to be a gender balance along with some newer younger artists along with some who started doing music around the same time as myself,” says TrueMendous. “Birmingham has some of the most talented musicians I know but I feel like we’re constantly underrated, given little to no acknowledgment and rarely provided with high calibre platforms to showcase how great we actually are on.”

Don’t miss TrueMendous & special guests: Break Offline Tour on 17 April at Symphony Hall.