Born in Germany, Sabrina grew up in the United States attending summer music camps, dance and voice classes before enrolling at Chaney State University as a music major. Johnston's vocal range is stylistically diverse and distinctive, transitioning smoothly from R&B to soul and pop. On entering the music scene, she quickly found herself in a great demand as a session singer with such artists as West Street Mob, Funking for Jamaica and Lauryn Hill. She made an appearance as a backing vocalist on Lauryn Hill's "To Zion" from the album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Johnston expanded her potential and pushed the possibilities by writing, arranging and producing the songs she sang, and also for other artists. The self-penned, gospel-tinged pop dance/urban hit, "Peace" caught the attention of the The Rolling Stones, who asked her to audition for their Steel Wheels Tour. However, they lost out to JR Records and East West London when she was signed for a self-titled album. This was followed by the album Yum Yum several years later.