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Ledisi

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Ledisi
Ledisi in 2024
Ledisi in 2024
Background information
Birth nameLedisi Anibade Young
Born (1972-03-28) March 28, 1972 (age 52)
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • actress
  • author
Instrument(s)Vocals, piano
Years active1995–present
Labels
  • Lesun
  • Verve
  • Listen Back Entertainment
  • BMG

Ledisi Anibade Young (/ˈlɛdɪsiː/; born March 28, 1972),[1][2] better known simply as Ledisi, is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, author, and actress. Her name means "to bring forth" or "to come here" in Yoruba.[3]

In 1995, Ledisi formed a band after her middle name Anibade. After unsuccessfully trying to get signed to a major label, she formed LeSun Records with Sundra Manning. She released her debut album Soulsinger (2000), which featured the single "Take Time", which gained substantial airplay from San Francisco area radio stations. In 2002, Ledisi released her second album, Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue, which won "Outstanding Jazz Album" at the California Music Awards in 2003. In 2006, Ledisi signed a record deal with Verve Forecast and released her third album, titled Lost & Found (2007). The album earned her two Grammy nominations, including one for Best New Artist. She released six more albums on Verve: It's Christmas (2008), Turn Me Loose (2009), Pieces of Me (2011), The Truth (2014), The Intimate Truth (2015), and Let Love Rule (2017).[4]

In 2020, Ledisi formed her own record label Listen Black Entertainment and released her album The Wild Card. The album's single "Anything for You" won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.[5] She released three more albums on her label including Ledisi Live at The Troubadour (2021), Ledisi Sings Nina (2021), and Good Life (2024).

Aside from music, Ledisi has embarked a career in film and television as an actress. She portrayed gospel icon Mahalia Jackson in the films Selma (2014) and Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story (2022). Other roles include a guest appearance as Patti LaBelle in the BET docudrama American Soul, a cameo appearance as a choir member in the FX drama Pose (both 2020), as well as co-starring as Gladys Knight in the film Spinning Gold (2023). She is also starred in her first Hallmark original movie All Saints Christmas (2022).

Early life[edit]

Ledisi Anibade Young was born on March 28, 1972, in New Orleans, Louisiana to Nyra Dynese, a singer-songwriter in local band Coronava, and Larry Saunders, a 1970's singer and musician.[2] Saunders departed from the family when Ledisi was a baby. Her mother remarried to a drummer named Joseph Pierce III, who adopted Ledisi after the marriage. She has an elder sister Shannon, and a younger sister.[6] Ledisi's biological paternal grandfather, Johnny Ace,[2] was an American blues singer who was known for his single "Pledging My Love".

Ledisi was raised Catholic and attended local churches in New Orleans.[7] Her mother was raised Baptist. At the age of eight, she performed publicly with the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra.[2][3] At age thirteen, her family relocated to Oakland, California where she went to Edna Brewer Middle School, formerly McChesney Junior High School.[2][3] She later enrolled in Skyline High School where she graduated in 1990.

Career[edit]

1995–1999: Career beginnings[edit]

In 1990, she starred as the lead character Dorothy in the Beach Blanket Babylon cabaret production of The Wiz in San Francisco.[3] Her performance earned a Shellie Award nomination in the same year.[3] She earned a scholarship and attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she studied piano and opera.[8] Ledisi formed her own funk band called Anibade.[3] The band performed around the San Francisco Bay Area, building notoriety in the area.[3] After the group failed to secure a record deal, Ledisi and keyboardist Sundra Manning formed their own label LeSun Records.[3]

2000–2004: Soulsinger and Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue[edit]

In 2000, Ledisi released her first album Soulsinger, which featured the band Anibade, on LeSun Records. The album featured the single "Take Time" and received positive reviews.[9] In 2002, she released her second album Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue. The album featured jazz standards "'Round Midnight", "In a Sentimental Mood", and "Autumn Leaves (Les feuilles mortes)". The album won "Outstanding Jazz Album" at the California Music Awards in 2003.

In August 2003, Ledisi and Anibade performed at the San Jose Jazz Festival.[10] She also released a 4-track extended play titled Ledisi & Anibade - "Live" The Bootleg Recordings Vol. 1.[11] In the same year, she reissued her first album under the title Soulsinger: The Revival, distributed by Tommy Boy Records.[3] In May 2004, Ledisi portrayed two characters, The Washing Machine and The Radio, in the Broadway production of Caroline, or Change.[12]

2007–2011: Lost & Found and Verve Records[edit]

In 2006, Ledisi secured a major record deal with Verve Forecast, a subsidiary of Verve Records. Ledisi had been recording her third album Lost & Found prior to her record deal.[13] The album was released on August 28, 2007.[14] Lost & Found peaked at number 10 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart and sold over 237,000 copies in the United States.[15][16] The album's lead single "Alright" peaked at number 13 on the Adult R&B Songs chart.[15]

During her tour in February 2018, she performed at the Highline Ballroom in New York City.[17] She received positive feedback from critics for her emotional performance, which was described as a "religious experience".[17] In March 2008, "In the Morning" was released as the second single and peaked at number twenty-six on the Adult R&B Songs chart.[15] The album earned Ledisi two nominations at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards, for Best R&B Album and Best New Artist.[5] She made a cameo appearance in the comedy film Leatherheads as a blues singer who performed the pop standard "The Man I Love" in April 2008. In September 2008, she released her Christmas album titled It's Christmas.[18][19]

Her fifth album Turn Me Loose was released in August 2009, peaking atop of the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[15] To promote the album, she joined with multi-cultural beauty brand Carol's Daughter, with whom she ran an advertising promotion that included a brand sampler.[20] The album's first single "Goin' Thru Changes" peaked at number forty-three on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number fifteen on the Adult R&B Songs chart.[15] The follow-up single "Higher Than This" peaked at number twenty-two on the Adult R&B Songs chart.[15] The album earned two nominations at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, for Best R&B Album and "Goin' Thru Changes" earning a nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.[5]

2011–2019: Pieces of Me and subsequent releases[edit]

Ledisi performing at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial dedication concert (October 2011)

In June 2011, Ledisi released her sixth album Pieces of Me. The album debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200 and peaked at number two on the Billboard's R&B Albums.[15] The album's lead single "Pieces of Me" became one of her most successful songs on the Billboard chart, peaking at number two on the Adult R&B Songs and number nineteen on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[15] She headlined her first major tour called The Pieces of Me Tour, which went on to play to over twenty-two sold-out shows.[21] The success of the album earned three nominations at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, including Best R&B Album, Best R&B Song (for the song "Pieces of Me"), and Best R&B Performance (for the song "Pieces of Me").[5] In April 2012, she headlined her second tour called B.G.T.Y. Tour. In June 2012, Ledisi released her first book titled Better Than Alright: Finding Peace, Love & Power, on Time Home Entertainment, Inc.[22][23][24]

Her seventh album The Truth was released in March 2014. The album spawned the top-ten Billboard Adult R&B Songs "I Blame You" and "Like This".[15] The song "Like This" received a Grammy Award nomination for Best R&B Performance in 2015.[5] In April 2014, Ledisi portrayed American singer Mahalia Jackson in the American historical drama film, Selma.[25] It is based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches for voting rights in Alabama, led by James Bevel, Martin Luther King Jr., and Hosea Williams. In the film and on the film's soundtrack, Ledisi performed "Take My Hand, Precious Lord". In January 2015, Ledisi released a studio live extended play titled The Intimate Truth.

In May 2017, Ledisi released a single titled "High". She released her eighth studio album titled Let Love Rule on September 22, 2017.[26] Let Love Rule received three nominations at the 60th Grammy Awards in January 2018 including Best R&B Album, Best R&B Performance and Best Traditional R&B Performance.[5] She won a Soul Train Certified Award at the 2018 Soul Train Music Awards. In June 2018, she performed "Sweet Love" in tribute to Anita Baker. In the same year, she performed "Ain't No Way" in tribute to Aretha Franklin at Black Girls Rock!. In October 2018, Ledisi performed "As Long as You're Mine" with Adam Lambert in an NBC broadcast, A Very Wicked Halloween: Celebrating 15 Years on Broadway.[27] In 2019, she portrayed the Ancestor in the Off-Broadway theatre production of Witness Uganda. In the same year, she co-wrote and co-produced her one-woman show titled The Legend of Little Girl Blue, which sold out in nineteen different cities.[28]

2020–present: The Wild Card and Listen Back Entertainment[edit]

In January 2020, Ledisi released her second book, Don't Ever Lose Your Walk: How to Embrace Your Journey.[29] In June 2020, Ledisi announced the title of her ninth studio album, The Wild Card. The album was released on August 28, 2020, exactly thirteen years after her major label debut, Lost & Found. The Wild Card was the first album to be released on Ledisi's independent label Listen Back Entertainment, distributed by BMG. The album's lead single "Anything for You" became Ledisi's first number-one song on Billboard's Adult R&B Songs chart, remaining in the top position for two weeks.[15] The song also won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance in 2021, marking her first Grammy Award win.[5] On April 30, 2021, Ledisi released a live album, Ledisi Live at The Troubadour.

Having previously appeared live on August 21, 2019, at the BBC Prom 45 Mississippi Goddam (A Homage to Nina Simone),[30] on July 23, 2021, Ledisi released Ledisi Sings Nina, a tribute album to American singer Nina Simone. On March 1, 2023, Ledisi performed "River" with Herbie Hancock in honor of Joni Mitchell at the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize concert.[31]

Personal life[edit]

In the early 2000s, Ledisi was married to man whose name was not publicly disclosed. They divorced in 2003.[2] In 2018, she married director and actor Ronald T. Young.[32] In August 2021, she became an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.[28] In May 2024, she received an honorary doctorate degree from the Berklee College of Music.[33]

Discography[edit]

Main article: Ledisi discography

Studio albums

Tours[edit]

  • Pieces of Me Tour (2011)
  • B.G.T.Y. Tour (2012)
  • The Truth Tour (2014)
  • The Intimate Truth Tour (2015)
  • The Rebel The Soul The Saint Tour with Kirk Franklin, PJ Morton and MAJOR (2017)[34]
  • Let Love Rule Tour (2018)
  • Ledisi Live UK Tour (2019)
  • Nina and Me Tour (2019) [35]
  • The Wild Card Tour (2021)
  • Soul 2 Soul Tour (2023)
  • The Good Life Tour (2024)

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released
Year Title Role Notes
2008 Leatherheads Blues Singer
2011 Leave It on the Floor Princess' Mother
2014 Selma Mahalia Jackson
2016 The Tale Of Four Aunt Sara Short
2021 Twice Bitten Jessica
B-Boy Blues Ann Walker
2022 Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story Mahalia Jackson
2023 Spinning Gold Gladys Knight
TBA Verona[36] † Vesante Post-production

Television[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
2020 American Soul Patti LaBelle Episode: "1975"
2021 Pose Angela Episode: "Take Me to Church"
2022 All Saints Christmas Lissette Television film (Hallmark)

Awards and nominations[edit]

Grammy Awards[edit]

Ledisi has been nominated for fourteen career Grammy Awards, winning her first in the Best Traditional R&B Performance category for "Anything for You" in 2021.[37]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2008 Ledisi Best New Artist Nominated
Lost & Found Best R&B Album Nominated
2010 Turn Me Loose Nominated
"Goin' Thru Changes" Best Female R&B Vocal Performance Nominated
2012 "Pieces of Me" Best R&B Performance Nominated
Best R&B Song Nominated
Pieces of Me Best R&B Album Nominated
2013 "Gonna Be Alright (F.T.B.)" (with Robert Glasper) Best R&B Performance Nominated
2015 "Like This" Nominated
2018 "High" Nominated
"All the Way" Best Traditional R&B Performance Nominated
Let Love Rule Best R&B Album Nominated
2021 "Anything For You" Best Traditional R&B Performance Won
2022 Ledisi Sings Nina Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album Nominated

BET Awards[edit]

  • 2008, BET J Cool Like Dat Award (Nominated)
  • 2018, Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award - If You Don't Mind feat. Kirk Franklin (Nominated)

BETJ Virtual Awards[edit]

    • 2008, Female Artist of the Year (Nominated)

California Music Awards[edit]

    • 2003, Outstanding Jazz Album BAY Area Music Awards, Feeling Orange But Sometimes Blue (Won)

Soul Train Music Awards[edit]

    • 2011, Centric Award (nominated)
    • 2009, Best R&B/Soul Female Artist (nominated)
    • 2014, Best R&B/Soul Female Artist (Nominated)
    • 2017 Best R&B/Soul Female Artist (Nominated)
      • 2017 Soul Certified Award (won)
      • 2018 Soul Certified Award (won)
      • 2020 Soul Certified Award (nominated)

NAACP Awards[edit]

    • 2012 Best Female Artist (Nominated)
    • 2014 Best Female Artist (Nominated)
    • 2015 Best Female Artist (Nominated)
    • 2018 Best Female Artist (Nominated)
    • 2018 Best Traditional song - High (Nominated)
    • 2018 Best Visual - High (Nominated)
    • 2021 Outstanding Female Artist (Nominated)
    • 2021 Outstanding Music Video- Anything For You (Nominated)
    • 2021 Outstanding Album- The Wild Card (Nominated)
    • 2021 Outstanding Soul R&B Song- Anything For You (Nominated)
    • 2021 Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration- Ledisi & PJ Morton Anything For You (Nominated)
    • 2022 Best Jazz Vocal Album - Ledisi Sings Nina (Nominated)

Honors/special awards[edit]

    • 2016, NAACP Awards Theatre - Spirit Award Honoree
    • 2016, America For The Arts - Music Honoree
    • 2020, EmpowerHER - Music Honoree
    • 2022, LA Jazz Society - Jazz Vocalist Honoree
    • 2024, Berklee College of Music - Honorary Doctorate

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The Evolution Of Ledisi". Bet.com. Black Entertainment Television. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Tillet, Salamishah (July 20, 2021). "Nina Simone Saved Ledisi's Life. Now She's Paying Tribute on an Album". The New York Times. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Ledisi Biography. All Music. Retrieved on June 6, 2024
  4. ^ Ledisi Discography. All Music. Retrieved on June 6, 2024
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Ledisi Grammy Awards and Nominations. Grammy. Retrieved on June 6, 2024
  6. ^ Ledisi speaks 'The Truth' Interview. Ebony Magazine. Retrieved on June 6, 2024
  7. ^ "Kirk Franklin and Ledisi at the Fox, 5 Things To Know". The Oakland Press. 2017-11-10. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  8. ^ Ledisi: A Singer's Second Life. NPR. Retrieved on June 6, 2024
  9. ^ Soulsinger. Billboard. Retrieved on June 6, 2024
  10. ^ Freelon, Cubanismo Set For San Jose Jazz Fest. Billboard. Retrieved on June 6, 2024
  11. ^ Ledisi – Ledisi & Anibade - "Live" The Bootleg Recordings Vol. 1. Discogs. Retrieved on June 6, 2024
  12. ^ Caroline, or Change opening night case. Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved on June 6, 2024
  13. ^ Singer Ledisi Was 'Lost' but Now Is 'Found'. WUNC. Retrieved on June 6, 2024
  14. ^ Ledisi - Lost & Found. All Music. Retrieved on June 6, 2024
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Ledisi Billboard Chart History. Billboard. Retrieved on June 6, 2024
  16. ^ Soul singer Ledisi lets "Loose" on new album. Reuters. Retrieved on June 6, 2024
  17. ^ a b Ledisi / February 15, 2008 / New York (Highline Ballroom). Billboard. Retrieved on June 6, 2024
  18. ^ Ledisi - It's Christmas. All Music. Retrieved on June 6, 2024
  19. ^ Ledisi Proclaims ‘It’s Christmas’ On First Holiday Album. Billboard. Retrieved on June 6, 2024
  20. ^ Exclusive Song: Ledisi's "Trippin'". Billboard. June 6, 2024
  21. ^ Ledisi Finds Success and Confidence in Pieces of Me. Houston Press. Retrieved on June 6, 2024
  22. ^ Gentles, Gary (2012-04-06). "Ledisi Announces "BGTY" Headline Tour, Plus New Book". Singersroom.com. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
  23. ^ Ledisi is 'Better Than Alright' – she talks about her new book and what it means to be 'beautiful'. CNN. Retrieved on June 6, 2024
  24. ^ Essence Presents Ledisi Better Than Alright: Finding Peace, Love & Power. Barnes and Noble. Retrieved on June 6, 2024
  25. ^ Hobdy, Dominique (April 25, 2014). "Ledisi to Play Mahalia Jackson in MLK Biopic, 'Selma'". Essence. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  26. ^ "Ledisi Reveals New Album Title and Release Date". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
  27. ^ Lenker, Maureen Lee (October 29, 2018). "The 5 best moments in A Very Wicked Halloween". Entertainment Weekly.
  28. ^ a b Ledisi Named Artist in Residence at Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice. Berklee. Retrieved on June 6, 2024
  29. ^ Paul, Allen C. "Don't Ever Lose Your Walk: How to Embrace your Journey". Godandgigs.com. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  30. ^ "Mississippi Goddam (A Homage to Nina Simone)". Bbc.com.
  31. ^ "Ledisi at Gershwin Prize". Newsroom.loc.gov.
  32. ^ It Looks Like Ledisi Is Married Now!. Essence. Retrieved on June 6, 2024
  33. ^ Berklee Honors Ledisi, Q-Tip, and Gilberto Santa Rosa at Commencement. Berklee. Retrieved on June 7, 2024
  34. ^ "THE REBEL, THE SOUL & THE SAINT TOUR". Church-and-fashion.com. 2017-09-05. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
  35. ^ "Ledisi Looks Ahead to Concert Tour with Special 'Nina and Me' Shows". Soulbounce.com. 30 April 2019.
  36. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 2, 2023). "'Verona': Jamie Ward, Rebel Wilson, Jason Isaacs, Clara Rugaard & More Set For Voltage Timothy Scott Bogart 'Romeo & Juliet' Pop Musical – EFM". Deadline.com.
  37. ^ "Ledisi". Grammy.com. 22 April 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2021.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ledisi&oldid=1227798798"