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 Music with musician 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.[4] 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.[5] 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).[6]
Ledisi Anibade Young was born on March 28, 1972, in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Nyra Dynese Young, a singer-songwriter in local band Coronava, and Larry Saunders, a 1970s 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.[7] 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.[8] 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
1990–1999: Career beginnings
In 1990, she starred as the lead character Dorothy in an Antioch Community Theater production of The Wiz in Antioch, California.[3][9] Her performance earned a Shellie Award nomination in the same year.[3] She also joined a cabaret production of Beach Blanket Babylon in San Francisco.[3] She earned a scholarship and attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she studied piano and opera.[10] Ledisi was briefly part of a acid jazz group called Slide Five.[11] 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 Music.[3]
2000–2004: Soulsinger and Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue
In August 2003, Ledisi and Anibade performed at the San Jose Jazz Festival.[13] She also released a 4-track extended play titled Ledisi & Anibade – "Live" The Bootleg Recordings Vol. 1.[14] 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.[15]
2007–2010: Lost & Found and Verve Records
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.[16] The album was released on August 28, 2007.[17]Lost & Found peaked at number 10 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart and sold over 237,000 copies in the United States.[18][19] The album's lead single "Alright" peaked at number 11 on the Adult R&B Songs chart.[18]
Her fifth album Turn Me Loose was released in August 2009, peaking atop of the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[18] To promote the album, she joined with multi-cultural cosmetic brand Carol's Daughter, with whom she ran an advertising promotion that included a brand sampler.[23] 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.[18] The follow-up single "Higher Than This" peaked at number twenty-two on the Adult R&B Songs chart.[18] 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]
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.[18] 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.[18] "Pieces of Me" also earned a gold certification by the RIAA.[24] She headlined her first major tour called the Pieces of Me Tour, which went on to play to over twenty-two sold-out shows.[25] 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 the 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.[26][27][28]
In January 2020, Ledisi released her second book, Don't Ever Lose Your Walk: How to Embrace Your Journey.[34] 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.[18] 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),[35] 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 CongressGershwin Prize concert.[36] In March 2024, she released her eleventh studio album Good Life. The album's first single "I Need to Know" became her second number-one on the US Adult R&B Songs chart.[18]
Artistry
Voice and musical style
Ledisi's voice is classified as a four-octave mezzo-soprano.[2] She has been described as a "vocal powerhouse" and "one of the most distinctive voices of 21st century rhythm and blues".[37] Music critic Salamishah Tillet of The New York Times praised her voice for its "diversity and breathtaking range".[2] Fellow musician John Legend commented "As a contemporary vocalist, there’s almost no one I can think of in the world that sings as skillfully as she does. In terms of her range, dexterity, clarity, versatility, she can do anything she wants. She’s one of the great singers in the world, period".[2] She is also known for scatting.[2]
Her music includes various styles of musical genres such as contemporary R&B,[38]jazz,[39]funk,[40]pop,[2] and soul.[41] Her debut album Soulsinger (2000) followed a contemporary R&B sound, while her second album Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue featured a jazz sound. In an interview with DownBeat, Ledisi expressed wanting to be viewed as more than a R&B singer after the release of her album Ledisi Sings Nina (2021). "I’m not your boxed R&B singer. I’m more than that. I studied classical. It just so happens that I’m loved for R&B, but my home base goes over into all these other worlds".[42]
Ledisi names Nina Simone as her major musical influence.[2] Ledisi recalled going through a depression and divorce during her late twenties. She even contemplated suicide until hearing Simone's cover of "Trouble in Mind" on the radio, leading Ledisi to repudiate her thoughts of suicide and revived her career.[2][43] In July 2021, she released a tribute album titled Ledisi Sings Nina, which features popular songs written or covered by Simone. Ledisi was also heavily influenced by Curtis Mayfield.[44] On February 7, 2020, Ledisi paid homage to Mayfield doing a tribute concert alongside Bilal and the WDR Big Band.[44]
Ledisi performing at the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in Washington, D.C. in 2023
In the early 2000s, Ledisi was married to a man whose name was not publicly disclosed. They divorced in 2003.[2] In 2018, she married director and actor Ronald T. Young.[50] The couple appeared on the docu-series Black Love.[51]
I was fortunate enough to get a full five-year scholarship to the young musicians’ program at UC Berkeley. The love and support of my mother and the generosity of donors for youth musical programs led me to where I am today. But not all children will have these opportunities. That is why the Recording Academy, along with the California PTA, the Actors Fund and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, are joining hundreds of school superintendents, arts advocates, business leaders, teachers, parents and students in calling on the Legislature to pass and Gov. Jerry Brown to sign the Arts for Every Student Act.
In September 2017, Ledisi headlined the Black AIDS Institute's Heroes Gala.[58][59] In November 2017, Ledisi became an ambassador for the Black AIDS Institute.[60] She stated, "I want to work with everybody that's involved that are dealing with AIDS and HIV and AIDS/HIV prevention, anything just to spread the word about that and stop all the stigmas. I'm hoping through my voice and my platform to educate people." She also met with the Black Treatment Advocates Network (BTAN) and the Detroit Health Department to express concern about the disparate number of African American women with HIV compared to other demographics.[61]
In August 2018, Ledisi spoke out about the importance of music education. She stood in support of the Arts for Every Student Act.[57] The legislation bill establishes an incentive grant program for school districts to expand access to visual and performing arts instruction, including music, dance, theatre, media arts and visual arts.[62] She also emphasized herself as an example of the value of arts education, and called on both the public and lawmakers to support the bill.[63] The legislation was signed by Senator Ben Allen.
In 1999, Ledisi co-founded the independent record label LeSun Music with musician Sundra Manning.[3] The name is derived from the first names of Ledisi and Sundra. The record label distributed a total of three albums: Soulsinger (2000), Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue, Ledisi and Anibade Live Recordings Vol. 1 (2003), and reissue edition titled Soulsinger: The Revival (2003). The label became defunct in 2006. In January 2019, Ledisi founded another independent record label called Listen Back Entertainment.[3] The label's distributor is BMG Rights Management. The company has distributed Ledisi's albums including The Wild Card (2020), Ledisi Live at the Troubadour (2021), Ledisi Sings Nina (2021), and Good Life (2024).[76]
Production companies
In 2014, Ledisi founded a production company called Ledhead Productions.[77] In September 2016, Ledisi started another production company called Fig Street Films. In 2019, the company produced Ledisi: The Legend of Little Girl Blue, a stage production about the lives of Ledisi and Nina Simone.[78] On November 28, 2020, Fig Street Films produced live concert special titled Ledisi Live: A Tribute to Nina Simone,[79] which aired on American television network PBS.[80] In 2020, Ledisi co-founded Chinweya Publishing Company. The company published Ledisi's second book Don't Ever Lose Your Walk: How to Embrace Your Journey, which was released in January 2020.[34]
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