Ledisi

Ledisi Anibade Young (pronEng 'l?d?si?) is a R&B singer-songwriter from New Orleans. Her first name means "to bring forth" or "to come here" in Yoruba.Ledisi at Allmusic.com Ledisi is known for her jazz influenced vocals. In 1995, Ledisi formed the group known as Anibade. When trying to get the group signed to a major label, she had no luck which result in her and Sundra Manning starting LeSun Records. Along with her group Anibade, Ledisi released an album entitled Take Time. The album gained major airplay from local radio stations.
In 2000, Ledisi released her first album, entitled Soulsinger: The Revival. Ledisi and her group toured in 2001, performing various shows. In 2002, Ledisi released her sophomore album, Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue. The album won her an award for "Outstanding Jazz Album" at the California Music Awards.

In 2007, Ledisi signed a major record deal with Verve Forecast and later released her third in August 2008, entitled Lost & Found, which has sold 216,894 copies.. Billboard 200: 1/24/09: Taylor Swift #1 72k. Pulse Music Proboards. Retrieved: June 18, 2009 In 2008, Ledisi released her Christmas album, ''It's Christmas.

Early life

Ledisi grew up in a musical family; her mother sang in a Louisiana R&B band, and Ledisi first began performing at age eight with the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra

. She moved to Oakland, California, where she was nominated for a Shellie award in 1990 for her performance in a production of The Wiz and performed in an extended run with the San Francisco cabaret troupe, Beach Blanket Babylon. She studied opera and piano for five years at University of California Berkeley in their Young Musicians Program.

Musical career

1995-1999: Beginnings

In the 1990s, she formed a group called Anibade, alongside Sundra Manning (producer, keyboards, songwriting), Cedrickke Dennis (guitar), Nelson Braxton (bass), Wayne Braxton (sax), and Tommy Bradford (drums), playing a jazz and hip-hop influenced kind of soul. The group won acclaim in the Bay Area, and recorded a demo, "Take Time" which was played on local stations. Ledisi tried to get the group signed to a major label, but had no luck.

2000-2003: Soulsinger: The Revival and Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue

In January 2000, Ledisi released her first album, Soulsinger: The Revival, independently on her label, LeSun Records. The album spun off four singles, "Soulsinger", "Take Time", "Get Outta My Kitchen", and "Good Lovin'". After the release of Soulsinger: The Revival, Ledisi toured with her group Anibade.

In 2002, Ledisi released her sophomore album, Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue, which was also released independently. The album featured the singles "Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue" and "Autumn Leaves". During this time she also recorded commercials for the Sci Fi Channel. In 2003, Ledisi won "Outstanding Jazz Album" for Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue at the California Music Awards.

2006-2008: Lost & Found

During her five year hiatus, Ledisi made appearances on soundtracks. In 2007, she signed with Verve and released "Blues in the Night" which featured on the tribute album, We All Love Ella: Celebrating the First Lady of Song.

In August 2007, Ledisi's third album, Lost & Found, was released. During the time of her hiatus, Ledisi stated that she was unsure of wanting to stay within the music industry. In response, Ledisi wrote the song "Alright" to express her life. "Alright" became the lead single and debuted at #45 on the Billboard Hot R&B chart. The album's second single, "In The Morning", debuted at #49 on the Billboard Hot R&B chart. Other songs from the album charted but were not released as singles. "Think of You" charted at #71 on the Hot R&B charts, "Joy" charted at #103 on the Hot R&B charts and #29 on the Adult R&B Airplay.

In December 2007, she received a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. In 2008, Ledisi continued her tour to promote the album, Lost & Found. By January 2009, the album had sold 216,894 copies.

In September 2008, Ledisi released her Christmas album, ''It's Christmas'', which featured the singles "This Christmas" and "Children Go Where I Send Thee". In December 2008, Ledisi's T.V. special aired on Gospel Channel, entitled "Ledisi Christmas". Ledisi performed a few songs from her Christmas album. "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" and "Give Love On Christmas Day" charted on the Hot R&B charts at #113.

2009-present: Turn Me Loose

In 2009, Ledisi's fourth studio album was announced to be titled, Turn Me Loose. The album was released on August 18, 2009.Ledisi to return in August - hear a sample!. Soultracks. Retrieved: June 19, 2009. She employed production from seasoned Rhythm and Blues songwriter-producers such as Raphael Saddiq,Jimmy Jam + Terry Lewis & Carvin & Ivan. The first single from this album was 'Goin' Thru Changes'. Watch this approved EPK - vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=61888932 to get an insight on her album.

Awards and nominations

BET Awards

2008, BET J Cool Like Dat Award (nominated)

BETJ Virtual Awards

2008, Female Artist of the Year (nominated)

California Music Awards

2003, Outstanding Jazz Album, Feeling Orange But Sometimes Blue (won)

Grammy Awards

2008, Best New Artist (nominated)
2008, Best R&B Album, Lost & Found (nominated)

Soul Train Awards

2009, Best R&B/Soul Female Artist (nominated)

Discography

Albums

With Anibade

Take Time
Ledisi and Anibade Live Recordings Vol. 1

Singles

Other appearances

The reference for all tracks listed below can be found www.discogs.com/artist/Ledisi" class="PageLink" target="_blank">here.

Signed Music Artists

Early life