After a distinguished two-decade career, Ledisi earned her long overdue and first Grammy award in March 2021 for Best Traditional R&B Performance for her hit song, “Anything for You.” That year, during the pandemic, Ledisi launched her own label, released The Wildcard LP, which included her Grammy winning song and first Billboard Number one charting song in the Summer of 2020 and by December 2020, she co- produced her very first PBS special, “Ledisi Sings Nina Simone.” On the heels of the huge success of The Wild Card, Ledisi released “Ledisi Live at The Troubadour” in April 2021, accompanied by a pay-per-view virtual concert.
Growing up, Ledisi was heavily influenced by many soulful music icons, one in particular was Dr. Nina Simone. Ledisi finally completed and released her dream project on her label entitled, Ledisi Sings Nina with the Metropole Orkest, conducted by Jules Buckley and The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra conducted by Adonis Rose. The album also features vocalists Lizz Wright, Lisa Fischer and Alice Smith.
The powerhouse performer received her 14th Grammy nomination for Ledisi Sings Nina, for Best Traditional Pop Album. She has been nominated for 14 Grammys (one for Best New Artist), garnered three Soul Train Music Awards, 19 NAACP Image Award nominations and an NAACP Theatre Award. Ledisi also received two LA Alliance Ovation Award nominations, one for Best Featured Actress in a musical.
Born in New Orleans and raised in Oakland, California, Ledisi has wowed fans with her unparalleled vocals. She has truly earned a place in the pantheon of the greatest singers of her generation. Ledisi is a favorite of the Obamas and a long list of icons including the late Prince, Patti LaBelle, Natalie Cole, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan and so many more. She has headlined four nationally sold-out tours, performed alongside many artists such as Dave Matthews, Gary Clark Jr, Vince Gill, Keb’ Mo’ and Maxwell, as well as jazz greats Herbie Hancock, Robert Glasper and Patti Austin.
No stranger to the film and television world, Ledisi landed her first feature, singing in the George Clooney directed film Leatherheads. In 2015 she landed a role in the Oscar-nominated movie, Selma, portraying the great Mahalia Jackson and had a notable performance in Gabourey Sidibe’s Shatterbox Anthology film, The Tale of Four. Ledisi also secured her first major television role, playing the legendary Patti LaBelle on the hit BET hit series “American Soul” followed by a standout performance on the FX hit series, “Pose.” She can also be seen in “Twice Bitten” with her co-star Lisa Raye on BET Plus. Soon Ledisi will be seen on screen again portraying the great Mahalia Jackson in “Remember Me,” a biopic starring Columbus Short, Wendy Raquel Robinson,
Janet Hubert and Keith David. Finally, Ledisi will also be portraying the legendary Gladys Knight in the long-awaited biopic Spinning Gold, a film about Casablanca Records Chief Neil Bogart.
Several years ago, Ledisi focused her energy in the theater world. Making her Broadway debut as a “radio and washing machine” understudy in Tony Kushner’s Caroline or Change directed by George C. Wolfe. Ledisi helped workshop the Tony Award winning musical, The Color Purple but decided to focus on her recording career when she signed a record deal with Verve Music Group/Universal as the show went on Broadway.
Ledisi officially returned to theater in 2019 as The Ancestor, in the critically acclaimed Off- Broadway musical, Witness Uganda by Griffith Matthews and Matt Gould, the role for which she received the LA Alliance Nomination. In 2019 she took a leap and co-wrote/co-produced her one woman show, The Legend of Little Girl Blue. The show premiered at the Wallis Theatre in Beverly Hills to 19-sold out shows. Ledisi returned to the theater stage as a feature in the revised version of the musical The Life, directed by Billy Porter, which will opened in March 2022 at the New York City Center.
Utilizing and developing her versatile skills as a communicator, advocate, singer/songwriter, music producer, author, playwright, film producer and now CEO of her record label Listen Back Entertainment/BMG, Ledisi is excited about launching more projects in the future for herself and others.
