Ledisi

Grammy-winning vocalist Ledisi has wowed fans with her unparalleled vocals for over twenty years. She is also a songwriter, author, actress, music producer, film producer, publisher, educator, and record company executive.

The first African American woman elected to Congress, Shirley Chisholm once said, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” Not one to covet spaces she’s not welcomed in, Ledisi has built a table of her own. She established, Fig Street Films, Chinweya (chin- way-yah) Publishing, and her latest endeavor, Listen Back Entertainment/BMG.

Growing up, Ledisi was heavily influenced by many soulful music icons, especially Nina Simone. In 2021, she released her dream project on her label entitled Ledisi Sings Nina with the Metropole Orkest and The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. This tour de force jazz project garnered Ledisi her 14th Grammy Award nomination and received rave reviews.

Throughout her career, Ledisi has also garnered three Soul Train Music Awards; 19 NAACP Image Award Nominations; an NAACP Theatre Award; and an NAACP nomination for Breakthrough Performance in a Film for her role as Mahalia Jackson in "Remember Me." She also received two LA Alliance Ovation Award Nominations, one for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.

Born in New Orleans, LA and raised in Oakland, CA, Ledisi has earned a place in the pantheon of the greatest singers of her generation. She has headlined nationally sold-out tours, and performed alongside 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 portrayed Mahalia Jackson in the Oscar-nominated movie "Selma." In her first major television role, Ledisi played Patti LaBelle on the 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. In 2022, Ledisi landed a starring role portraying Jackson once again, in "Remember Me," a biopic about the late singer’s life. In that same year, she was an executive producer, writer, and star of "All Saints Christmas" seen on the Hallmark Chanel. In 2023, Ledisi portrayed Gladys Knight in the biopic "Spinning Gold," a film about Casablanca Records’ chief Neil Bogart.

Ledisi made her Broadway debut in 2000 as a “Radio and Washing Machine” understudy in the Tony Kushner-written and George C. Wolfe-directed "Caroline or Change." She returned to theater in 2019 as The Ancestor, in the critically acclaimed off-Broadway musical "Witness Uganda," the role for which she received an LA Alliance nomination. That same year, she co-wrote and co-produced her one-woman show, "The Legend of Little Girl Blue," performing 19 sold-out shows. Ledisi returned to the Broadway stage in 2022 in Billy Porter's musical revival of "The Life."

Ledisi is a passionate advocate for the arts, lobbying for young musicians, and protecting the rights of creatives. She is a Professor at Berklee College of Music, and an Artist in Residency for Berklee’s Jazz and Gender Justice Program. She is also the second black woman to be President of the Recording Academy’s Los Angeles Chapter. She continues to focus her efforts on increasing and giving voice to diversity in everything she does. In 2021, Ledisi had the esteemed honor of becoming an Honorary Member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated.

As an author, Ledisi released her first book "Better Than Alright: Finding Peace, Love and Power." Her latest book, "Don’t Ever Lose Your Walk: How to Embrace Your Journey" was released by her publishing company.