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| Ledisi Triumphs with Two Grammy Nods In what will go down as the Cinderella story of the 2008 music award season, singer/songwriter Ledisi - an artist who struggled for 10 years earning accolades as an independent artist with her own record label - has made a triumphant leap into the mainstream with Grammy nominations in the highly esteemed Best New Artist category (acknowledging her overall artistry) and the Best R&B Album category for her album, Lost & Found (on the Verve Forecast record label). The honors mark a refreshingly sweet moment in the rollercoaster career of the Oakland-based vocal dynamo. ”I'm so happy to be in this position,” Ledisi declares. “I truly feel like I belong now. No award should have to tell me that...but it does! The bumps and bruises of my journey are my badge of honor.” Recalling the moment she was notified about her nominations, Ledisi says, “I was just waking up when I got the call about Best New Artist. I dropped the phone and thought, 'This can't be real...' Then a wave of calls came pouring in telling me I was also nominated for Best R&B Album. It's been amazing...so surreal. I'm proud to be in the company of all the artists in both categories - from the legendary Chaka Khan to Amy Winehouse. They're all so talented.” Ledisi (pronounced led-uh-see) earned her fan base through word of mouth, small club tours and internet sales for her spirited, socially relevant and culturally bold music. Her sound is a fiery blend of soul, jazz, blues and rock into a heady critically-acclaimed amalgam. Largely perceived as a neo soul star, she also participated in two all-star tribute projects: Forever, For Always, For Luther (R&B) and We All Love Ella (jazz). In achievements beyond musical recordings, Ledisi played a pivotal role in inspiring characters and musical compositions during the development of Oprah Winfrey's stage adaptation of the THE COLOR PURPLE and also understudied in the Broadway production of CAROLINE OR CHANGE. Producer Rex Rideout, Ledisi's primary collaborator on this project states, “These nominations confirm what I already knew about Ledisi and her singular talents. Because of the amount of heart and soul that went into the creation of this project, this means so much. I told 'Led' that her album title was prophetic. She was lost and now she is 'found.'” ”Every musician knows that recognition for your work doesn't get any more major than the Grammy,” Ledisi concludes. “I still remember seeing Michael Jackson moon-walking and getting all those awards for Thriller. Who wouldn't want to feel that way? I feel like that right now just being nominated.” write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Jazz News :: home page |