By Melody Charles
There are two types of artists out there on today’s music scene: those who connect with their listeners at a superficial level and display just enough of their calculated persona to sell a product, and then there are performers like Ledisi Anibade Young, a woman who pours herself into soul-baring songs and demonstrates the same warmth and authenticity to her fans both in and away from the spotlight.
By Melody Charles
There are two types of artists out there on today’s music scene: those who connect with their listeners at a superficial level and display just enough of their calculated persona to sell a product, and then there are performers like Ledisi Anibade Young, a woman who pours herself into soul-baring songs and demonstrates the same warmth and authenticity to her fans both in and away from the spotlight.
Nearly two decades into her career, Ledisi about to embark on a super-busy and successful summer, thanks to headlining her second solo tour, appearing at this year’s Essence Music Festival and adding a new title to her already-extensive resume--- ‘author’---thanks to a new book she created with the publishers of Essence magazine entitled “Better Than Alright: Finding Peace, Love & Power,” which hits sites and bookshelves tomorrow (June 5). On a hectic Friday morning, the multi-talented Ms. Young was bursting with good humor and excitement about her new projects, candid about her journey as a woman and even revealing how one of her biggest hits to date was the last one she wanted to record……..
MELODY CHARLES- Fans are definitely looking forward to seeing you live and about this new book you’re dropping Ledisi, what’s in it?
LEDISI- “Better than Alright; Finding Peace, Love & Power” has personal photos and stories about women who reached back to help me. It’s got a lot of words to help empower women. Everything starts within, basically, and I talk about my journey so that you can see yourself in me, and that coming into this awareness didn’t happen overnight. I had to humble myself and my ego and look outside myself to the people that came before me, and if I hadn’t been so open, I wouldn’t have seen the blessings waiting right around the corner. It’s a process.”
MC- I can’t wait to read about your journey Ledisi. It’s good to learn what made you the type of artist and woman that can create music that I can listen to with both my mom and my 6-year-old and 3-year-old daughters all at the same time.”
LEDISI- (laughs) “That’s great: I love to hear about generations in the car singing and enjoying the music, that’s what I’m most proud of. That’s what I always hope to achieve, my real true joy is just completing a great body of work that I can be proud of for years to come and that people can still listen to and say, later on down the road, ‘Man I love this album.’ Not just a song, but an entire project. I’m appreciative of the new fans and the generations of men and women, all ages and all colors mixed together coming out and enjoying the shows, I love all of it.”
MC- How did you feel about the pair of Grammy nominations you earned for 2011’s Pieces of Me?
LEDISI- “It’s been seven times for me now, and it’s always an honor to get the nomination, every time. I would like to win, so I’m still going for that goal. I’m excited about, getting acknowledgement for your work.”
MC-I remember how practically every woman in attendance at your concert in Dallas last December sang along to “Pieces of Me” word for word: how does it feel to have that particular track resonate with so many listeners?
LEDISI- “We were writing that as I was working through all of those emotions, so I was already there. I had been talking about all of those things that made me a woman: we’re complex. Some days we’re happy, some days we’re sad, we can do 50 million things at the same time, you know….so I was already there. So I got myself into it, then when I heard the playback, it was just…..wow. I really understood its impact right then.”
MC-Imagine all of the arms that will go in the air when you perform that in your new shows: how does it feel to have back-to-back concert tours in the next few months?
LEDISI- I’m excited about the Essence Music Festival: I’ve done it four times and I’ve always hung out with people on the main stage, but finally, I get to have the main stage all on my own, and I hope that people receive me as well as they did last year in the smaller lounges. I’m a fan as well and I look forward to seeing Aretha Franklin, Fantasia….I might not be in town for D’Angelo, but I’m excited that he’s coming back. The second tour I’ve done headlining will be the B.G.T.Y. (Be Good To Yourself) shows: having Eric Benet as a guest is wonderful, he’s been there for me before people even knew who I was, trying to get labels to sign me, so he’s been in my life for a long time.”
MC-That’s going to be magical indeed. Thanks for squeezing us in today Ledisi, is there any wisdom you want to pass on to up-and-coming artists that want the steady successes that you’ve achieved?
LEDISI-“Know your business, study your craft. We all study (other performers), but find out who you are. For me, finding my own voice and my own person within the music has been a lot of fun. Also, don’t be afraid to ask: the worst they can say is ‘no’ and then you just ask someone else or come back and ask them again later. Most of all, I suggest that artists always be themselves, that’s the key thing.”