Ledisi

This beautiful woman has the lungs of an old school R&B artist like a Tammi Terrell or a Patti Labelle and the infectious personality and innocence of a youngsta. Ledisi is one of my favorite female musicians of all time right alongside Erykah Badu, Mary J. and Lauryn Hill.

A lot of women are famous pop singers nowadays, but most of them can't go up and down the musical scale with such versatility as Ledisi. Some of these artists have nice hymn-like hooks but can't make a dope album, or even a full song for that matter. Ledisi has never had that problem. Check it out as we talk to young jazz legend Ledisi about her new album, "Lost and Found."

MOI JR: Can you tell us a little bit about your album? What is the name of it, and what does it sound like?

Ledisi: Well, the title of my record is "Lost and Found," and it is out now, in stores. And the record is predominantly about different versions of love and dealing with adversity as usual - a really true story about my life and the things that I have to deal with all the time. But it is all different versions of love - dealing with love, breaking up, coming together, worldly love. You know, just stuff (laughing).

MOI JR: Do you write all of your music?

Ledisi: I co-write and co-produce everything with the producers that I work with, and we do it from scratch. Sitting there, I'll come up with something like the title track "Lost and Found." I wrote that on the piano. Then I had Rex Rideout, who I predominantly wrote most of the record with, come in and hook it up some more and make it sound even better. I love writing with other people. I get inspired, so I can't take full credit.

MOI JR: I hear it. I was telling you earlier that I heard you on a previous interview that aired on the radio, and you had a song called "Best Friends," and I thought about how good it sounded. And I was also with one of my friends, and we were talking about the depth of the lyrics. It wasn't some bubblegum-pop "I like my best friend" type of thing, but it really seemed like, as you were just saying, that it could have been autobiographical or something like that. Was that the case with that particular song?

Ledisi: Yeah, it was definitely the case in that particular song. Pretty much the entire record is about me or something I experienced watching someone else go through. But this one definitely is about being in love with my best friend, and you know it is hard to say how you feel about somebody, and it could be your best friend who you are dating now or who you are with or whatever.

That song, when wrote it, I was in love with my best friend, but I'm in love with my best friend now, and that's a different friend (laughing). Let's just say that. I just wanted it to be said in a different kind of way, a grown-up kind of way. And a lot of women, we want to scream and say stuff, but I wanted to be the voice of those grown women who have too much class to say how they feel about somebody, and maybe a song might help (laughing).

MOI JR: I was also talking to you earlier in particular about the four songs that I heard off of your record that didn't have the pop sound, and it had that real soul - Aretha Franklin, Patti Labelle, Chaka Khan type of feel to me. How did you come up with choosing the production for your album? Or how did you come up with that particular sound? Was that intentional, or is that what is ingrained in Ledisi?

Ledisi: It's all like I said: It's the embodiment of all the things that I hear, is how I wanted the record. I didn't have a plan, and I just let it flow and hung out with the perfect people, and we just wrote, you know what I mean? This record was not a planned thing. I was already working on it before I signed my deal.

I didn't know what I was going to do. I didn't have the money. Nothing. I just was like, "Let's just hang out and write some music." So it wasn't planned. But I know that one thing about me as I grow, I do what I want to do. I didn't think about what my fans might want to hear. I did what was natural for me first.

I feel like I'm older now - I'm becoming a grown woman - and I guess the sound is older and more mature and more in depth. You get to see Ledisi in love and Ledisi be a different way - sexy and sensual and also lost at times. But very happy. On my previous recordings, I was just screaming to be heard and had a lot of stuff to say, and kind of angry a little bit, you know? So on this record, I just wanted to be more soft, let people see a softer side of myself. And I am. I just matured.

MOI JR: That's the business. I know that you recently moved to the East Coast, and I also know that you recently signed a new deal with Verve, a legendary record company. How have both of those transitions been in your life?

Ledisi: Well, basically, I'm like a gypsy right now. There is no one place that I am, you know what I mean? I'll be in Oakland probably a week; then I'll be gone to either New York, LA, Atlanta, DC. I've been floating around like a gypsy, and it is not fun (laughing).

I predominantly stay on the East Coast, and it is fun. I like it. Signing with Verve was a major decision with me too. I took about a year to decide and a year to sign (laughing), you know what I mean, with Verve. It took me three years to make the record, and they're doing really nicely - so far so good. I mean they could be better. I could be more patient.

It's different for all of us, you know? It's a different transition. I will say, the response to the record has been overwhelming. And a lot of that has to do with having that major label push, being on the radio, being seen. And it's much harder independently; you are on the grind.

And I'm still acting like an independent artist when I want things a certain way. And I'll never have that go away. And it has been a wonderful ride so far, you know? It's still going. It's a different level - a lot more pressure, a lot more of people expectations. It's no joke, man. No joke.

MOI JR: What is the difference between being on a major label and being independent?
Ledisi: Well, the main difference is that you have to have a second party - or another person to go to - to get your ideas out. You have to get approval. So that's the main thing. Luckily, Verve just let me do my own thing, and I already came in with my own thing, so I know who I am, and that made it easier.

The other thing is that it is not too much of a big difference other than I'm not paying for everything. So you just have another entity in the way. The other thing is that I have more radio, more visibility so far.

And I don't know, I still think like an independent, so it still feels like it. I still executive produce my own stuff. I mean it is comfortable for me so far, you know what I mean? No one has gotten in the way, entirely. But I do have my ideas about how things should go, but it's a business. It makes it feel more like a business now.

MOI JR: I know that you came up through the Young Musicians Program (YMP) in Berkeley. What do you have to say to young singers, particularly Black women that want to get involved in being musicians?

Ledisi: Always remain yourself. Stay connected to some sort of faith. And know your business. And start studying equipment and gear, and start learning how to do things yourself as much as possible. A lot of women, and young women, we don't do that. So learn as much as you can is what I will say, and don't let everybody do everything for you.

We could be steered the wrong way thinking that someone has our best interest at heart, and they may have your best interest at heart, but you still need to learn the business as much as you possibly can. Study. Just study and have faith, and really know who you are.

And a lot of young women don't take the time to learn their craft. They just want to get in right away, and they use their body and everything just to get in. But the best thing is to learn and know what you sound like. And to really get into who you are, so that no one has to tell you who you are; they just see it and hear it right away.

MOI JR: That's some wisdom from big sis Ledisi. Where can people get your album online and right here in the Bay Area? When will people be able to see you?

Ledisi: They can get the record on iTunes, cd universe, amazon.com; it's online pretty much everywhere. And if it's not, call me and let me know (laughing). You could always go to Ledisi.com, and that can steer you online where to get it.

It's doing really nice, the album. It's one of the top R&B download records on iTunes. You could also get it at Wal-Mart, Target - and Circuit City is selling it really cheap. Rasputin and Amoeba is always my favorite places. People really need to support the "mom and pop" stores, because they really make it happen on the underground, you know? Those are my stores, where you could still go in and see the owner and say "wat up," you know?

MOI JR: Last but not least, where can people see you in the Bay?

Ledisi: In the Bay, I'll be doing a week, Jan. 2 through 6, I believe. I'll be doing eight shows at Yoshi's, performing all of the songs from "Lost and Found." I'm kind of like coming home after running around for a minute. So that's going to be nice as I get to settle there in Oakland and play all of my songs and people get to hear me, and I get to see everybody and sign CDs. So that's going to be hot. But on my website, it could tell you other places about where I'll be touring around. The real tour probably won't kick off ‘til next year, but I have a lot of dates coming up that I'm really excited about.

MOI JR: Who are you touring with?

Ledisi: Umm, I can't really say right now. It's all negotiation time right now. As soon as that settles, then it'll kick in. But I'm really excited about what is down the pipes. So I guess you got to check out the website and keep up to date on the events page, www.ledisi.com; or you could go to my myspace page.

MOI JR: You know what I've always wanted to ask you: Does Ledisi mean something?

Ledisi: Yes, it means "to come here," "to bring forth." That's what Ledisi means. It comes from the Yoruba culture in Nigeria, in Africa. So come to the show so I could "bring forth" some music (laughing).

Go out and buy Ledisi's new album, "Lost and Found."

Email POCC Minister of Information JR at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and visit www.blockreportradio.com, hiphopwarreport.com and myspace.com/blockreportfilm.

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