Singer-Songwriter Ledisi to Headline the Black AIDS Institute's Heroes in the Struggle Awards Gala
Ledisi
The Black AIDS Institute's Heroes in the Struggle Gala and Award Celebration honors, in a star-studded event and photographic tribute, individuals who, over the past year, have made a heroic contribution to the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Once you have experienced the stirring vocals of Ledisi, you don't soon forget. The singer-songwriter and New Orleans native is a celebrated R&B recording artist and activist.
Ledisi, a Yoruba name meaning "to bring forth," began performing publicly at age 8 with the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra. She studied at Louisiana's premier arts training center for high school students, the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, where she concentrated on classical music and jazz. She went on to study opera and piano for five years in the Young Musicians Program at the University of California, Berkeley.
In 2007, Ledisi caught the attention of Verve Music Group while recording her third album, Lost & Found. The album went on to receive two Grammy Award nominations, including for Best New Artist in 2008; she has received a total of nine Grammy nominations.
For Ledisi, it all comes back to the music. Lauded as a singer's singer, she has been acclaimed by such music greats as Stevie Wonder, Prince and Patti LaBelle. Although she refers to herself as an R&B artist, Ledisi boldly steps outside the genre-defining and confining molds to perform the music she wants to. She has had opportunities to sing blues with icon Keb' Mo' and country with Vince Gill, recorded with the Count Basie Orchestra, and performed with many of the current jazz greats. She has created new musical works and, during the Soulful Symphony's 15th Anniversary Concert, performed a tribute to Nina Simone.
Ledisi shares her music in the sphere of education, too. At the Berklee College of Music, she intermittently serves as a vocal coach and as what she calls a "frequent artist in residence." Ledisi was also a governor and board member at the San Francisco chapter of the Recording Academy for two terms before being given the opportunity to serve with distinction as its goodwill ambassador, a role that had previously been held only by Earth, Wind & Fire's Verdine White.
Both an advocate for and a participant in the Turnaround Arts Program created by former first lady Michelle Obama, Ledisi gives of her time and talent to encourage students to explore life through the arts.
Ledisi's gifts have even led her to the realm of politics. She has been a frequently welcomed guest at the White House, singing on multiple occasions during the Obama administration. The most notable among them were "The Motown Sound: In Performance at the White House," a musical tribute held in celebration of Black History Month, and an event honoring female mentors, where she was honored as one of three women the first lady mentioned in her remarks. "Ledisi is one of our favorite people," President Barack Obama has also said.
Ledisi's voice has even made it to the silver screen: She portrayed the venerated gospel singer Mahalia Jackson in the Oscar-nominated 2014 biopic Selma.
She remains connected to her roots and heritage as a proud New Orleans native, finding opportunities to support that city's re-emergence after Hurricane Katrina. She has also joined the fight against HIV and AIDS. On National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day in 2015, Ledisi participated in the AIDS Healthcare Foundation's ABACT Exclusive Champagne Brunch & Media Launch, hosted by that foundation's Black AIDS Crisis Taskforce.
For her widespread and various work in service to others, Ledisi was presented with the Advocacy Award by the United States Conference of Mayors. "Like spotting a unicorn. An impossible combination. Humble. Powerful. Graceful. Spirit-filled. Instrument of God's grace. Proud to award Ledisi and thank her for never forgetting where she came from. And creating bridges for the next generation to reach their greatness," Baltimore's Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake exclaimed at the event.
Ledisi's passion for helping others in need also shows up in her HIV/AIDS activism. She attends various industry-led and artist-driven events for awareness and fundraising. She is headlining this year's Black AIDS Institute Heroes In the Struggle event, where she is slated to sing her earlier songs as well as several from her upcoming The Rebel, the Soul & the Saint Tour, which begins this October to promote her newest album, Let Love Rule.
The Heroes in the Struggle Gala and Award Celebration will take place Sept. 16, 2017, in the Darryl F. Zanuck Theater at 20th Century Fox Studios in Los Angeles. To purchase tickets, become a sponsor, join the host committee or place an advertisement in the program book, click here or contact Wendell Miller at
Whitney Alese is a writer and blogger whose work has been featured in BuzzFeed and other publications.