Second Cup Cafe: Ledisi

Grammy Award-nominated Ledisi, whose name means "to bring forth" in Yoruba (a West African dialect spoken by 22 million people), has lived up to her name by bringing forth her inner soulfulness and vibe to the music and movie industry.

The New Orleans native and Oakland, Calif.-raised jazzy, R&B singer exudes a kind of coolness and neo-soul that is reminiscent of the jazz greats of the roaring 1920s.

Compared to the legendary Ella Fitzgerald, the similarity places Ledisi in an elite category that sets her apart.

Ledisi can scat like it's nobody's business, showing off her God-given talent with the help of past experience on the stage and a genuine love for jazz.

She even caught the attention of George Clooney - a dream come true for most women - who cast her in his sports comedy, "Leatherheads."

Clooney showcased her incredible set of pipes to bring the scenes to life, particularity in an underground speakeasy where jazz thrived during that era.

Her soulful songs were also featured in Tyler Perry's "Meet the Browns" soundtrack.

Born into a musical family - her mother was a singer in a Louisiana R&B band - Ledisi performed with the New Orleans Symphony at the young age of 8.

She then moved to Oakland and received a Shellie Award in 1990 for her performance in the production "The Wiz." She also continued performing in an extended run of the San Francisco cabaret troupe, Beach Blanket Babylon.

After being on the big stage, Ledisi hit the books. She went on to study opera and piano for 5 years at the University of California-Berkley in their Young Musicians Program.

With her Berkley degree under her belt, she formed a group called Anibade in the '90s, which only became a local success as the group never caught the attention of a major record label. So, instead the group independently released their first album, "Soulsinger," in 2000.

Ledisi's second album, "Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue," was also released independently in 2002 and received critical acclaim, now being considered a collector's item.

Ledisi also recorded commercials for the Sci-Fi Channel.

Last year was especially good to Ledisi as she was signed by a major record label, Verve, and released her debut album "Lost & Found."

Her single "Alright" from "Lost & Found" has landed at no. 65 on the Billboard Hot R&B chart.
By Melissa Castellanos