Ledisi gains self-confidence with new album (AP)

NEW ORLEANS – If there's any message Ledisi wants her fans to take away from her latest album, "Pieces of Me," it's about gaining a sense of self-confidence and self-worth.

"This project is very personal to me," she said in a recent telephone interview. "I want women to hear themselves in the music and find a way to celebrate and embrace who they are."

It's something that Ledisi has finally been able to accomplish in her own life. Early in her career, when Ledisi struggled to make inroads in the business, the New Orleans native started to have doubts about whether she'd fit in, or whether she had what it took to make it as a recording star.

But after the breakthrough success of 2007's "Lost & Found," which garnered her a Grammy nomination for best new artist, and 2009's "Turn Me Loose," which earned her additional Grammy nominations and more success, she's finally feeling confident. The title track, which is the album's first single, gives her audience a glimpse at a woman who's confidently tackling issues of love, intimacy, relationships, respect and empowerment.

"This is a reflection of me as a person, of the person I'm becoming," Ledisi said. "I hope it shows that Ledisi is funny. She is sad. She is spirited. She is very complex. It's about no longer wondering whether I'm worthy of being in this business."

Vocally, she can reign supreme in the R&B world; her stylistic tones also hint upon her penchant for jazz and opera. That versatility has helped draw acknowledgment from fans (who reach as high as the nation's first lady) as well as from peers, and helped her recognize pieces of herself that had been long-buried.

"All of the producers wanted me step back and look at what I'd done, to really see eight months later what we had," she recalled. "I was always asking, `Did I do good?' and for the first time, I was able to look back and say `Wow. That is so good.' This project reminded me to stop and smell the roses, to look around outside and really see what I'd done."

Ledisi, who recently wowed at the BET Awards with a masterful tribute to the late Teena Marie, has said that recording the album was therapy for her.

"I've been so happy with the response so far," she said. "I'm hoping that the project will draw younger audiences into the fold with the mix of old and new. It's fiery and uptempo and exciting. It's just great to know that someone out there is listening while in turns builds confidence and reminds me that `Hey, I've still got a little swag.'"

Asked what else might be in her future, Ledisi said she's working on a book, but wouldn't give any details, saying it's still early in the process.

"I'm just nurturing all the different sides of me," she said, laughing. "I can't wait to see what's next."

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Online:

http://www.ledisi.com/

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R&B singer Ledisi gets introspective on new album (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – R&B singer Ledisi, a multiple Grammy nominee with the seal of approval from first lady Michelle Obama, is finally baring her soul on her fourth album in five years.

The New Orleans native has just released the aptly titled "Pieces of Me," a follow-up to her genre-defying outing on 2009's "Turn Me Loose."

That album -- boasting blues, rock, hip-hop and funk elements -- yielded a pair of Grammy nominations, as did her 2007 breakthrough "Lost & Found."

"'Turn Me Loose' was an expression of just wanting to express that I loved all music. I wanted to show that soul music is in everything," said Ledisi, who counts Chaka Khan and hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest among her influences.

After several months trying to decide on the musical direction of "Pieces," Ledisi decided to focus more on what she was going to say rather than how she was going to say it.

"My executive producer Rex Rideout kept saying, 'Don't think about writing a hit song. What do you want to say on this album?,'" she recalled.

On the new track "Hate Me," Ledisi taunts a frustrated lover, singing, "I know you hate me but you can't stop loving me." Another track, "Shut Up," is directed at "all the people that thought I'd never be anything," says Ledisi.

Not surprisingly, Ledisi found the creative process to be therapeutic. "I have a new level of confidence I didn't know I could. Now I have my own walk and my own journey. I'm not worried about being something that I'm not or competing with others. I'm competing with the last album that I did."

Ledisi, born Ledisi Young, had been making waves on the independent music scene for years before gaining mainstream recognition with "Lost and Found." She secured a dark-horse Grammy nomination for best new artist, losing to the decidedly less-prolific Amy Winehouse.

Her distinctive musical stylings and dreadlocked hair set her apart from the formulaic R&B scene, but she feels -- until now -- that she's held back.

"I feel like people know I can sing, they know my image but they need to know more about who I really am," said Ledisi, who refuses to reveal her age.

Turns out who she really has taken some aback.

"Some people have said, 'Wow! Did you really say that?' Yes! Women say that," she explains of her most honest moments on disc. "Some things we don't say enough."

It was that self-assuredness that caught the attention of Michelle Obama, who counts Ledisi among her favorite artists.

When Ledisi was invited to attend a White House dinner earlier this year, the first lady lauded her resilience against music industry pressures to become a stick-thin carbon copy of current pop acts.

"She said, 'I listen to you every morning,'" recalled Ledisi. "She really inspired me. I said, 'I have to work harder. I have to do more.'" And she has, by becoming more involved in philanthropy.

But her favorite thing about her most famous fan? "She gives the best hugs!"

(Editing by Dean Goodman)

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