“Before starting this project, my executive producer Rex Rideout asked me, ‘Who are you now? What are you now?’” says Ledisi. “I feel confident, I feel stronger, and I’m a woman. I have to ask myself, ‘Did I do all of that?’ My inspiration for this project was embracing being a whole woman, my entire walk and my journey, and we need to hear that more.”
Released in June, the R&B singer refers to her recent CD, which took eight months to complete, as her “Shug Avery-like project.”
“Shug Avery’s character in The Color Purple was confident, sassy, sensual yet spiritual and fly, which portray all the different sides of being a woman,” she comments. “Like her, I want to be noticed and say ‘I’m here.’ I also like to wiggle and have my hand on my hip.”
Some of Ledisi’s sassiness brews in her single “Coffee,” where she talks about her love for her man, which she describes as “strong, tall and dark,” like the drink.
The classically trained singer admits when she was approached with the song, she initially thought it was a bit risqué. After tweaking a few lyrics, Ledisi says she made it her own and worked it out.
In her track “Stay Together,” Ledisi duets with R&B singer Jaheim to discuss the ups and downs of relationships yet how they want to stay together. Ledisi says it was important to tell this story.
“It’s not said enough how people are happy about staying in love, loving yourself and accepting all of someone,” she comments. “I haven’t expressed being in love and confident about life yet in my music. There’s more to love than broken hearts.”
Through her music, Ledisi says she wants people to hear the reflection of themselves.
“I want people to see themselves in me, be enlightened and love themselves,” she adds.
Visit Ledisi’s website at www.ledisi.com and follow her on Twitter at @ledisi.
