Ledisi to pay tribute to Nina Simone at the Mann

The 2021 Grammy winner Ledisi, a fourteen time Grammy nominated powerhouse vocalist with a career spanning decades, is slated to appear at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts on July 22.

Over her career, she’s garnered three Soul Train Music Awards, an NAACP Theater Award and thirteen NAACP Image Award nominations.

And most recently, Ledisi received two LA Alliance Ovation Award nominations, including one for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.

And now, the singer, songwriter, author and actress is set to pay tribute to the legendary Nina Simone with a live performance of her album “Ledisi Sings Nina,” accompanied by none other than The Philadelphia Orchestra.

“I’ve done a lot of things during my career,” Ledisi says, “including tributes to other singers like Mahalia Jackson and Patti LaBelle. And someday I hope to do more. But the two biggest things on my wish list have always been to play with the Philadelphia Orchestra – which I’ll be doing on July 22 – and appearing at Carnegie Hall – which is scheduled to happen next year.

“It’s all so overwhelming and I can’t tell you how much it means to me!”

In her upcoming concert, Ledisi explains, “I won’t be doing an impersonation of Nina. I mean to honor her, not to be her. And I won’t be focusing on the political side of the woman, just the human side. She was a Black woman who just wanted love. And aside from including some of my own work at the concert, I will also be singing some of Nina’s best known songs.”

Ledisi Anibade Young was born in New Orleans and raised in Oakland. “My name means ‘to bring forth’ or ‘to come here,’” she explains. “That’s my real name and that’s what it means.”

In 1995, Ledisi formed a band after her middle name Anibade. After unsuccessfully trying to get signed to a major label, she formed LeSun Records with Sundra Manning. The pair released “Soulsinger,” Ledisi’s debut album, featuring the song “Take Time,” which managed to get some airplay on San Francisco radio.

“When I first started out, I was pleading to be heard, and even that wasn’t easy to do. This is a tough business, but I’m a go-getter,” she insists, “and that’s my focus. I have faith in what I do which keeps me going.”

Another thing that kept her going was the support and inspiration garnered from her mother, Nyra Dynese. Ledisi says, “I think I first started to sing because of my mother. When I was little, she had a band and they would perform in the living room.

“And in that house there was an upright piano, a full drum set, a bass and guitar amps, and reel-to-reel vinyl records everywhere,” she continues. “I’ve always been a big fan of my mom. She was a true professional.”

So professional and so totally behind her daughter, in fact, that one night, after a particularly depressing performance, Ledisi called her mother to say she was through.

“But my mom wouldn’t hear of it. She urged me to keep going and not to give up. She kept insisting things would eventually be fine.

“And she was right. I honestly feel as though I owe a lot of my success to her.”

The Mann is offering $20 off selected seats for this concert through July 16 at 10 p.m. when you use the promo code, SAVE20 For more information, visit manncenter.org