Ledisi

Ledisi's played so many gigs in the San Francisco Bay Area that it sometimes seems like she's a permanent fixture on the marquees. But this hardworking singer's devotion has paid off. After years of cold shoulders from the major labels, Verve picked the singer up to release her label debut, Lost and Found, in 2007. It's a dream come true for a woman who started singing professionally when she was just eight years old, growing up in New Orleans. After her family relocated to Oakland, Calif., Ledisi (whose name means "to bring forth" in Yoruba) began studying music and landed a regular gig in the comedy/singing revue Beach Blanket Babylon. She also formed a band and began regular local gigs. Despite a Bay Area following, Ledisi met with indifference at most major labels. She started her own label, LeSun, with her friend Sundra, and released Soulsinger in 2000. She's also recorded a jazz album with Marcus Shelby, though it was her work on an Ella Fitzgerald tribute album that convinced Verve to take a chance on her.