I:ThickMisses:I

Just before recording the disc -- which has earned her a nomination for best new artist as well as best R&B album -- the singer felt as if she was floundering. Although Ledisi had released two critically acclaimed albums independently and worked on Broadway, she remained an underground buzz act, unable to garner much mainstream attention.
With her chocolate skin, full figure and dreadlocked hair, she recalls being told consistently that she didn't have the "look" necessary to be a star. In addition, while her music could be classified as R&B, she also sang with jazz inflections that left some confused about how to categorize her, or to market her.
Fed up, Ledisi -- who declines to give her age -- was about to quit the business until she met a friend and producer who encouraged her to give her recording career one more try. So she took a leap of faith -- and was rewarded.
In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Ledisi talked about how her new success, reconnecting with her long-lost father and finally finding herself.