- I'm here with the lovely Kristin Chenoweth,
give it up for her.
(audience cheering)
All right, so my next guest y'all
is a 12 time, that's right I said 12 time
Grammy nominated musician
who also formed her own record label.
She's goals is what is happening.
Her new album is called The Wild Card
and it's awesome, you have to check it out.
She is so incredibly gifted.
Y'all give it up for Ledisi!
(audience cheering)
- Hello, we can't hug, it's so awkward.
(laughing) It's so awkward.
First of all, I feel like we would have the same clothes,
I love that outfit. - I know, look at the sleeves,
they're yours. - I know
and I love any kind of what's that called peplum
or whatever. - Peplum.
Yes. - Yeah.
I'm first of all, really shocked that I knew of that.
(laughing)
I just impressed the hell out of myself.
- Yeah we are the same,
'cause I see you, we met,
didn't we meet, it was VH1.
- Yes, yes, yes.
I was so excited, - VH1.
- but can I tell you something real quick?
I know we're gonna get - Okay, go ahead.
into what I'm supposed to be getting into,
but and y'all know each other too, right?
- Yes. - Yes!
Bowing to her!
We did a Wicked reunion for NBC
and she sang and I was standing in the wings,
I went, wait, wait, wait,
I have to know her, anyway.
- That was our first time meeting
and you hosted the show.
I sang with Adam-- - Lambert
- Who is amazing. - Y'all killed it,
y'all slayed.
- So did you you guys.
- You put it in the pocket and you walked it off,
walked right off the stage.
- Walked right off the stage with it.
- I was like, how dare her!
- I didn't know Wicked had such a huge following though,
it's huge. - Oh my God.
- With Adam too, I was like, - Yeah.
- where all these people come from?
I didn't meet them before.
You know. - Oh yeah,
no, it's a huge following.
- Yeah. - It was amazing.
- Well wait, I have to say this because
we, yes, we performed together and you are flawless
and it was incredible and I was like,
I usually don't get intimidated on a stage and I was,
I was, and, and, and here's the thing too though.
I actually went to the Inaugural Ball after
'cause I sang at--
- Really? - Yes
and you performed there - Yes I did.
- and I didn't know you were gonna be there
and first of all, I felt like such a like,
what am I doing here?
I'm in a ball gown at something called an Inaugural Ball
like I felt like Pretty Woman in that store,
like I did not belong and like all this stuff,
it's like a very fancy event
and I just felt so fish out of water
and me and my husband at the time
were just kinda like,
yeah, we're just gonna pretend like we're blending in.
Like with all these, like, you know, DC elite like
and all of a sudden you came out and I was like, I love her.
I was like, wait, she's performing
and then everyone was so stiff in the room y'all
until Ledisi gets up on stage and performs.
And Michelle Obama literally
like, no, no, she doesn't stand, she rises.
It's like, it's like, it's like a,
like she rises and literally the entire room changed.
Like everybody went, oh, okay, cool.
And so everyone had such a great time.
You brought the best vibe.
So that whole night it changed the whole night.
- But you do the same thing.
- No, I do not.
- Yes. - I don't make people rise,
I make them clap, it's fine, but you--
- It was so intense in the room.
So I had to change it up - You did.
- because I was like, this should be a celebration,
not something dark.
This is exciting, you know, let's lift, lift the room.
- But it was interesting though because she--
- That was beautiful,
I can't believe you remember all of that.
- Remembered it?
I was like, yeah, it was a moment.
But wait, so your parents were musicians as well.
- Yes, I'm originally from New Orleans, Louisiana,
- New Orleans. - But I was raised in Oakland,
but I New Orleans my parents they were musicians.
My stepdad played drums,
my mom, this was her band she was a singer.
And she, we lived in a shotgun house, you know,
it just goes one long line. - Yeah, yeah.
- And they would record,
her band would recording in the living room.
And my mom would record the next room would be our bedroom
and then it's another bedroom, bathroom, kitchen.
That's the whole house, - Yeah.
- it just goes.
And they would record on an eight track back in the day
and I would sit on the bed and watch my mom record.
And when I heard her voice come back,
I said, yeah, I want to do this, I gotta do this.
And it was amazing, it was, it was,
it was growing up with musicians, you know, it was great,
but, and interesting.
But when it's time to go to bed
and get up for school,
'cause the nights would be long.
You're like, go to, go to bed,
we would be up all night long.
- Okay, this new album, first of all,
let's talk about this, this cover is amazing.
- Thank you.
- I will never be this cool.
- Kelly and I combined will never be that cool.
- Like, it's okay - Get out of here.
- hey, we all have our own lane,
- That's right.
- but like this cover is amazing
and it's called The Wild Card.
- Yes.
- So why did you, why'd you title it that?
- I'm an R and B singer and I love,
but I know jazz and classical and I've been on Broadway.
So there's all these mixtures of beautiful things,
in this album it's predominantly soul.
I touch on jazz and I wanted to have
music that makes people feel good during this time.
- You're really incredible.
So you're going to perform your song,
Anything For You later in the show.
So what inspired this song?
- Well-- - There's gotta be a you.
(laughing)
- There's gotta be.
- When I wrote the song,
I was at my executive producer.
He and I produced the album, Rex Rideout.
We were at his home with his family
and his father had passed away
and we were talking about his father
and all the love that they showed him.
They showed, he showed them.
- Yeah.
- And just all the beautiful things they learned from him
and they were inspired and kept talking about him.
And I heard him say that, they talked about how he said,
I hope as he was passing away, I hope I gave my all,
I hope I gave my best and I loved you as much as I could.
- Oh my gosh, I'm like not-- - So when I heard that
I ran home and I had to sit down and write it
and that's where the song comes from,
about - Wow.
that love for your daughter, your son or your family member
- Yeah. - or your loved one.
You'll never, it never goes away.
That love goes on and on. - No.
- Even when the physical is gone.
So it never changes. - Yeah.
- And it inspired me.
- That's so, my daughter is like in this phase,
she's so scared of me dying or her dying, just dying, death.
- Yeah. - Yes.
- Like she's six and I'm like, this is a lot for six.
- It's heavy. - But it is a heavy thing,
but I always tell her though,
it's funny you said that
I'm like, well, you're from mommy's body,
like I'll always,
you'll always be a part of me - Always.
- like forever that won't go anywhere.
Like and I'm trying to like do it in a way
to where she's not so scared of it,
but, but that's so beautiful 'cause,
and to make sure we do live our lives
like that - Yes.
- is so important.
- Especially now. - Especially now.
- We need love.
We need that.
- Yes.
Well y'all Ledisi's album is called The Wild Card.
Go get it today.