With hands that effortlessly glide over the keys and a voice that will carry you to the moon, Sheléa’s musical mastery makes her one of the most exhilarating up and coming artists today. While donning multiple hats of vocalist, songwriter, pianist, arranger and producer, Sheléa evokes the sultry energy of Whitney Houston and the piano chops and writing prowess of Alicia Keys. Sheléa’s debut album, Love Fell On Me, is a return to true artistry; blending traditional pop, jazz, R&B and soul; marking an exciting revival of singing and songwriting in a music scene that is laced with auto-tune and beat driven numbers that read more like chants than songs.
Hailing from a musical family, both her parents sing and play the piano, Sheléa quickly realized that music was her passion. She would go on to work with legendary producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis at their Flyte Tyme production company as an in-house songwriter and vocalist. These experiences prepared her for the opportunity to pen and produce two songs on Chanté Moore’s last album, Love the Woman, including the album’s single “It Ain’t Supposed to Be This Way.” Sheléa also lent her stellar vocals to soundtrack projects including Hotel Rwanda, Akeelah and the Bee and Be Cool.
Sheléa, a graduate of Oakwood College, would soon team with another group of noted Oakwood alums, Take 6. Although they knew Sheléa for some time, Take 6 took serious notice of her talent in 2008 and requested that she sing lead on “Someone to Watch Over Me” for their forthcoming album, The Standard, which would go on to be nominated for a Grammy Award. As if that weren’t enough, her track also caught the ear of music royalty, Stevie Wonder.
By 2011, Sheléa was flying high. That year the film, Jumping the Broom, starring Angela Bassett, chose “Love Fell On Me,” as its primary musical theme. The song and the film were such a hit that when The View’s co-host Sherri Shepherd was looking for a wedding song, her Twitter followers overwhelmingly suggested Sheléa! She would later go on to sing “I’m Sure It’s You”, available on iTunes, at Shepherd’s wedding.
When Stevie Wonder was asked to sing for the President and Michelle Obama at the White House in May 2012, honoring composers Burt Bacharach and Hal David with the Gershwin Prize; he felt it was a perfect opportunity to showcase Sheléa’s ingenuity. He suggested she be added to the program and with that, Sheléa went on to bring down the house with her rendition of “Anyone Who Had a Heart” featuring Arturo Sandoval on trumpet.
Sheléa’s debut album, Love Fell On Me, evokes a simpler time of love through innovative storytelling and breathtaking melodies interjected with up-tempo driving grooves that display Sheléa’s edgy side. You can hear Sheléa’s classic influences throughout her music, but she is not a throwback. On the contrary, she is pushing the musical envelope forward and bringing us back to true artistry. Sheléa’s first single/video, “Seeing “You”, exposed the world to her classic romantic side. Sheléa’s second single released in February 2013, “Love The Way You Love Me,” evokes shades of Whitney Houston. “Love The Way You Love Me” continues to get massive airplay on both national and international radio stations.
In 2013, Sheléa gave a standing ovation performance at the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame Awards as she honored the late Hal David singing “Anyone Who Had a Heart.”
In May of 2014, Shelea found herself back at the Library of Congress and performed with Narada Michael Walden for ASCAP’s, We Write the Songs event. This led to her current collaboration with legendary songwriters, Alan and Marilyn Bergman on a tribute album of their songs to be released early 2016.
Sheléa’s debut album, Love Fell On Me, featuring Stevie Wonder, Brian McKnight, Narada Michael Walden, garnered the single, I’ll Never Let You Go, which peaked at #22 on the Billboard R&B charts and charted for 22+ weeks.
With the great success of her first album, Sheléa continues today to spread her musical talent across the globe. In 2015 Sheléa graced the stage with legendary Stevie Wonder in his “Songs in the Key of Life” tour. The tour was in support of Wonder’s eighteenth studio album titled Songs in the Key of Life. This tour received so much positive feedback and appreciation from fans that it was extended, adding 20 dates to the schedule. Sheléa played a major part contributing her sultry and powerful voice to the performances, getting frequent standing ovations and praise from the audience.
The Mendocino Music Festival is, first and foremost, a family of music lovers who produce the Festival, create the music, and enjoy the performances.
