Jhelisa Anderson

Music has always been at the roots of the Anderson family tree. Mississippi-born Jhelisa Anderson grew up singing in church. With her father on the piano and organ, the family toured throughout the American South, performing in churches and gospel events, where she stood on a chair so audiences could see the little girl with the big voice. The Anderson family made their first record when Jhelisa was just five years old.

At sixteen, Jhelisa traveled to London, where she joined The Soul Family Sensation, releasing a critically acclaimed New Wave album on One Little Indian Records. She went on to join labelmates The Shamen, recording two top ten hit singles for their 1993 double platinum album Boss Drum, earning a BPI award before collaborating with Björk on her album Debut. Jhelisa became a stalwart of London's 1990s music scene.

Though much of her previous work had portrayed her as a diva, Jhelisa developed into an accomplished solo artist, singing, writing, and producing. In 1995 she released her debut recording Galactica Rush on Dorado Records, which afforded her creative freedom. A hauntingly beautiful album with shadings of soul, jazz, and electronic flourishes, featuring Greg Osby on saxophone, it received widespread critical acclaim, spawning the hit Friendly Pressure, which was remixed, re-released, and bootlegged extensively. In 1997, Jhelisa released her follow-up, Language Electric. An altogether darker album, it established her as an outrageously gifted vocalist, a formidable songwriter, and an eccentric musical maverick.

Live, Jhelisa has toured with James Brown, The Roots, Herbie Hancock, Nitin Sawhney, and Sting, and has recorded with Bryan Ferry as well as Massive Attack on their 2010 album Heligoland, while Chaka Khan has recorded her song Death Of A Soul Diva. Besides her musical activities, Jhelisa was featured (both acting and singing) in the Italian film The Protagonist, starring British actress Tilda Swinton.

In 2004, following her travels through Africa and Brazil, drawing inspiration from their rich musical cultures, Jhelisa moved to New Orleans to record her third solo album, A Primitive Guide To Being There. While there, she was the subject of a documentary, One Week With Jhelisa, and held a weekly residency performing the music of Nina Simone, showcasing another aspect of her broad musical background. During the recording of this album, the largest hurricane in recorded history struck New Orleans. She evacuated the city and moved closer to family in Atlanta. She regrouped, rebuilt, completed her album, and began the next stage of her career.

Initially recorded as a side project, Jhelisa reconnected with Dorado Records in 2021 to release her esoteric sonic experimentation concept album 7 Keys Vol I & II, recording vocals in her home studio.

Released on June 15, 2022, on Dorado Records, Jhelisa's remarkable new project Oxygen is a breathtaking, expansive, unapologetic 11-minute opus taken from her forthcoming album Wild Orbits, but very much a stand-alone piece. The sound is an exciting sonic assault, underpinned by a masterful band that includes Greg Osby, whose piercing sax brings an intensity that takes the track to another level.

Over four solo albums, Jhelisa has journeyed through soul, trip-hop, jazz, avant-garde, gospel, modal jazz, and sonic experimentation, all underpinned by her glorious, deeply seductive voice, remarkable in its intensity and spiritual force. She is a true original, always exploring new ground and producing thrillingly daring music.