| Kendra Ross | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kendra Janelle Ross |
| Born | December 4, 1975 Youngstown, Ohio, United States |
| Genres | R&B, soul, neo soul, jazz, gospel, hip hop |
| Occupations | singer-songwriter, record producer, social activist |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Labels | Lola's Child |
| Website | kendraross.com |
Kendra Ross (born Kendra Janelle Ross on December 4, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and social activist. from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (though born in Youngstown, Ohio) who currently resides in Brooklyn, New York City.
She got her start singing in church and performing with the Civic Light Opera Mini Stars of Pittsburgh. After many years of working in musical theater, Ross went on to work as a vocalist and songwriter with artists such as Quincy Jones, Kanye West, Talib Kweli, Idle Warship, Omar, Faith Evans, Rita Coolidge, Tamar Kali and many more. She has appeared on NBC's Today and BET's 106 & Park and has been featured in O, The Oprah Magazine. Ross has opened for musicians Babyface and Isaac Hayes.
Ross' debut album titled New Voice was released in June 2007. The album was co-produced with longtime collaborator/music director Christian Ver Halen and features appearances by Talib Kweli, Eric Roberson, and more. Many touring and session musicians are also featured on the album, including Teodross Avery (Amy Winehouse), Maurice Brown (Wynton Marsalis), Lonnie Plaxico (Cassandra Wilson), Chris Rob (John Legend), Daniel Sadownick (Matisyahu), and Skoota Warner (Santana). The album has been well received in the U.S. and Japan where it was released by P-Vine Records in December 2007.
Ross won for New Artist of the Year at the 2007 SoulTracks Readers' Choice Awards in Detroit on November 16, 2007.[1]
Hip hop recording artist Talib Kweli wrote in the liner notes of his 2002 album Quality (on which she wrote and performed): "Kendra's talented, beautiful, and one of a kind."
Ross is also an up-and-coming feminist scholar and cultural anthropologist who cites Zora Neale Hurston and Katherine Dunham as two of her greatest academic influences. She received a Bachelor of Music from New York University and a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Brooklyn College and another in Anthropology from The New School for Social Research in New York City. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Anthropology after releasing and touring with her next album.
Ross is currently writing and recording music for her second album which is set for an early 2012 release.
Kendra Ross Discography/Appearances
Forthcoming