A few years back, soul/jazz singer Ledisi was so burnt out on the music business she was ready to become a teacher.
Now, she's pondering which dress to wear to Sunday's Grammys, where she is up for two awards - Best New Artist and Best R&B Album for Lost & Found.
"Getting that album done, that was the win for me," said Ledisi (first name only, and no age, please). "I want to be humble and grateful for everything that's happening. The [Grammy] nomination is finally sinking in, but I'm still like, 'This is absolutely amazing.' "
Which is exactly what fans had been saying about Ledisi's multi-octave voice as she performed for more than a decade in San Francisco's long-running Beach Blanket Babylon between club gigs. Appearances on two all-star tribute albums for Luther Vandross and Ella Fitzgerald raised her profile nationally; playing a chanteuse in the forthcoming George Clooney film Leatherheads will do even more.
"The machine is cooking," is how she puts it.
Born into a musical family - both parents were professional R&B singers, and late-1950s blues star Johnny Ace was her grandfather - Ledisi says Lost & Found began at a low point in her life "personally, spiritually, and musically."
"As we got into it, I started to focus on my faith," she recalled. "I wasn't raised in the church like a lot of other R&B singers, but I finally got it. And what a difference it's made."
By the time the ultra-autobiographical album was completed, Ledisi's life had virtually turned around, as the album's title implies. "That's why I'm looking up on the cover."
Her strong, sinuous vocals and scat-style singing have brought comparisons to everyone from Sarah Vaughn to Jill Scott, something she finds flattering, while acknowledging that "ultimately, I enjoy being myself."
Backed by a four-member band and three singers, Ledisi says she will play a mix of old, new, originals and covers on Wednesday: "If I know it, I can sing it."