Kendra Ross

Career

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, Res (singer), 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.

Debut album

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.

Recognition

Ross won for New Artist of the Year at the 2007 SoulTracks Readers' Choice Awards in Detroit on November 16, 2007.

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."

Academic studies

Ross is also an independent 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 is currently a doctoral student in the Community Engagement program at Point Park University.

Ross is currently wrapping up the recording of her second album which is set for a 2016 release.

Discography and appearances