When it comes to artists who embody both the timeless essence of soul and the progressive pulse of modern R&B, Leela James stands in a league of her own. Now, the powerhouse vocalist, affectionately dubbed the “Goddaughter of Soul” by the late, great James Brown, takes center stage on the cover of KAZI Magazine, marking another milestone in a career defined by authenticity, passion, and staying power.
From Breakout Bangers To James Brown And More!
Since her breakout debut, A Change Is Gonna Come in 2005, Leela has remained unwavering in her mission: to create music that moves people. With her raw, soul-stirring vocals and fearless approach to blending the old with the new, she’s carved out a singular space in music, bridging the gap between Aretha Franklin’s gospel fire and the fresh, boundary-pushing sounds of contemporary R&B.
Her track record speaks for itself. Throughout her trendsetting career she’s blessed fans with seven LPs, seven Top 20 R&B singles, two Billboard No. 1s, and one of the most beloved ballads of the last decade—“Fall For You,” which achieved RIAA Gold certification in 2022. Add to that her Soul Train Certified Award in 2014 and multiple NAACP Image Award nominations, most recently in 2025 for her standout collaboration “Lookat Whatcha Done Now” with Kenyon Dixon, and it’s clear that Leela James isn’t just surviving in today’s industry, but rather she’s thriving.
But accolades aside, what makes Leela James truly magnetic is her ability to connect. Whether through chart-topping hits like “Right On Time” or live performances that leave audiences breathless, she sings with conviction, grit, and vulnerability. Every note carries lived experience, and every performance feels like a personal testimony. That authenticity has solidified her as not only one of the most respected voices in soul but also one of the most enduring.
Decades Of Divine Soul
As she reflects on her journey, Leela reminds us that 20-plus years in, she’s still standing, still singing, and still representing soul music. Her artistry goes beyond sound. In fact, it’s also a statement of identity and pride. From her bold hairstyles to her unapologetic presence, she makes it clear that Black women don’t have to shrink to shine. That same authenticity shines through her latest single which she describes as a record about divine timing, love, faith, and not settling. “It’s got that grown woman energy y’all know I bring,” she says.
Her visuals, too, reflect a larger cultural mission. For Leela, music videos are more than just visual promo—they’re extensions of Black cinema. From the romance of Love Jones to the spirit of Poetic Justice, her storytelling on screen pays homage to the films that shaped our culture. And beyond the music itself, she’s clear about her mission. To leave a legacy that uplifts, empowers, and honors where we come from.
Leela James Lets Fans In
That commitment has carried her through two decades in the industry and continues to drive her today. Most recently, she captivated audiences at sold-out shows in New York City and Boston, proving that her voice and vision are more relevant than ever. As she graces the KAZI Magazine cover, Leela James is celebrated not just as a singer, but as a trailblazer who continues to evolve while holding fast to the roots of soul. Her story is one of resilience, artistry, and undeniable impact. A story that KAZI is proud to spotlight. Check out our exclusive interview with Leela James for this issue and join the conversation in the comments. Because when Leela James speaks or sings, it’s always worth listening.
KAZI Magazine x Leela James — Digital Cover Interview Questions
- Hey Leela! Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me on behalf of KAZI Magazine. For fans new & old — who is Leela James & where did it all begin for you?
“Leela James is a soul singer uh singer born and raised in southern born and raised in Southern California, South Central LA to be exact. I’ve been singing since I pretty much probably came out the womb. I wasn’t really serious about it until I got a little older into high school. That’s when I pursued a musical career. Started performing any and everywhere that I could. Um I was labeled so many different nicknames. Baby James, baby, the goddaughter of soul. I was just given all kind of names coming up because of my distinctive voice I guess with the the soul and the huskiness and the the richness and the maturess that I, and it always carried. And um it’s just been a a journey and it’s been a movie ever since”.
- You’ve been a force in soul music for over 20 years —what do you think has been the key to your staying power in an ever-changing industry?
“My authenticity and my consistency. I feel like I came in the door very clear about who I was and am as a person, as an artist, as a woman. And that has never wa I have never wavered in that. And I’m not concerned about the Joneses and trying to do what the next one is doing. I’ve always been a trailblazer and setting the tone for for what it is that I do and and just marching to the tune of my own beat. I think that that stands out um because again um I just I’ve always just stood t toes on who I am not and and and you got to respect that“.
- What parts of your artistry have changed the most since your debut in 2005, and what parts are still untouched?
“I feel like my the parts of my artistry that may have changed slightly is more of my comfort and maybe I should say not comfort, but more contemporary branding if you will of who I am as an artist. I’ve been a little more reserved over the years with things and you know I think I’m so comfortable in my skin, always comfortable in my skin that I’ve evolved more so into a place of you going to get all of this. Whereas in the past I was a little more like you know let me just chill. I’mma give you a little something something but you know not too much over. Now I’m just like you know what? Yeah. I’m here and you going to see!“
- Looking back on the start of your career, what advice would now-Leela give to then-Leela?
“I mean, I think the advice that I would give myself to the younger Leela now is that I would have probably been less reserved with certain things. My feelings about people, things and just in general. I think also just to be 100%. Not to question anything and to not question my gut. Trust it and also don’t take much personal. So I would tell my younger self like girl you just don’t know what’s what’s ahead. You are going to kill it”.
- Your hair has always been a signature—not just in look but in meaning. How do you view beauty as a form of resistance and expression?
“Yes. Well, for me it’s that beauty has always been a form of expression and my form of individuality is in my hair and being myself. I never have ever wanted to look or be like anybody else but myself and just embracing what that is. I’ve always been like the person even as a young kid, teenager that was like, “Let me try this look. Let me do this and trying things with different hairstyles or you know with my hair. I was just really comfortable in doing so. I would find it to be like a power move in that it made me stand out.
And me being the type of person that didn’t want to blend in with everybody else anyway. Like if everybody was pressing their hair, I’m like I ain’t going to press my hair. I’m going to wear my afro you know what I mean? If everybody is going to the left, I’mma go right – if everybody going right I’mma go left. I just never wanted to do anything that everybody else is doing because it’s like that’s boring”.
- You’ve often spoken to and shown up for Black women through your art and presence. How intentional is that in your creative process?
“Well, I’m a black woman and I love being a black woman and my mother’s a black woman. My daughter will be a black woman one day. I was raised around black women. I have no choice to be black and I have no choice but to be a woman. And I’m proud to be able to say that. So, I embrace any opportunity that I have to be in fellowship with my sisters, you know what I’m saying, with other fellow black women that are on the same energy wavelength.
Now don’t get me wrong, I keep it 100. Because I’m all for sisterhood, you know what I mean? But everybody, you know, may not be on that and or really truly understand what sisterhood is. But, I love who we are as women. I love the power that we hold when we can come together”.
- “Grown woman energy” is such a vibe. How do you define that in 2025—and how does that show up in your music?
“I define it as I should say… this might be so rude and disrespectful, but I just really don’t give a f— right now. It’s really middle finger when it comes to that. I used to concern myself if you will of thoughts and opinions and things of others or I would concern myself with trying to please, you know, everyone. Whereas, I feel as you get older, you realize how short life is and how important it is to have your own peace and preservation.
Because at the end of the day, you come into this world and you going to go out this world alone. So you have to, you know, take care of yourself first. You can’t take care of everyone else and be concerning yourself with everything before you can take care of yourself because you can get lost in the sauce if you’re pouring into everybody else’s cup”.
- Your new single “Right On Time” hits with soul and strength. Can you talk about the message behind the song and the space you were in when writing it?
“So the message behind that particular record is essentially pertaining to love. A lot of times we want what we want when we want it, you know, whether it it relationships, be whatever, a job, anything. And sometimes it may not always line up the time that we feel like it should and we don’t necessarily already understand. So even to the to the point where from a biblical standpoint it’s like there’s a scripture that speaks on things you’ll understand that our ways are not necessarily God’s ways and so when timing and things I felt like something wasn’t going to happen it happened on his time.
Just when you thought it wasn’t going to happen it shows up and it’s right on time and it feels like perfect timing. And then you’re looking at it like all the times when things didn’t work out and you’re like, “Well, this why that relationship didn’t work out because it was preparing me for this perfect timing of what’s happening right now, which is right on time”.
- “Right On Time” hit #1 and stayed there for weeks. Do you still get that thrill when a new single connects? Or is it more about the message than the numbers now?
“Man, please. I get excited. Absolutely. I still get excited. It’s always about the message, but I don’t ever lose the excitement. I’m like a a little kid when I release music and people are always, you know, some kind of for some reason shock behind that and I’m just like, “Oh my god, they’re playing my music on the radio”. They’re like, “Uh yeah”. But I’m like, “No. First of all, that’s a blessing. Second of all, everybody’s music played. So, I still don’t take nothing for granted and I still appreciate, you know, I appreciate my fans. I appreciate the opportunity to be able to do it after all these years, you know, it’s wonderful and I’m just grateful. I’m grateful that the people are still rocking and riding with me. And so I get excited when it’s like, you mean it’s number one?!”
- You’ve called your visuals a form of Black cinema. What are some iconic Black films that have shaped your storytelling style?
I mean definitely me being born and raised in LA. God rest his soul, he made Boys in the Hood and that was literally blocks and and minutes away from where I grew up. So I remember at the time this is so dope that they’re doing a movie in our neighborhood and bringing to life, you know, basically the world here that we live in because I felt like people would sleep on LA and were not really knowing. It was just interesting at that time when that came out and the impact that it had on the urban community. I like movies like that.
I’m into classics, like old school old school. I love watching a lot of old school movies with the classic comedians like Richard Prior in Car Wash. I recently obviously did Pay Homage to the movie Jason Blicks was my recent video “Right On Time”. You know, that was my way of paying homage to that film, which I also thought was another great urban legend type of movie. And Houston, Texas is also my second home. So, it was a way of me paying homage to the to the city of Houston as well.
- Your videos feel like mini love letters to our culture. How do you blend nostalgia with fresh perspective when conceptualizing your visuals?
“Well, what I I feel like I do, is how I blend the nostalgic of that time and then today. By modernizing, if you will, the story. It’s like I’m pulling from the classic, but I’m also putting a twist on it a little bit with the current times. But as we know, as they used to say the game doesn’t change it’s just the players”.
- If a young Black girl stumbles on your music years from now, what do you hope she hears—not just in the notes, but in the message?
“I hope she hears first of all the strength in my music. I hope she hears the perseverance in my music. And then I know she’ll hear the pain. But even through that pain, I hope she hears the determination to continue and to never fold. S** one monkey doesn’t stop a show. It ain’t the end all be all. Those are different things that I think that are important. And then also in listening to my music to literally let nothing steal your joy”.
- How did that moment with James Brown shape your path—and do you feel a responsibility to carry the torch for soul music in today’s landscape?
“Absolutely. Well, I feel like that moment with James Brown definitely was a turning point for me. I felt seen by one of the greatest and even at such an early point in my career, I knew that I had the responsibility to carry that torch and not quit. To take it very very seriously because I had someone of his caliber to acknowledge that he saw something great in me. And so at that point it was just like yeah the the the switch went off in my head like this ain’t for play. Like I got talent no question, but it’s something a little deeper than just a talent. He saying I got something special”.
- You draw from legends, but your sound is unmistakably your own. What did those artists teach you about presence, power, and staying true to your voice?
” I feel like artists like those, whether it’s James Brown or Aretha Franklin, or the Tina Turners, number one, they taught me, real music, and real singing, real performing, and real artistry. Also what soul singers sound like in my opinion. How they perform to how they entertained. And you know, you got the Michael Jacksons, the Whitney Houston, like those artists were just all in a league of their own. So again, I think for me, what I took away from all of their legacies is just true artistry. Like seeing them live it was I mean we don’t have to say it, was just probably like out of body experience watching them.
- When you think about legacy, what do you want people to say about Leela James 10 years from now?
“Well, I would just say I would want people to take away that I was a real one. I definitely was a true artist. Through and through. I sang about it for real because I lived it for real. But I’m still here so stay tuned!”
- You’ve made it clear this is bigger than music. How do you stay grounded in purpose while navigating the business side of entertainment?
I mean, I would say my family has kept me grounded. The fact that um I’m a mother with a daughter, you know, I’ve been a wife. I just feel like real life keeps me grounded and just knowing that and having that true understanding is great, you can’t take none of it with you.
I think in these last few years, what has really been interesting to me, if you will, that I’ve really started putting things in perspective like watching so many of our greats and our peers pass away in these last few years and just seemingly how it’s just lightly taken. And it’s like, dang, just like that, it’s over. So now, it makes me feel like just live your life. Do what you can do, but don’t take all of this so personal because at the end of the day like people really don’t care. It’s going to be your family that’s going to be there”.
- Maintaining momentum — you recently hit up stages in NYC and Boston at the end of July. What can fans expect from these shows? Also, how do you approach live performance differently today versus earlier in your career?
“First, I think I’m a little more relaxed. I take my time a little more with my performances now than I did before. I still I’m going to give you the energy and all of that, but I think I’m a little more intentional now than I was earlier on”.
- What fuels your fire on stage after all these years? Is it the crowd, the music, the message—or all of it?
“I would say my fire is fueled by a combination of everything. The energy in the room, the people, the music, how I’m feeling, you know, it’s a whole multitude of factors that can affect me”.
- Additionally, awards can validate, but they’re not everything. What recognition has meant the most to you personally—and why?
“It was definitely meaningful because it’s where I’m from. I was born and raised there and just being a child like with dreams of escaping the ghetto and making it was a thing. Hey, it was definitely a blessing and a compliment to get”.
- Excited to hear more — what’s next for Leela James in 2025?
- Lastly, is there a message that you’d like to leave with fans?
