Leah LaBelle
Leah LaBelle | |
---|---|
Born | Leah LaBelle Vladowski September 8, 1986 Toronto, Canada |
Died | January 31, 2018 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged 31)
Citizenship |
|
Occupation | Singer |
Years active | 2004–2018 |
Musical career | |
Origin | Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
Genres | |
Labels | |
Website | home |
Leah LaBelle Vladowski (September 8, 1986 – January 31, 2018) was an American singer. She rose to prominence in 2004 as a contestant on the
Born in
LaBelle signed a record deal after
Life and career
1986–2004: Early life and American Idol
Leah LaBelle Vladowski was born on September 8, 1986, in
LaBelle began performing publicly in 1990,
At age 17, LaBelle auditioned for the
LaBelle covered the Stylistics' "Betcha by Golly, Wow" for the 2004 compilation album American Idol Season 3: Greatest Soul Classics.[9] AllMusic's Heather Phares praised LaBelle as "surprisingly strong and mature", writing that "the studio brings out colors in her voice that she didn't display on-stage".[9] NUVO's Steve Hammer criticized her as "crushing the life" from the original.[10]
Week # | Theme | Song choice | Original artist | Results |
---|---|---|---|---|
Audition | — | "I Believe in You and Me" | Whitney Houston | Advanced |
Hollywood | — | "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" | Diana Ross | Advanced |
"Young Hearts Run Free" | Candi Staton | Advanced | ||
Top 30 | Semi-final/Group 1 | "I Have Nothing" | Whitney Houston | Eliminated |
Wildcard | "Let's Stay Together" | Al Green | Paula Abdul's choice | |
Top 12 | Motown
|
"You Keep Me Hangin' On" | The Supremes | Eliminated |
2004–2010: YouTube and backup singing
In 2004, following her elimination from American Idol, LaBelle performed "
While attending Berklee College, LaBelle rejected two
LaBelle stayed at Berklee College for one year before moving to Los Angeles at 21 to pursue her music career.[20][5] Following an industry contact's advice, she created a YouTube channel on December 1, 2007,[5][21] and gained recognition for her covers of R&B and soul music.[7][8] In 2018, Vibe's Desire Thompson noted "the early days of YouTube were a blessing to singers like LaBelle".[8]
In 2008 Keri Hilson heard LaBelle's cover of her single "Energy" and hired her as a backing vocalist. LaBelle viewed Hilson as a mentor and said she "brought me along with her and allowed me to see into the industry a little bit deeper than I already have".[8] Her connection with Hilson led to further work as a background singer, and she performed for Robin Thicke, Jordin Sparks, the Jonas Brothers, Britney Spears, and Eric Benét on their respective tours.[8][22] In March 2008, LaBelle sang at Quincy Jones' 75th birthday party at the Northwest African American Museum.[23] The same year, she was included on American Idol Rewind,[24] and in 2009, she was featured on rapper Kumasi's single "Angel" from his debut studio album The One.[25] When Benét was an opening act in Fantasia's Back to Me Tour, LaBelle was his backing vocalist, and she performed duets with him as a part of his set list.[26]
2011–2018: Record contract
LaBelle signed a record deal in 2011 with L.A. Reid's company, Epic Records, in a partnership with Pharrell Williams' I Am Other and Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Recordings.[7] Dupri and Williams became interested in LaBelle after watching her YouTube covers, which led to Dupri contacting her.[4] Like Wright and Hilson had before, they acted as mentors for LaBelle.[8] She first met Williams when she was 17, while backstage at a concert by his band N.E.R.D., and told him he would produce her album one day.[7] On May 1, 2012, LaBelle released the five-track sampler Pharrell Williams and Jermaine Dupri Present Leah LaBelle, which was distributed to record companies.[27] It was also made available on her SoundCloud account.[28]
The sampler was promoted with the singles "Sexify" and "What Do We Got To Lose?".[29][30] "Sexify" peaked at number 23 on the Adult R&B Songs and at number 89 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Billboard charts.[31][32] In a 2018 Billboard article, Natalie Maher referred to it as LaBelle's breakthrough single.[33] LaBelle said the sampler resembled the sound for her debut studio album, which she described as "feel-good texture music" with a "throwback-but-new feel".[34] Although her debut album was reportedly set for a 2012 release, later being delayed to 2013,[35] it was ultimately never released.[8]
At the
In 2013 LaBelle was featured on Brian Cross's single "Shot Gun" on his album Pop Star – The Album,[42][43] and provided background vocals for Nelly's seventh studio album M.O.[44] In October, she was the opening act for JoJo's Agápē Tour,[45][46] and appeared in the music video for her single "André" on her mixtape Agápē.[47] LaBelle was also a dancer in the 24-hour music video for Williams' 2013 single "Happy".[48] Throughout the day-long video, Williams dances with people in several Los Angeles locations.[49][50] In 2014, she was featured with JoJo on the hidden track "Freq" on Williams' second studio album G I R L.[51][52]
LaBelle reunited with Heard in 2017 during the 59th Annual Grammy Awards. Heard said she was going through a "dark period", and he believed she had given up on her music career when her singles underperformed.[19]
Death and aftermath
On January 31, 2018, LaBelle and her boyfriend, retired NBA player Rasual Butler,[53] died in a single vehicle car crash in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, after he lost control of his Range Rover on Ventura Boulevard, hit a curb, and crashed into a strip mall parking lot. The car flipped twice before coming to rest.[53] Before the crash, which occurred at 2:25 a.m. Pacific Time, Butler was driving two to three times over the speed limit.[53] They both died instantly from "multiple traumatic injuries".[54] According to an autopsy report, Butler had methamphetamine, oxycodone, and marijuana in his system and a blood alcohol level of 0.118.[55] LaBelle had a blood alcohol level of 0.144 and methamphetamine and amphetamine in her system at the time of the incident.[55][56]
While multiple reports at the time of the incident referred to Butler as LaBelle's husband,[57] her obituaries and her official website clarified that they were not married.[58] On February 3, 2018, Butler's daughter from a past relationship, Raven, held a joint memorial service at Potter's House, a Christian church in Los Angeles. LaBelle and Butler had both been members of the church. The memorial was streamed online.[59] An individual service was held for LaBelle on February 24 at Garfield High School.[1] Her mother provided a $10,000 scholarship under her daughter's name to a University of Southern California student with an art major.[60]
In February 2018, Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox released two tracks – "Scumbag" and "Stereo" – by LaBelle.[61][62] The same month, Heard expressed interest in making available unreleased material that he had recorded with her.[19] A posthumous EP, Love to the Moon, was released on September 7, 2018. The five songs were donated by their producers: Williams, Midi Jones, Sam Hook, and Tom Strahle. JoJo included dedications to LaBelle on her social media for a week.[63] A trailer for the EP was released on LaBelle's Vevo account on September 11, 2018.[64] Proceeds from the EP were donated to other yearly scholarships.[60]
Discography
Sampler
Title | Album details | List of songs |
---|---|---|
Pharrell Williams and Jermaine Dupri Present Leah LaBelle |
|
Track listing[65]
|
Extended play
Title | EP details | List of songs |
---|---|---|
Love to the Moon |
|
Track listing[63]
|
Singles
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Dance Club [41] |
US Adult R&B [31] |
US R&B/Hip-Hop [32] | |||||
"Sexify" | 2012 | — | 23 | 89 | Pharrell Williams and Jermaine Dupri Present Leah LaBelle | ||
"What Do We Got to Lose?"[30] | — | — | — | ||||
"Lolita" | 2013 | 7 | — | — | Non-album single | ||
"—" denotes items which failed to chart or were not released in that country. |
Other appearances
Title | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"Betcha by Golly, Wow"[9] | 2004 | American Idol Season 3: Greatest Soul Classics |
"Christmas Time"[15] | Christmas in the Northwest, Vol. 7. | |
" Lisa Leuschner )
|
Sing Me Home | |
"Angel"[25] (with Kumasi) |
2009 | The One |
"Shot Gun"[43] (with Brian Cross) |
2013 | Pop Star – The Album |
"Freq"[51] (with Pharrell Williams and JoJo) |
2014 | Girl |
Filmography
Year | Show | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2000–2002 | Caught in the Middle[1] | Herself | |
2004 | American Idol[6] | Herself (finalist) | Season 3
|
2008 | American Idol Rewind[24] | Herself (finalist) |
Stage
Year | Production | Role |
---|---|---|
1998–2003 | Black Nativity[1] | Unknown |
References
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k The Seattle Times 2018.
- ^ a b Pedersen 2018.
- ^ a b c d McFarland 2004.
- ^ a b c Gaspard 2012.
- ^ a b c d Centrella 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Penrose 2018.
- ^ a b c d e BET 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g Thompson 2018.
- ^ a b c Phares.
- ^ Hammer 2004.
- ^ American Idol 2004.
- ^ Massey 2004.
- ^ Yanity & Bruscas 2004.
- ^ a b Sing Me Home 2004.
- ^ a b Sitt 2004, p. C1.
- ^ WorldCat.
- ^ a b c d e Brooks 2006.
- ^ Sitt 2007.
- ^ a b c d e Marzovilla 2018.
- ^ Lentz III 2019.
- ^ YouTube A.
- ^ Laurence 2012.
- ^ Barros 2008.
- ^ a b TV Guide.
- ^ a b The One 2009.
- ^ Joinville 2010.
- ^ Maher 2018; Pharrell Williams and Jermaine Dupri Present Leah LaBelle 2012; Rap-Up 2012a
- ^ SoundCloud.
- ^ Rap-Up 2012a.
- ^ a b Apple Music 2012.
- ^ a b Billboard A.
- ^ a b Billboard B.
- ^ Maher 2018.
- ^ Partridge 2012.
- ^ Rap-Up 2012b; Rap-Up 2013a; Rap-Up 2013b
- ^ Angermiller 2012.
- ^ Essence 2012.
- ^ BET 2013.
- ^ Apple Music 2013a.
- ^ Beatport 2013.
- ^ a b Billboard C.
- ^ YouTube 2013a.
- ^ a b Apple Music 2013b.
- ^ AllMusic.
- ^ LeahLabelle.com 2013.
- ^ Nostro 2013.
- ^ Carter 2013.
- ^ YouTube 2013b.
- ^ Rap-Up 2013c.
- ^ Grow 2013.
- ^ a b Reyes 2014.
- ^ Ugwu 2014.
- ^ a b c McCausland 2018.
- ^ Reuters 2018.
- ^ a b BET 2018.
- ^ Bacchiocchi & Hernandez 2018.
- ^ BET 2018; McCausland 2018; Reuters 2018
- ^ LeahLaBelle.com 2018; Lentz III 2019; The Seattle Times 2018
- ^ Mizoguchi 2018.
- ^ a b Milligan 2018.
- ^ Rap-Up 2018a.
- ^ SoundCloud 2018.
- ^ a b Rap-Up 2018b.
- ^ YouTube 2018.
- ^ Pharrell Williams and Jermaine Dupri Present Leah LaBelle 2012.
Sources
- "10 Things You Should Know About Leah LaBelle". BET. June 21, 2012. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017.
- Angermiller, Michele Amabile (November 26, 2012). "Soul Train Awards: 'American Idol's' Fantasia Barrino, Jordin Sparks and Leah Labelle Take the Stage (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 4, 2013.
- "Antonio "L.A." Reid, Pharrell Williams and Jermaine Dupri Present Leah LaBelle". SoundCloud. 2012. Archived from the original on June 21, 2012.
- Bacchiocchi, Gina; Hernandez, Marjorie (June 2, 2018). "American Idol star Leah LaBelle had meth, alcohol in system before deadly crash". National Post. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
- Barros, Paul de (March 17, 2008). "Northwest African American Museum gives a musical tribute to Quincy Jones". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on July 25, 2018.
- "BET Network's Music Matters' Showcase – Grammy Edition "Lipstick on the Mic" Featuring Marsha Ambrosius, Elle Varner, Stacy Barthe, Leah LaBelle, and Ravaughn, Friday, February 8th, 2013". BET. February 4, 2013. Archived from the original on February 7, 2018.
- "Brian Cross – Shot Gun (Videoclip Product Placement Version) ft. Leah LaBelle". BrianCrossVevo. June 18, 2013. Archived from the original on November 4, 2015 – via YouTube.
- Brooks, Diane (October 2, 2006). "Area's Idol singers pursue big goals". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on February 1, 2018.
- Carter, Terry (March 21, 2013). "New Video: JoJo 'Andre'". Vibe. Archived from the original on June 27, 2021.
- "Catch Leah LaBelle on Tour with JoJo!". LeahLaBelle.com. September 25, 2013. Archived from the original on June 30, 2017.
- Centrella, Sarah (2016). Hustle Believe Receive: An 8-Step Plan to Changing Your Life and Living Your Dream. ISBN 978-1-63450-480-5.
- "Chart History: Adult R&B Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 20, 2019.
- "Chart History: Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 20, 2019.
- "Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 20, 2019.
- Christmas in the Northwest 7. OCLC 68927176.
- "Credits". TV Guide. Archived from the original on September 12, 2015.
- "Credits: Leah LaBelle". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 11, 2018.
- Director: .
- Gaspard, Whitney (May 8, 2012). "New and Next: Meet New R&B Sensation Leah Labelle". Essence. Archived from the original on January 4, 2013.
- Grow, Kory (November 21, 2013). "Pharrell Williams Creates First 24-Hour Music Video". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 3, 2021. (subscription required)
- Hammer, Steve (May 19, 2004). "Two train wrecks: CD Review(s) Aerosmith Honkin' On Bobo (Columbia) American Id". NUVO. Archived from the original on August 11, 2018.
- "Jermaine Dupri Shares Unreleased Leah LaBelle Song 'Scumbag'". Rap-Up. February 1, 2018. Archived from the original on July 28, 2018.
- Joinville, Michel (November 13, 2010). "Review". . (subscription required)
- Laurence, Emily (May 31, 2012). "17 Minutes With Leah Labelle". Seventeen. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017.
- "Leah LaBelle". LeahLaBelle.com. September 7, 2018. Archived from the original on January 28, 2020.
- "Leah LaBelle – Love To The Moon (Official EP Trailer)". LeahLaBelleVevo. September 11, 2018. Archived from the original on October 25, 2018 – via YouTube.
- "Leah Labelle Previews 5 Tracks Off Debut Album". Rap-Up. May 1, 2012. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016.
- "Leah Labelle Vladowski". The Seattle Times. February 11, 2018. Archived from the original on July 23, 2018 – via Legacy.com.
- Lentz III, Harris M. (2019). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2018. ISBN 978-1-4766-3655-9.
- "'Lolita' – Remixes". Beatport. March 26, 2013. Archived from the original on November 2, 2016.
- "'Lolita' – Single". Apple Music. May 7, 2013. Archived from the original on July 28, 2018.
- Maher, Natalie (January 31, 2018). "Leah LaBelle's Musical History, From Gospel Choir to American Idol". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 1, 2018.
- Marzovilla, Julia (February 5, 2018). "Leah LaBelle Had a 'God-Given Gift': Producer Andreao 'Fanatic' Heard Remembers Late Singer, Talks Plans for Her Unreleased Music". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 8, 2018.
- Massey, Matt (July 4, 2004). "Stars back for alumni hoops tourney". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on July 24, 2018.
- McCausland, Phil (January 31, 2018). "NBA player Rasual Butler and R&B singer Leah LaBelle killed in car crash". NBC News. Archived from the original on March 22, 2018.
- McFarland, Melanie (February 23, 2004). "Seattle teen shoots for the American Idol final 12". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on July 24, 2018.
- Milligan, Kaitlin (September 7, 2018). "Leah LaBelle's Posthumous EP, Love To The Moon, Has Been Released". BroadwayWorld. Archived from the original on September 12, 2018.
- Mizoguchi, Karen (February 3, 2018). "Leah LaBelle and Rasual Butler's daughter announces memorial service details". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 3, 2018.
- "Must-See: Watch Leah LaBelle's 2012 Essence Music Festival Performance". Essence. October 15, 2012. Archived from the original on April 3, 2016.
- "New Music: Leah LaBelle – 'Lolita'". Rap-Up. January 18, 2013. Archived from the original on November 10, 2016.
- Nostro, Lauren (March 21, 2013). "Interview: JoJo Talks André 3000 Inspiration, Her "Agape" Mixtape, and Finding Her New Sound". Complex. Archivedfrom the original on April 7, 2016.
- The One (Inlay cover). Kumasi. SoSouth. July 29, 2009.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - Partridge, Kenneth (May 21, 2012). "In House With Leah LaBelle: Singer Talks New Album With Pharrell Williams, Jermaine Dupri". The Boombox. Archivedfrom the original on September 14, 2015.
- Pedersen, Erik (January 31, 2018). "American Idol Finalist Leah LaBelle & Ex-NBA Player Husband Killed In Car Crash". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 4, 2018.
- Penrose, Nerisha (February 1, 2018). "Leah LaBelle's 5 Best American Idol Moments". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 24, 2018.
- "Pharrell Williams – 'Happy' (12PM)". I Am Other. December 4, 2013. Archived from the original on June 26, 2021 – via YouTube.
- Pharrell Williams and Jermaine Dupri Present Leah LaBelle (Media notes). Leah Labelle. Epic Records. 2012. 88725 40238 2.)
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link - Phares, Heather. "American Idol Season 3: Greatest Soul Classics". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 23, 2017.
- "Pop Star – The Album" (in Spanish). Apple Music. February 26, 2013. Archived from the original on February 4, 2016.
- "Profile Description". Leah Labelle. Archived from the original on July 25, 2018 – via YouTube.
- "Autopsy of ex-NBA player Butler reveals drugs, alcohol at time of crash". AOL. Reuters. June 2, 2018. Archived from the original on August 2, 2018.
- Reyes, Jon (March 4, 2014). "Pharrell, G I R L [Album Review]". The Boombox. Archivedfrom the original on September 9, 2021.
- Sing Me Home (Inlay cover). Lisa Leuschner. Succession Records. December 21, 2004.)
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link - Sitt, Pamela (November 23, 2004). "So what's up with Idol homegirl Miss Leah LaBelle? ; Reality Check". . (subscription required)
- Sitt, Pamela (December 9, 2007). "Anchor's away, but Capt. Sig's ship has come in". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021.
- "'Stereo' – Leah LaBelle (Produced by Bryan-Michael Cox)". SoundCloud. February 2018. Archived from the original on July 28, 2018.
- "Stream Leah LaBelle's Posthumous EP Love To the Moon". Rap-Up. September 7, 2018. Archived from the original on September 12, 2018.
- Thompson, Desire (January 31, 2018). "Gone Too Soon: 5 Things To Know About R&B Singer Leah LaBelle". Vibe. Archived from the original on June 16, 2018.
- "Toxicology Reports From Former LA Clippers Star Rasual Butler's Fatal Car Crash Officially Released". BET. June 1, 2018. Archived from the original on October 25, 2018.
- Ugwu, Reggie (February 25, 2014). "Pharrell, G I R L: Track-By-Track Review". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021.
- "Video: Leah Labelle – "Sexify"". Rap-Up. May 9, 2012. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013.
- "Video: Pharrell – 'Happy'". Rap-Up. November 21, 2013. Archived from the original on September 7, 2021.
- "Watch: Leah Labelle – 'Lolita'". Rap-Up. May 8, 2013. Archived from the original on May 25, 2015.
- "What Do We Got To Lose? – Single". Apple Music. November 12, 2012. Archived from the original on July 28, 2018.
- Yanity, Molly; Bruscas, Angelo (December 6, 2004). "Seahawks Notebook: Onside kick thing of beauty". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on July 24, 2018.
External links
- Leah LaBelle at IMDb