Born in Brooklyn, New York, Shakura S’Aida calls Canada home. Her professional involvement in the Toronto music scene has been ongoing for the past 20 years, enriching the Jazz, Blues and R&B communities with her soulful voice, enthusiastic personality and commitment to music as an art form. As a solo artist, S’Aida’s career has spanned genres and countries and has taken her to some of the most noted stages in the Jazz world. She has performed at the Apollo Theatre in New York and has been nominated twice by the Toronto Blues Society as the Maple Blues “Female Vocalist of the Year” (2004/2005), follow by "Entertainer of the Year" (2007/2008). She has also performed with such greats as Jimmy Smith and Ruth Brown and has been a featured vocalist on such recordings as “Rhythm and Soul” by Bill King and the Saturday Night Fish Fry. S’Aida has also had the honour of being named “Best Female R&B Vocalist” in 2005 by Real Blues Magazine. S’Aida’s latest endeavor is the release of her debut blues album “Blueprint”. This 11-track compilation takes listeners on a journey through the blues of the 1940’s, and 50’s and is infused with S’Aida’s signature voice and sultry interpretation of the music. An article from The Blues Foundation. Canadians Proud of Shakura S'Aida--2nd Place Winner in IBC Shakura S'Aida, fronting one of three Canadian bands entered in the Blues Foundation's International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee, earned second place. More than 160 bands, duos and solo artists, from 27 different countries, took part in the competition, held annually by the Blues Foundation; the winners were announced last night (Sat. Feb. 2). . S'Aida was certainly one of the most "international" entries in the prestigious competition, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary next year — born in Brooklyn, raised in Switzerland, she has been part of the Toronto music and theatre scene for more than 20 years. Her entry was sponsored by the Toronto Blues Society. The winning band, Trampled Under Foot, is a trio from Kansas City. The response from audiences and judges alike was enthusiastic. Thomas Ruf, a German record label owner who counts Canadians Sue Foley and Roxanne Potvin among his artists, said: " I was completely blown away by the power and deep honesty of Shakura's performance," adding " Wow! I haven't experienced such an energy level since (I first heard) Luther Allison." The Blues Challenge was held in a variety of venues in and around Memphis' Beale Street; S'Aida and her band played at B.B. King's club on the historic thoroughfare where so much blues history has been made. Shakura S'Aida's debut recording, Blueprint, was released in Canada last year, and will be available in the United States, via the major independent company, Burnside Distribution, next month. I will play the blues for you...