Ann Nesby

Coming from gospel, contemporary R&B and soul singer Ann Nesby is an American singer-songwriter born Lula Ann Bennett in Chicago on July 24, 1955. Inspired by her soul idols (Aretha Franklin, Al Green and Gladys Knight), she followed the more pop and festive path of Patti LaBelle, whose backing vocals she sang in the 1980s. A five-time Grammy Award nominee since her breakthrough as a member of the Minneapolis gospel choir The Sounds of Blackness, her audience has grown steadily. After her solo debut in 1996 with her first album I'm Here for You, a younger generation discovered her through TV appearances on American Idol, in popular shows and musicals, and alongside R&B stars such as Beyoncé. Also known as Lula Lee, Ann Nesby has blossomed in a style that straddles the border between soul and hip-hop, as demonstrated by the album This Is Love (2007). In 2009, she explored a different personality with her double in The Lula Lee Project, before returning to her musical roots in 2014's Living My Life. Returning after a long absence in 2025, Ann Nesby unveils the single "My Man", taken from the album Anniversary.