LEAH JENEA
Leah Jenea is a 24-year-old singer from Newark with more than a decade of musical experience. The height of her career came when she was a finalist on season 2 of Fox TV’s reality singing competition, “The Four: Battle for Stardom,” in 2018. She was 17, and still in high school.
“I was literally going back and forth to L.A. to shoot the show, then also doing prom and graduation and other things back home,” she says.
She has been around music her entire life. Her mother was a singer, and her father was a rapper who performed with artists such as Naughty by Nature and Jaheim. Homeschooling allowed her to go on tour with her brother’s play when she was 14. After attending summer camp at Newark Symphony Hall, she joined its Special Youth Ensemble, which toured the tristate area and was one of the winners in the McDonald’s Gospelfest competition. With the help of a vocal coach, she won in the Child Stars of Tomorrow category of “Amateur Night at the Apollo,” three times.
The turning point in her career was taking the leap to compete on television.
“I think it was a case of being young and being, like, ‘Yeah, I’m going to try this, I’m going to go for it,’ but never really understanding what it could turn into.”
On “The Four,” Jenea’s renditions of “Best Part” by Daniel Caesar and “Call Out My Name” by The Weeknd didn’t just impress the judges, but the internet as well: the video clips (watch below) went viral. With her growing social media following, she took the opportunity to release original music. She released two albums, an EP and numerous singles, all inspired by music she heard growing up.
She says she was inspired by “all of the different music that my mom would play for us — Lauryn Hill, Jill Scott, Amy Winehouse. My grandmother loves country music, so one of my biggest inspirations, especially writing-wise, is Dolly Parton.”
LEAH JENEA
She is also influenced by the hip-hop music of her hometown of Newark. “I love when they used to do Bergen Street festivals or festivals kind of just on the little corner of blocks,” she says. “That was my favorite.”
Still giving back to her hometown, she will perform at the “24 Hrs of Peace” festival in Newark’s West Ward on Aug. 24. “24 Hrs of Peace,” hosted by Mayor Ras Baraka, is a hip-hop-focused event that aims to reduce gang and gun violence by introducing art and entertainment.
“Fortunately, I’ve never experienced (gang or gun violence) firsthand, but I’ve had friends who have experienced it — friends who have been killed by gun violence,” Jenea says. “Even if you don’t experience it firsthand, there’s still, like, a 99 percent chance you’ve been affected by it.”
The importance of the “24 Hrs of Peace” cause resonates with Jenea because when she was a child, art kept her away from violence in her neighborhood.
“My parents were very strict because they knew what was going on (in Newark), so they kept me heavily involved in art,” she says. “My grandma would always have me at a play or something productive.”
Leah says the “24 Hrs of Peace” audience can expect “an older version of me, of my voice — a little twist to certain things I’ve done before.” The set will be about 15 minutes and will include the first live performance of her single “ILY Song,” which is dedicated to her son and will be released the same day. She wants the performance to be “an ode to life.”
Other performers in the all-female lineup include Roxanne Shanté, Justina Valentine and Lady London.
LEAH JENEA
Now that she has become a mother, Jenea is pivoting from constant performing and touring, to teaching. She was recently accepted into a teaching art certificate program at Rutgers-Newark.
“I love performing, and I’ve been doing it for a long while, but I want to discover a different part of what I do,” she says, adding that she wants to help create programs and provide services for local artists, similar to the help she received at the start of her career.
“It’s what I feel is missing from the arts right now: artist development and having someone to help (artists) navigate the industry and boost themselves. Artists get tied up not knowing how to take care of their money, their brand and themselves — themselves when they’re not being an artist.”
But she will not be shying away from the stage. She just wants to continue her art in a way that is more sustainable as an adult.
“I want to take the opportunity to be working on music, be going hard — but also very much taking care of myself and taking care of my health,” she says.
For more on Leah Jenea, visit facebook.com/leahjenea.
For more on “24 Hrs of Peace,” visit 24hrsofpeaceinc.com.
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