SHEILA E. may have become a household name thanks to her work in the mid-‘80s with Prince but she was – and is – much more than that! The daughter of iconic percussionist Pete Escovedo, she began her career in the mid-1970s as a percussionist and singer for The George Duke Band. After leaving the group in 1983, Sheila began a successful solo career that started with her critically acclaimed 1984 debut album The Glamorous Life. More than just a Prince-groomed diva, Sheila E. has continued to amaze and delight her fanbase with albums that blend a potpourri of styles into something that can only be described as ‘the Sheila E. sound’. This multi-talented musician – often referred to as The Queen of Percussion – is back with one of the most important albums of her career- ICONIC: MESSAGE 4 AMERICA.
“The impetus for the album project came from a place of mourning, frustration, anger, and hope.” Sheila explained to Discussions Magazine’s Dave Rayburn. “As I was in a mourning period for Prince, I found myself in mourning for the country during and after the election cycle. The acts of divisiveness, racism, misogyny, bigotry and overall un-American values being promoted were extremely disturbing for me. I felt the need to do something to take a stand against these things. My father taught me to fight for what I believed in. This album was my contribution to that fight.”
(You can read all of Dave Rayburn’s exclusive interview with Sheila E. HERE)
The new video, “Funky National Anthem: Message 2 America” was ‘inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s message of nonviolence, which has to be at the forefront of our fight for human rights. We have to eliminate and reject violence in every form that is thrown our way.’
