“Through her unbelievably adaptable voice, Leah Shoshanah shifts tones frequently... but balances folk minimalism so well. Nothing is simple in her messages or in her brilliantly written songs.” - Chaz Thoughts

Leah Shoshanah is a Chicago-based singer, songwriter and Spiritual musician whose deeply felt, soulful music grows from folk, pop, funk, rock and jazz. Over the past decade, Shoshanah has sung on historic stages in Chicago and across the world. Her original music has been featured in two documentaries, including Blown Away, an acclaimed German movie about two audio engineers who made an album while sailing around the world. In 2019, Shoshanah played a 51-date tour in Germany as part of the movie release. When she returned, she began writing the music for her latest album, To Be Free, which received funding from a Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs (DCASE) grant.

To Be Free follows Shoshanah’s two studio albums and three singles. The album was co-produced by Shoshanah and Nadav Simon and is her most ambitious project to date. In this album, Shoshanah explores an electrified sound with inspiration from 70s disco and the Brooklyn funk-pop scene. Many of the songs originated from her foray into effects pedals and bass guitar, an exploration which eventually led her back to her beat-up Gibson acoustic guitar, which had been part of her signature sound since 2012. The songs range in topics— from Instagram jealousy to thrift store shopping to mindfulness practice and the never-ending pursuit of freedom. Yet, all songs stay true to Shoshanah’s passion for healing. To Be Free is about losing yourself and finding yourself again, about trying to be someone else, someone bigger, because of the fear of not being enough. The album is about coming home to the understanding that you were always enough, perfectly imperfect, and that the only thing that really matters is the love we share as family and community in this very precious life. 

Shoshanah grew up as the daughter of a Cellist and a Painter. Coming of age in an artistic household, she was encouraged to study voice (starting at age 10), acting, poetry, improv comedy and visual art. In 2004, she took 8th place in Chicago’s teen poetry slam competition, Louder Than a Bomb. In college, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she founded a long-form improv troupe and continued on to teach at the Market Theater conservatory in Johannesburg, South Africa. While in South Africa, she also sang in Opera Africa’s production of Carmen and directed a play called The Children’s Monologues with youth from the townships. A colleague from the conservatory encouraged her to learn to play guitar and write songs, and she has been focusing on that ever since.

On the road to a career as a singer-songwriter, Shoshanah went to the Old Town School of Folk Music, where she studied jazz and Brazilian guitar and later started teaching as an instructor in the Guitar program and an educator in the children’s program.

Shoshanah released her debut album, A Child Like This, in 2017. The album features an ensemble of nine musicians, and was self-produced by Leah Shoshanah. Her sophomore release, Stillness (2018), is an intimate collection of solo jazz and Brazilian guitar arrangements. Since then she has released several singles. To Be Free will be her second full length studio album.

Shoshanah’s work is split between the performative and the facilitated. As a Spiritual musician, Shoshanah leads community singing for healing and transformation. Her “Spirit Jam” workshops guide people from all walks of life toward improvised vocal jamming. Shoshanah is also known for her original Jewish music, which she shares around the country and as a Cantorial Soloist with Tzedek Chicago.

If you are interested in learning more, visit www.leahshoshanah.com