Alecia Chakour & The Osrah

Born in the small town of Amherst, MA, home to five colleges and a quirky musical community, Alecia grew her musical roots within an intellectual and nurturing environment. Her father, Joe Cocker’s former musical director, and an influential soul and blues musician in his own right, opened Alecia’s world to the soul greats. Alecia spent time with her father at sessions and shows taking in powerhouses such as Ray Charles, BB King, Matt “Guitar” Murphy and Bonnie Raitt. At home, Alecia found comfort listening to artists like Candi Staton and Otis Redding on her family’s record player. “In soul, you never feel like folks are trying to be too slick or sexy or too anything. They are just singing to let it out,” says Alecia.

Deemed a vocal wunderkind, Alecia was nearly signed to a major label at age 16. When asked to sing gimmicky pop songs instead of the gritty soul she loved, Alecia realized their intentions were more rooted in sales than music. With her big dreams dangling seemingly within her reach, Alecia made the difficult decision to forgo a major label relationship and instead forge her own path.

Alecia went on to become an educator, teaching tap dance and music at Brooklyn schools and programs throughout the Northeast. She collaborated with musicians across all genres– from rappers to psychedelic rockers, Broadway divas to legendary blues crews, crooners to jazz heads and opened for the legendary James Brown and KRS-One. She has been featured on Fader.com, BlindifortheKids, SoulCulture, Nu-SoulMag and more.

Out of the spotlight, Alecia is strongly informed by her cultural heritage. “I come from a very mixed background,” says Alecia. Particularly when speaking about her father’s Arab background and her mother’s Jewish background, “I feel so connected to all sides of myself, and I think it’s beautiful to be able to celebrate these two very similar yet distinct cultures. I feel compelled to step out and be proud of my heritage and represent our powerful diversity.” (NR)