Three super-talented individuals won the Taste of Soul Starquest Singing Competion – La Fleur, Zeal, and Alaman. Visitors can see these rising stars perform live at the 18th Annual Taste of Soul Family Festival on Saturday, Oct. 21, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., on Crenshaw Blvd., between Stocker St. and Obama Blvd.
La Fleur will perform on the Bakewell Media “Music for the Soul” Stage on the corner of Crenshaw and Stocker. Formerly known as Keisha Marie, La Fleur is a singer/songwriter from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Now based in Los Angeles, she prides herself on making music that is 100% true, healing, and otherworldly. Her brand, Song Therapy, officially started in 2018 when she bought her first home studio set up from Guitar Center. She spent days in her dad’s basement making song after song, truly healing and putting together the broken pieces within herself.
Since then, La Fleur has been making music from her experiences hoping to be a voice not only for herself, but also for those who can relate. Moreover, from her own artistry, she has even written songs for some heavy hitters in the music industry such as Macy Gray’s “Undone.” As an independent underground artist, La Fleur plans on taking the world by storm and she’s off to an amazing start.
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Zeal will sing on the Brenda Marsh-Mitchell Gospel Stage located on the corner of Crenshaw and Martin Luther King Blvd. A multi-talented artist, Zeal brings a beautiful and fresh sound to the Christian music industry. She was raised Los Angeles in a musical household and a family of believers, which led to her having a passion for ministry at 8 years old.
She grew up musically influenced by artists such as CeCe Winans, Kirk Franklin, Richard Smallwood, Commissioned, Kim Burrell along with Whitney Houston, Brandy, Lauryn Hill, and Stevie Wonder. By the age of 12, she began playing the piano and drums, which transcended into writing and producing songs.
Over the years she has shared the stage with Maverick City, Kierra Sheard, Kirk Franklin, Jason Nelson, and Kanye West (Sunday Service Jesus Movement) among others. Her talents have been requested domestically and internationally. She also currently leads worship with her husband, Trygg, at various churches while staying active in her own ministry.
Her dream is to help others find and release their Zeal as Romans 12:11 states, “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor serving the Lord!”
Alaman, who will perform on the KJLH Stage, is a singer, dancer, songwriter, and all-around entertainer from Leimert Park in Los Angeles. In his music, Alaman blends the genres of R&B, dance, and afrobeats much like he does with his styles of dance – tap, hip hop, and African.
His voice and performance are informed by his desire to tell stories his way – much like his idols Michael Jackson, Lauryn Hill, and Kendrick Lamar. He embodies a lineage of legendary artists who came before him, carrying on their tradition while striving to innovate with his own sound.
Alaman has performed around the world, from Broadway with Mariah Carey to Tyler Perry’s “A Jazzman’s Blues” and Will Ferrell’s “Spirited.” He is also a proud graduate of Yale College ’23 and a Presidential Scholar in the Arts.
As for his future, Alaman aspires to be one of the world’s premier live performers while representing his culture in South Central L.A. and Senegal. Also, he is excited to debut music from his forthcoming EP (releasing 2024) at the festival he grew up attending – Taste of Soul.
