Homegrown Girl Erica Falls Take Her Place Among Music’s Royalty at Essence Festival
New Orleans’ songstress and favorite homegrown girl Erica Falls will be taking her place among music’s heavy hitters, including Mary J. Blige, Janet Jackson, Erykah Badu, Queen Latifah, and Jill Scott, who’ll be appearing at the 2018 Essence Festival this weekend in The Crescent City. To be held July 5-8 in The Superdome and The New Orleans Convention Center, the annual event is the largest of its kind in the U.S. celebrating women of color, African-American culture, and music.
Begun in 1995 as a 25th anniversary celebration for Essence, a magazine primarily aimed at African American women, the festival now draws nearly five hundred thousand people and some of the biggest names in entertainment to New Orleans each year. Music is its heart, but the celebration includes independent movie showings, DJ-lead dance parties, speakers, and workshops on community, culture, wellness, spirituality, beauty, entrepreneurship, activism and more.
Falls will be representing her hometown and bringing her soaring vocals and vintage soul to Center Stage in The New Orleans Convention Center on July 8. Although this isn’t Falls’ first appearance at Essence (she performed in The Super Lounge during the festival’s early years with cover bands ELS and Nu-Beginnings), this is the first time she’ll be doing her own music.
She’ll also take a turn with New Orleans bounce legend Big Freedia in what is sure to be a raucous performance on the festival’s Main Stage in The Superdome. Falls is featured on Big Freedia’s “3rd Ward Bounce,” the title track and single off the bounce star’s new EP that pays mad respect to New Orleans and its culture.
Falls, whose career spans over two decades, is coming into her own with her second album Homegrown, released in May of 2017. As a solo artist and breathtakingly talented singer/songwriter, she can rightfully claim the mantle of Queen of Neo-Soul alongside New Orleans’ greats like Irma Thomas and Charmaine Neville. Her exuberant style and soulful, heartbreaking vocals caught the attention of a local promoter who recommended her and several other artists to Essence organizers, who chose her among the hopefuls.
A native of New Orleans raised in the city’s Ninth Ward, Falls began her journey into the heart of music in church with a big family whose love of R&B and soul informs her music today. Her career includes performing and recording with music icons like Sting, No Doubt, Jennifer Hudson, Joe Sample, John Fogerty, Allan Toussaint and Dr. John. In 2013, director Lee Daniels hand-picked her for the lead singing role in his film “The Butler.” She is also the current face of New Orleans’ preeminent power-funk band Galactic, touring with them for several years now.
Falls describes her life as blessed, and she most certainly is – blessed with the talent and tenacity that got her this far. Even so, performing in front of thousands at Essence Festival is something special.
“This performance means the world to me,” she said. “First of all, I grew up reading Essence magazine because it featured folks who looked like me, and it said we were beautiful. Then when I got older, I had my subscription and looked forward to each new issue. As an artist, this amazing opportunity allows me to share my music with a whole new audience. The icing on the cake, though, is I get to do it at home.”
For the full Essence Festival schedule, click here, and for more information and on how to purchase tickets check out the links below.
