“I am venturing into new things and evolving. I don’t want to be put in a box.” – Jalesa Jessie
There’s an expectation that all us deep East Texas natives wandering around the city automatically gravitate to the sound of a love-drunk cowboy bellowing out his sorrows. But not Chief Cleopatra. Instead? The expressive soul-rock singer – aka Jalesa Jessie – uses her Corsicana childhood to find the impassioned and understandable edge woven in her lyrics.
“Growing up in the church, there’s some type of spiritual thing happening. You’re singing and you’re rejoicing and, even though I stopped going to church when I was like 14, that feeling is still with me and has trained me to be who I am,” she explains.
The sensation overflowed into her first Austin visit on her 20th birthday, ultimately compelling the songwriter to grow new roots.
Now on notable indie label Park the Van Records, Chief Cleopatra dropped her sophomore EP, Luna, on March 4. With singles such as sensational heartbreak anthem “Dreamlights” and chance encounter rebirth ballad “Fortuity” flooding listeners’ ears, the recent KUTX Artist of the Month breaks through the barriers set by her rough draft debut, Lesa X Lenny Vol. 1, and blossoms with masterfully dense R&B imbued with honest self-reflections.
“I am venturing into new things and evolving. I don’t want to be put in a box. I want people to know that my imagination is limitless, and to get excited because the EP represents me moving in a different direction.”
After a canceled SXSW 2020 and an online 2021 reinvention, the sentiment carries into her third-time’s-the-charm attitude.
“I’ve always gone to SXSW and just loved the electricity in the air – people being around, vibing. So it was really weird not to play in front of an audience,” she says.
“I just want to give 110% on my performance and connect with people through my music.”
Chief Cleopatra
Wednesday, March 16, 9pm, Seven Grand
File Under: Rising Local
This article appears in Guide to SXSW 2022.