Vocalist | Composer | Storyteller
BATHO
Rooted in the Sesotho word for “people,” BATHO is Naledi’s urgent and heartfelt debut record — a sonic journey that celebrates community, memory, and belonging. Blending original compositions and breathtaking arrangements sung in five languages, Naledi weaves together the voices of her ancestors, her South African roots, and her global artistic community. Both a love letter to her people and a call to action, BATHO explores themes of home, identity, and social justice with striking honesty and warmth.
Lesakeng: In the Kraal
Lesakeng describes being in a kraal - my homestead. This is my offering to my village, at home and afar.
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Lesakeng: In the Kraal is a performance film presenting legendary songs from a South African jazz selection, her originals and jazz standards. As the only African student during my program at the New England Conservatory in Boston, USA, I always placed emphasis on sharing the stories of South African people and the African Diaspora. Recorded in an NPR tiny desk format, my debut project includes retellings about growing up in South Africa as well as vulnerable moments sure to move the listener. “Home takes on a whole new meaning when you can no longer breath its air, or place your feet in its soil. I hope my first offering begins a lifelong journey of digging deeper into who I am, whose I am and who we all can become.”
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Dreaming Girls Arts Foundation
The Dreaming Girls Arts Foundation is a non-profit that cultivates women and girls in the arts to be leaders and critically conscious members of society through producing art-focused programming, and providing resources, networks and mentorship.
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