Li(sa E.) Harris released her new solo album, Life and That, on July 7. Raised in Houston’s Third Ward, Harris grew up adjacent to the city’s prominent gospel music scene, dreaming of becoming a professional opera singer. These influences and her strong background in both funk and soul collide in Life and That. Like her past album, Cry of the Third Eye, in which Harris explored the gentrification of the Third Ward, Life and That continues to meditate on political and social issues such as racism and student loans. Read more on the album in an interview with Bandcamp here.

Harris was also recently awarded the University of Houston’s inaugural Affiliated Fellowship at the American Academy in Rome. On the fellowship, she notes: “I am elated to return to Italy, albeit my first trip to Rome,” as “it brings me joy to put on for my city around the world.” Harris will return to Ballroom in Fall 2021 to continue her research as a Ballroom Sessions artist-in-residence.