Biography

Chief Cleopatra, born Jalesa Jessie, is an Austin, Texas based soul-rock singer, songwriter and musician. Originally from Corsicana, Texas, Cleo began her musical journey as a young child, singing and playing drums in her church’s youth choir, and eventually beginning to write her own songs. After briefly stepping away from music, Cleo moved to Austin and released her debut EP, Lesa x Lenny Vol.1, in February 2019, kicking off her professional musical career. She was quickly noticed by and featured in the Austin Chronicle, and on KUTX, performing on the show The Breaks in 2019, and in their third annual Summer Jam as headliner in 2020. 
 Garnering praise and prompting comparisons to Santigold. Chief Cleopatra was an official showcasing artist at SXSW in 2020, ‘21, ‘22 and ‘23. She was nominated by the Austin Music Awards for “Best New Artist” in 2021, and was Austin’s KUTX’s Artist of the Month in February 2022. She was accepted into the Recording Academy in 2022 and was previously in consideration for The 65th Annual Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Song for Social Change with groove packed protest anthem, “Belushi”. 
 Cleo has supported The Wailers, Girl Talk, Adrian Quesada, Bryson Tiller, Bas, The Bright Light Social Hour, Jackie Venson, Seratones, Lukas Nelson along with many other notable acts. 
 Her debut full-length album is slated for release in 2024.