Shahida Nurullah

Shahida Nurullah is a jazz vocalist born in Detroit; She lived in New York City as a child then attended Cass Technical High School, where her classmates were such notable artists as Kamau Kenyatta, Greg Phillinganes, Kevin Toney, Geri Allen, Marion Hayden, Ralphe Armstrong, and Jaribu Shahid. Her early influences were Charlie Parker, Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson, John Coltrane, Hugh Masekela, and fellow Cass Tech alumna Dorothy Ashby.

Nurullah began singing professionally in 1977 at The Salt Mine, a downtown Detroit nightclub. Essentially, she considers herself a performer whose job is to understand the lyricist’s intent, tell the story, and connect with the audience.