Rashida Jolley is an American harpist who uses her traditionally

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

instrument in

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

, R&B, and

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Street, eds, ''iarchive:cambridgecompani00frit, The Cambridge Companion to Pop ...

. Jolley also writes her own songs, fusing many different genres together.

Early life and education

Jolley grew up in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

during which she attended

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s and was

homeschooled Homeschooling or home schooling (American English), also known as home education or elective home education (EHE) (British English), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted ...

for her last few years of high school. Her father, Noble Jolley Sr., was a

jazz guitarist Jazz guitarists are guitarists who play jazz using an approach to chords, melodies, and improvised solo lines that is called jazz guitar playing. The guitar has fulfilled the roles of accompanist (rhythm guitar) and soloist in small and large ens ...

who taught all of his seven children how to play and perform. Jolley says that her mother first chose the harp for her, but she says that it "was love at first sight." Rashida Jolley began singing in her church choir when she was seven and was playing the harp at the

DC Youth Orchestra Program The DC Youth Orchestra Program (DCYOP) is an ensemble-based music education program in Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal distric ...

(DCYOP) when she was ten. She is a graduate of

Nyack College Alliance University (formerly Nyack College () was a private Christian university affiliated with the Christian and Missionary Alliance and located in New York City. It offered undergraduate and graduate programs; in addition, it included Allian ...

with a bachelor's degree in history.

Career

In 1997, when she participated in her first Miss D.C. pageant, she was nicknamed "Baby Diva." Jolley represented Washington, D.C. in the

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in 2000. In 2004, she was on the

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and a speaker with the Project Reality

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group. She also released her first CD, "Love is Not a Game" in 2004. Jolley competed on ''

America's Got Talent ''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is an American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distributed by) and ...

'' in 2009. Jolley played harp for

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

on her 2010-2011 Monster Ball World Tour. ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' called Jolley a "head-banging harpist." Jolley released her second album in 2011, titled "There's No One Else Like You." She partnered with the

Boys and Girls Club Boys & Girls Club may refer to: * Boys & Girls Clubs of America * Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada * Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Clubs, Bronx, United States * Essex Boys and Girls Clubs, in Essex and East London, England * The Boys' and Girls' Clubs ...

of DC in an anti-bullying program in 2013. Jolley has also performed on the

BET Black Entertainment Television (BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting Black American audiences. It is the flagship channel of the BET Media Group, a subsidiary of Paramount Global's CBS Entertainment Group. Originally launched ...

Rap It Up Tour and at the Ludacris Foundation's Tribute to

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations re ...

References

External links

Jolley in performance
(2011 video) {{DEFAULTSORT:Jolley, Rashida Singers from Washington, D.C. Nyack College alumni American women harpists Miss America 2000 delegates America's Got Talent contestants Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century African-American women singers 21st-century American women singers 21st-century harpists American harpists