When Alicia Olatuja was studying music at a conservatory, she kept wondering, "Where are the women's stories?"
Frustrated by the absence of women, she decided to create an album to celebrate and champion women composers.
It's called "Intuition: From the Minds of Women."
She'll bring music from this album to the stage of City Opera House in Traverse City this week.
Olatuja said she wanted the album to reflect women's intuition and intellect.
"I wanted to show the full gamut of women's experiences and their stories and their personalities," she explained.
"Intuition: From the Minds of Women" includes her interpretations of songs by women artists ranging from Tracy Chapman to Sade to Kate Bush to Imogen Heap.
She calls them "reimaginings" instead of "covers" because they sound so different compared to the originals.
Olatuja, who performed at Barack Obama's second presidential inauguration and who has sung with artists including Christian McBride, Chaka Khan and Billy Childs, said her "reimaginings" focus on women's unique experiences.
Each song she chose for the album is about "an experience that a woman can have, in all its varied forms." But, Olatuja explained, she interpreted the music from her own experiences as a woman.
"I found a way to express it from my perspective as a woman and seeing whatever comes out," she said, "and being acceptant and celebratory of whatever that is."
Olatuja will take the stage at City Opera House Thursday, March 3 at 7:30 p.m. Click here for more information and tickets.
Watch her performance at Barack Obama's 2013 inauguration below.
