Delise Hampton is a mother, educator, birth worker, multimedia content creator, and singer who performs as the High Heal Doula. Her first album, “The State of the Creator” was among the 50 added last spring to Crescent City Sounds, the New Orleans Public Library’s locally focused music streaming platform.
She describes her music is “a reflection of what it means to heal.”
Everything I create is to educate and help all of us appeal to a higher place of existence, as we see the planet and as we see the state of our society,” Delise said. “There are many things that we haven’t faced, so my music aims to inspire self-discovery, and to hopefully come together in a way that would allow us to heal fully, truly and wholly.”
Delise was raised in a family of musicians and is the niece of local artists Joseph Lastie and Herlin Riley. She grew up singing in church and started writing poetry when she was 11 as a way to process the trauma of Hurricane Katrina. After graduating from Howard University in 2015, Delise shifted her focus to music.
The name High Heal Doula is an evolution of a media production company she founded after her son was born in 2018.
“The company was called High Heal Productions, so I just took out productions and added Doula to get my stage name,” Delise, who is also an active birth doula, said,
“The high heal part came to me in a dream. It’s a play on words, because I wanted to reclaim the “high heel,” to be a healing fashion, rather than the function of the fashion itself.”
She recorded and released her album “The State of the Creator,” in 2020, which she described as an 11-song chronical of the state of the Black woman in America. The album was a way for her to process her own grief and healing, she said, while also aiming to provide insight, peace, and understanding for others.
“With that in mind, the album has many different phases, many different tones, and many different types of music intertwined throughout it,” she said. “It goes from gospel, to hip-hop, to poetry, and this was a purposeful way for me to express, truly, how I – as a Black woman – was feeling when I created this particular body of work.”
Delise heard about Crescent City Sounds from her friend, Slangston Hughes, a former curator for the platform.
“It’s such an honor to be featured on this collection, primarily because a lot of streaming platforms make it very difficult for independent artists to stand out,” Delise said. “Spotify and Apple Music and streaming services like that, they don’t really care if there’s a return on investment for smaller musicians. So, to be seen and heard and uplifted by a platform made for and by the city I’m from is very special to me.”
Growing up in New Orleans, Delise spent many hours at the East New Orleans Regional Library and is still a frequent Library user today.
“I’m an educator and my son is home schooled, so we go to the Library a lot,” Delise said. “We’re always excited about all the different programming they have during the day. We love visiting different libraries to do different things, just depending on the day and what’s going on.”
As a listener, Delise said she enjoys having a platform that showcases what New Orleans music truly sounds like.
“I love that Crescent City Sounds is a collection of New Orleans artists and only New Orleans artists. Listening through the platform, it’s incredible how many different genres and types of music there are. You’d never come across this collection of music together in one place anywhere else,” she said. “The more I explore the other artists on this platform, the more honored I am to be included in it, among so many amazing and talented artists.”
Delise’s next record will be out soon, called “Merkabah,” a Hebrew word for “chariot.” She’s also putting out a four-song EP this spring called 4GIVE, which she described as a way for listeners to my “intentionally consume [her] journey with forgiveness.”
For details and updates, visit highhealproductions.com or follow her on Instagram at highhealdoula. Crescent City Sounds is currently seeking albums for a third cohort of artists. Submissions are open through April 16. Visit crescentcitysounds.org for details.
In compliance with Louisiana Revised Statute 25:225, the New Orleans Public Library now requires guardians to approve materials children can access.
May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and to celebrate, we’re taking a look through our City Archives & Special Collections to honor the history and heritage of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in the New Orleans area.
Celebrate Free Comic Book Day, Saturday, May 4th, with the New Orleans Public Library. Visit any Library location to get a free comic and check out our collection of graphic novels and manga. Plus, enter our raffle to win a selection of new graphic novels – winners announced on May 13.
Monday – Thursday 10am – 6pm
Friday – Saturday 10am – 5pm
Sunday Closed
Monday – Thursday 10am – 7pm
Friday – Saturday 10am – 5pm
Sunday Closed
