R&B soul singer/songwriter Leela James will hit the Florida Theatre stage, Saturday, August 31st at 8 p.m. Hailing from the West Coast state of California, James grew up in South Central Los Angeles. Raised in a cultured and nurturing environment, she enjoyed singing in the church with her family, her peers and eventually entered a few talent shows where she began to receive recognition for her singing vocals. “Through word of mouth and all the accolades I was receiving. From sending out my demos, I was like wow this is really getting real,” said James smiling. She graduated from Cal State Long Beach College with a degree in communications and a minor in business and was.