Shemekia Copeland sings the blues

Award-winning artist plays Plymouth’s Spire Center, Sept. 28

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Shemekia Copeland was drawn to music from an early age and began singing at just 3 years old.

“It just made everything feel like it was right,” the blues musician said in an interview.

With a father like the late blues legend Johnny Copeland and a mother with a “beautiful voice,” Copeland practically had music etched in her DNA, and her household reinforced this interest. Her fondest memories are of being indoors in her childhood home in Harlem listening to blues, gospel, country and American roots music or sitting around with her brother as their dad strummed his guitar.

It wasn’t until her mid-to-late teens that Copeland began pursuing music for herself. During this time, she drew closer to her father, who was facing health issues. When he passed away, she said, music helped her process her grief.

Shemekia Copeland PHOTO: VICTORIA SMITH

Now 45, she has established herself as a household name in the blues space with 10 albums, eight Blues Music Awards and five Grammy nominations to her name.

On Sept. 28, Copeland will perform at the Spire Center in Plymouth, where she will present tracks from her many records, including the forthcoming album “Blame It On Eve,” set to be released on Aug. 30.

The tone of “Blame It On Eve,” Copeland said, is a departure from that of her three previous records. She purposefully leaned into making it a “much lighter record,” she said, even singing one song in French so it sounded less sad.

In her songwriting, Copeland pulls inspiration from her life experiences, and in turn, her music reflects her various life stages. Right now, she’s “in a great place,” she said, and “Blame It On Eve” demonstrates that. In the record, she also incorporates her stances on issues important to her, including women’s rights and climate change.

Copeland’s music is an opportunity to both send a message to the public and take some time for personal introspection, she said, and she’s purposeful in what she chooses to produce.

“What I put out into the universe is very important to me, especially because I have a son,” she said. Her 7-year-old son loves music, and much like Copeland herself, he is growing up in a home where music — including his mom’s — is at the forefront.

When Copeland isn’t singing, she spends time with her family and DJs on Sirius XM, but career-wise, music is her calling.

“I get to do what I love to do for a living, and that’s a blessing,” she said, adding, “I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing.”