It’s hard for me to describe how excited I am about Ari Lennox. On the heels of her first LP, Ari is an RnB/Soul craftswoman and is quickly becoming a force in the genre.
The Washington D.C. raised singer wrote her first songs under her Grandma’s porch at the age of 4, began performing at church as a young kid, and released her first mixtape, Five Finger Discount, in 2012. She continued releasing music online, and made her first connection with J. Cole’s Dreamville label in 2015 when she made an appearance on Omen’s “Sweat It Out”. Later on in 2015, her signing with Dreamville was announced, making her the label’s first and only female artist.
Marking a major step in her career, Ari began to grow into the charismatic and unapologetic artist she is today. Combining elements of R&B and Neo-Soul along with her incredibly smooth vocals, Ari’s music is as sexy as it is soulful with a cheeky sense of humour that often makes its way into her lyrics. Now, with her first full-length album under her belt, Shea Butter Baby, Ari is garnering a strong fanbase. She has performances on Colors, NPR Tiny Desk, The Tonight Show, along with a few others, in all of which she brings out her perfect balance between energy and heart.
Her relatively short-career thus far hasn’t come without its share of adversity. Her debut album was a favourite to win at the BET Soul Train Awards, taking place this past November. She lost the award to Lizzo, who is currently a huge name in the Pop/R&B genre. Ari expressed her frustration on Twitter and Instagram Live, saying that she is a long time fan of the Soul Train Awards, and was disappointed that she wasn’t recognized by a platform with such a rich history, especially because she made a “real soul” album.
Shea Butter Baby is a phenomenal project, and Ari’s fans along with much of the music industry know how talented she is. Even without the recognition from the Soul Train Awards, Ari is just at the beginning of her career and has a very exciting future ahead of her.
Take a look Ari’s powerful performance of “Up Late” and “BMO” on the tonight show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PbBnqS3lWM
