In the midst of her current gig as the opening act for Lizzo’s Cuz I Love You Too Tour, singer/songwriter Ari Lennox stopped by NPR's headquarters and blessed them with a striking performance as part of their Tiny Desk Concert series. After sending shockwaves through her fan base with a since-deleted, cryptic tweet announcing that she would no longer subject her energy to live performances outside of IG Live and YouTube, her supporters were grateful for what could possibly be one of her last of these types of appearances.
Adorned in a stunning, strapless tangerine dress, her candid yet charming candor enveloped the audience as she performed four tracks from her debut studio album Shea Butter Baby, which dropped earlier this year. She kicked off her set with the soulful “Speak to Me,” followed by the track “Pop” after which she apologized to the young ears in the room for the explicit language. She then continued with the independence anthem “New Apartment” and ended with the album’s title track. Backed by a six-piece band including keyboardist Chris Worthy, drummer CJ Trusclair, guitarist Taylor Gamble, bassist Jerome Lawrence, percussionist Stanley Banks Jr. and Dave James on background vocals, Ari’s stop in her hometown of Washington, D.C. was definitely one of the platform’s most memorable performances.
Get into Ari Lennox on NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concert series right here, and if you somehow haven’t already, be sure to add her album Shea Butter Baby to your collection from your favorite digital music platform. Ari will continue to tour alongside Lizzo through the end of October, including a stop at Durham, NC’s Art of Cool Festival and the Mala Luna Music Festival in San Antonio, TX. Whether these shows mark the last time we will see Ari perform onstage or not, you’ll want to head to her website and grab your tickets now.
