Though the moment might’ve brushed by, we received some pretty good feedback from Grammy® Award Winner Lalah Hathaway, before she hit the stage in Atlanta, GA, for the Super Saturday Soul Edition: A Night of Classic R&B
Keeping soulful music relevant and illuminate, Hathaway is staying true to who she is as an altruistic vocalist. She's standing firm on her principles, while paving the way for other artist with her own production company, Hathaway Entertainment.
Hathaway’s music career spans well over two decades. She released her first single ‘Heaven Knows,’ produced by Derek Rambles in 1990 just to give an idea of her lengthy history. It’s denoted that she holds the most consecutive wins in the R&B category.
From 90 until now, Hathaway released affecting songs that are persuaded by soul, blues and jazz. With airy vocals and a strong message to boot, the Grammy® Award released freshest track, I Can’t Wait, which is an infant spiraling from album Honestly. The album is slated for release sometime during the fall.
2017 Grammy Awards-- Guess who won for Best Traditional R&B Performance?
In a recent interview, Hathaway went on record to say that she wrote the piece to inspire movement.
“I create a lot of different kinds of music and I participate in a lot of different kinds of music. For me, this is not so different. It’s just another piece of who I am. I really wanted to give something that people could escape into this summer, because there’s so much happening.
Music is my passion. It’s s my love. It’s something I get up thinking about. But it’s also a mode of resistance. And for me to create a mood for people, that’s what I wanted to do with this record.”
The single is definitely a romantic song, stimulating conversation and agreements… “I can’t wait, so what you gone do?” seems to be the seductive innuendo. Hathaway isn’t waiting on the “what if” narrative. Instead, she’s demanding clarity on an idealistic bond of another individual.
Although Hathaway released this sexy little number, she’s still collabing, teaching and touring.
She made a brief cameo on the side-splinter comedy, Girls Trip. Hathaway collaborated with Pharrell Williams on the Hidden Figures Original Soundtrack—Most dare to dream movie scores, but to work closely with other Award-Winning vocalists on Box Office Hits— Well, that speaks dimensions.
Hathaway and Pharrell Williams behind the scenes/ 'Surrender' from Hidden Figures
One can only assume, so we felt it best to gain feedback from Lalah, about how she felt working with other artist such as Pharrell and Drake.
“I’d have to say; my career has always been as a musician, right? So being a musician comes to me before being a recording artist.
In the last 25 years, to be able to work with Pharrell, Kendrick, and Nancy Wilson, and Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock, Robert Glasper, Mary J. Blige, Prince, and Snoop Dog; for me, has been so informative. I’ve learned so much watching these artists and they have all informed my art.
So, it’s very important for me to collaborate with as many forms of greatness as I can because I really feel like… it rubs off on me and I learn so much-- And music is a collaborative effort. You know, It’s hard. Everybody’s not Prince-- And even for Prince, you know what I mean? He had his muses, he had things that would set him off in different directions. So, for me, it’s just about trying to stay in that light of greatness-- Trying to be around people that I know I’m going to learn from."
Lalah Hathaway Live/ Angel/ Reindition of Anita Baker
Hathaway was featured on the Woman of Soul Tour with our favorite Diva, Mary J Blige. Mary J. Blige makes a break-up album like no other artist that I have ever heard before. So, you can only imagine how dope and powerful this tour was when Lalah Hathaway stepped on the scene with MJB.
“It was wonderful. We just finished. Um, it was just a really sublime experience for me being out there in front of all those folks. Particularly the women-- Empowering women and watching Mary, which is somebody I have known and admired for many years. Watching her evolve and grow into the performer, and the businesswoman that she is, has been really inspiring and nice to watch up close. We had a lot of fun.
It was six weeks. I’m calling it the longest moment in R&B history that I have ever had. We really enjoyed ourselves and we are thankful for the opportunity to get in front of so many people.
Hathaway also spoke spanked on the subject of culture and music today.
“It’s hard to say. It’s hard to say what it is now. We know that it’s a powerful tool. We know that music includes the cognitive learning skills of children. We know that children at a very young age, from infancy, understand the various properties of music. We know when they play major chords we smile, when we play minor chords, we frown.
So, music is a super powerful tool. I think it’s the thing that really unites humans in a way. I think it’s bigger than anything you can say about it. It’s also a mode of resistance. I really feel like the people of the past generations used it. I think it was more effective in the 50’s and 70’s, particularly coming out of the Civil Rights movement —particularly, what I’m talking about is music is a mode of resistance. I mean soulful music, I mean gospel music, music made by marginalized people, and people of color.
Music is our tool. It’s our weapon. It’s our vice. It is the sounding board. It is the message board. Even with our social media, and before social media, it was a very powerful tool, and anybody that listens to a record that took them immediately back to the 8th grade, or to their mother’s car, or church, knows how powerful that music can be. My intent is to use it to uplift my people, and uplift myself."
Ms. Hathaway spoke with determined gracefulness, the kind that gives you prickly goosebumps and chills.
Even while preparing for a sold out performance, Hathaway can deliver a speech from the heart and get back to business as usual.
A couple of weeks ago, Lalah Hathaway appeared in Atlanta for the Saturday Soul Series at the Fox Theater in Atlanta, Georgia, which we’re sure she lit it up.
But before the show, Hathaway wouldn’t tell us the songs she planned to perform because the element of surprise deemed to be bitter sweet.
“No, I never tell (you) what songs I’m going to be singing at the show because I want you to come and give into the music. Just come and expect a good show. Also, I can get there and change the set. I don’t know what’s going to happen, so I hate to make a promise about any of the songs. Ultimately, people always, always [say] you didn’t sing that song. I like to get in the room and feel the energy in the room, and create the set when I get there."
Hathaway mentioned that she watched the movie, “Girls Trip” twice, not because she featured in the film, but because the movie catered to many personalities of women and their friends.
Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett Smith watching LALAH @Essesncfest 2016/ Girls Trip Snippet
Hathaway said that her girl trips are just as entertaining than the movie, and that she definitely identified with everyone in the movie kind of like the “Sex and The City” rapport.
“Yes, its. That’s why I thought Girls Trip was so great, because I saw all of my friends in that movie. I saw myself in that movie. I am a combo of all those girls from time-to-time. We have a lot of fun. I mean, I just opened for Mary in Vegas, and my girlfriends came. We had a ball. We had such a ball. I didn’t have that much time to spend there, but we had such a ball.
It’s beautiful to see such a great film and have it be so relatable, you know? I’m super excited and happy for the success of that movie."
Discography
1990-1995 Lalah Hathaway and A Moment
1998-2000 The Song Lives On
2003-2006 Outrun the Sky
2007-2009 Stax and Self Portrait
2011-2014 Where It All Begins
2015-2017 Lalah Hathaway Live
2017- Honestly
Follow on social networks
@LalahHathaway
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