Music

All the Vibes: Ari Lennox is Coming to You Live at AFROPUNK Minneapolis

May 31, 2022

Who can make whipped cream, pressure, apartment furniture, and garbanzo beans sound melodic, stimulating, and leave listeners wanting more? Here’s a hint—her voice is soothing and will surely make the audience quiver.

We’re talking about no one other than Dreamville’s very own R&B songstress and AFROPUNK’s headliner, Ari Lennox. We can’t wait to vibe out to her classic, soulful singing combined with stimulating, sensual lyrics. You still have a few more weeks to get your tickets to AFROPUNK Minneapolis—a once-in-a-lifetime chance to hear Ms. Shea Butter Baby herself live!  

The Journey 

The 31-year-old began her journey to stardom with inspiration and excitement. But her journey wasn’t always on the straight and narrow track to becoming an artist—Lennox worked many odd jobs throughout her 20s. She worked at Papa John’s, Pizza Hut, Commander Salamander, Planet Fitness, Whole Foods, and Wendy’s, and was even an Uber driver for two years. She did what needed to be done to keep her singing career in motion. 

Lennox started uploading her music to the internet in 2009 and dropped her first mixtape, ‘Five Finger Discount,’ and EP ‘Ariography’ in 2013. After releasing a few singles and gaining traction with features, Dreamville Records began to notice. She signed to the label in 2016, becoming Dreamville’s first female artist signed by legendary rapper J. Cole and proving that internet sensations turned world-renowned musical artists do exist. 

The Inspiration

Born Courtney Shanade Salter, she got her stage name “Ari Lennox” from a character in one of her favorite movies, The Secret Garden. Like the movie, Ari’s imaginative mindset blends well with her sultry, sexy, real-life lyrics, creating hit records many POC millennials basking in love and growth can relate to. 

Lennox listened to ballad singers like Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, and Mariah Carey, telling Rolling Stone during an interview, “I remember just feeling like a girly princess in the house, just dancing and singing my heart out to reach those notes.”

All of her favorite inspirations have a heavy influence on her singing style and approach to music, especially her 2019 album release, Shea Butter Baby. Songs on her album like Shea Butter Baby, Up Late, BMO, and Facetime helped place her on BET’s “Future 40” list that highlights “40 of the most inspiring and innovative vanguards redefining what it means to be unapologetically young, gifted and black”. 

Ari at AFROPUNK

So what can you expect from Miss Lennox at AFROPUNK Minneapolis? A lot of zest, tenderness, pleasure, and flat-out vibes. Tickets are on sale now for the AFROPUNK Minneapolis, a two-day event held on June 18-19th. This will be the first-ever AFROPUNK event in the midwest, and it’s going to be a banger! Get your tickets now at SeeTickets.us

References

 https://www.gq.com/story/ari-lennox-interview

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