Washington, D.C.-born and raised, Ari Lennox burst onto the scene with her strong Dreamville/Interscope debut EP, Pho (2016), spawned from her session with rapper J. Cole. Her powerful, raspy, and beautifully imperfect soprano shone on her 2019 full-length debut, Shea Butter Baby, which put her among the “who’s next” of R&B songstresses. After a short series of extended plays, she came back with 2022’s sexy jazz-and-R&B-infused age/sex/location, a velvety and intimate affair. 2026’s Vacancy, a moody slow-build of an album, features some of her best work. To concertgoers’ delight, Lennox’s live show is even better than her exceptional catalog. – Kahron Spearman
