Happy Sunday Morning POU!
Courtney Shanade Salter (born March 26, 1991), known professionally as Ari Lennox, is an American singer and songwriter from Washington DC. She is the first woman to be signed to J. Cole‘s record label, Dreamville Records. She released her first EP on the label on October 21, 2016 titled Pho, where she began gaining recognition. Her debut studio album Shea Butter Baby was released on May 7, 2019. Her stage name was influenced by Mary Lennox, a character in the film adaptation of The Secret Garden.
Ari Lennox was, apparently, unwell when she turned up to NPR’s tiny desk to perform four songs from her excellent debut album Shea Butter Baby, but you wouldn’t know it from watching her set above. The Dreamville signee flawlessly ran through “Speak To Me,” “Pop,” “New Apartment,” and “Shea Butter Baby” backed throughout by keys player Chris Worthy, drummer CJ Trusclair, guitarist Taylor Gamble, bassist Jerome Lawrence, percussionist Stanley Banks Jr, and backing vocalist Dave James. Even the mid-set chatter is pretty good, which is remarkable on its own.