Ari Lennox facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ari Lennox
Lennox in 2018
Background information
Birth name	Courtney Shanade Salter
Born	(1991-03-26) March 26, 1991 (age 34) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Genres	R&B soul neo soul
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter
Years active	2011–present
Labels	Dreamville Interscope
Associated acts	Cozz J. Cole Spillage Village

Courtney Shanade Salter (born March 26, 1991), known as Ari Lennox, is an American R&B singer and songwriter. She is from Washington, D.C.. In 2015, she became the first female artist to sign with J. Cole's Dreamville Records. This record label is part of Interscope Records.

Ari Lennox became more widely known after releasing her second extended play (EP), called Pho, in 2016. An EP is like a mini-album with fewer songs. That same year, she sang on J. Cole's song "Change". Her first full album, Shea Butter Baby (2019), was praised by critics.

Lennox also sang on Dreamville's group albums, Revenge of the Dreamers II (2015) and Revenge of the Dreamers III (2019). The Revenge of the Dreamers III album was number one on the Billboard 200 chart. It was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. In 2021, her song "Pressure" was her first song to appear on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This chart lists the most popular songs in the U.S. Her second album, Age/Sex/Location, came out in 2022. She also sang on Summer Walker's song "Unloyal", which reached the top 50 on the chart.

Ari Lennox's Early Life

Courtney Shanade Salter was born on March 26, 1991. Her parents are Gloria and Shane Salter. She grew up in the DMV area, which includes Washington, D.C. She went to Wilson High School and the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Her stage name, Ari Lennox, was inspired by a character named Mary Lennox from the 1993 movie The Secret Garden.

Ari Lennox's Music Journey

Starting Her Music Career (2011–2017)

Ari Lennox started sharing her music online in 2009. In 2013, she released her first mixtape, Five Finger Discount. She also released her first EP, Ariography, that year. A mixtape is often a collection of songs released for free. In 2014, she put out a song called "Bound" by herself.

In 2015, she was featured on Omen's album Elephant Eyes. Around that time, her music caught the attention of the Dreamville Records team. The founder, J. Cole, wanted her to work on songs for Rihanna. She officially signed with Dreamville Records in December 2015. That same month, she sang on their group album Revenge of the Dreamers II on a song called "Backseat" with Cozz.

On October 21, 2016, she released her first official EP, Pho. Ari Lennox later sang on J. Cole's song "Change". In 2017, she performed as an opening act for J. Cole's 4 Your Eyez Only Tour.

Shea Butter Baby Album (2018–2020)

In 2018, Ari Lennox sang on two songs with other artists from her label. These were "Nothing but the Best" with EarthGang and "Icarus" with Bas. On July 16, 2018, she released "Whipped Cream". This was the first song from her first album, Shea Butter Baby. The music video for "Whipped Cream" came out on September 5.

She released more songs in November 2018, including "40 Shades of Choke", "Grampa", "No One", and "Pedigree". She also sang with J. Cole on the song "Shea Butter Baby" for the Creed II movie soundtrack. This song was released as a single on February 26, 2019, for her album of the same name. The music video for "Shea Butter Baby" was very popular, getting over 3 million views in its first week. In December 2018, she opened for 6LACK on his "From East Atlanta With Love Tour".

On March 27, 2019, Ari Lennox announced her first tour where she was the main performer. It started on May 12 and ended on June 14 in her hometown, Washington, D.C. Her first album, Shea Butter Baby, was released on May 7, 2019. She also toured with Lizzo on the Cuz I Love You Too Tour from July to October. In December 2019, she took her tour to Europe. In February 2020, BET, a TV channel, put Ari Lennox on their "Future 40" list. This list highlights inspiring young Black artists. She released several singles in 2020, like "Bussit" and "Chocolate Pomegranate". She also worked with artists like Kiana Ledé and Skip Marley.

New Music: Age/Sex/Location (2021–Present)

On September 10, 2021, Ari Lennox released the song "Pressure". It was produced by Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox. This song became her first solo song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. It also became her first song to reach number one on radio and number 3 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart.

In March 2022, she appeared on the Dreamville album D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape. She sang on the songs "Coming Down" and "Blackberry Sap". On August 12, Ari Lennox released her second single, "Hoodie". She also announced the name and release date for her second album, Age/Sex/Location. On August 31, she surprised fans by releasing an EP called Away Message. This EP included the song "Queen Space" featuring Summer Walker.

Ari Lennox's Unique Style

Ari Lennox describes her own singing voice as "vulnerable but soulful." She says it's "imperfect but pretty." Her voice has been compared to the famous singer Erykah Badu.

When talking about her art, she explained that she wants to be brave and take risks. She feels that sometimes women are expected to only sing about certain things. She believes people want to hear honest and direct songs. Ari Lennox has said in interviews that she is inspired by R&B singers from the 1990s and 2000s. Some of these include Mariah Carey, Erykah Badu, D'Angelo, Bilal, Whitney Houston, Aaliyah, Lauryn Hill, Amerie, Ciara, SWV, Mary J Blige, and Toni Braxton. She also admires soul singer Minnie Riperton. In an interview, she mentioned that she found many artists through Kanye West. Her music style mixes classic Motown sounds, modern R&B, and new-age soul.

Ari Lennox's Albums

• Shea Butter Baby (2019)
• Age/Sex/Location (2022)

Ari Lennox in Film and TV

Ari Lennox's Tours

Headlining Tours

• Shea Butter Baby Tour (2019)
• Age/Sex/Location Tour (2023)

Supporting Tours

• 4 Your Eyez Only Tour (J. Cole) (2017)
• From East Atlanta With Love Tour (6LACK) (2018)
• Cuz I Love You Too Tour (Lizzo) (2019)
• Nostalgia Tour (Rod Wave) (2023)

Ari Lennox's Awards and Nominations