Lalah Hathaway facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lalah Hathaway
|
|
|---|---|
Hathaway in 2018
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Eulaulah Donyll Hathaway |
| Born | December 16, 1968 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Labels |
|
| Associated acts | |
Eulaulah Donyll "Lalah" Hathaway (born December 16, 1968) is an American singer and songwriter. She is the daughter of the famous soul musician Donny Hathaway.
Lalah became well-known in the 1990s. This happened after she released her first album, Lalah Hathaway (1990). A song from that album, "Heaven Knows," became very popular. Later, she released A Moment (1994). In 1999, she worked with musician Joe Sample on the album The Song Lives On.
She released her fourth album, Outrun the Sky, in 2004. The song "Forever, for Always, for Love" from this album became a number one hit. Lalah continued to release music, including Self Portrait (2008) and Where It All Begins (2011).
Lalah Hathaway has won several Grammy Awards. In 2014, her song "Something" won a Grammy for Best R&B Performance. She won another Grammy in 2015 for "Jesus Children." Her live album, released in 2015, was also very successful. It included her popular cover of "Angel" by Anita Baker. This album earned her three more Grammy Awards, including Best R&B Album. She won additional Grammys in 2016 and 2017 for her songs "Little Ghetto Boy" and "Angel."
More recently, Lalah Hathaway released Honestly (2017) and VantaBlack (2024). These albums came out on her own record label. In 2022, she received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music.
Contents
Lalah Hathaway's Music Career
Lalah Hathaway released her first album in 1990. She recorded it while she was still a student at Berklee College of Music. This album appeared on the Billboard music charts.
In 1991, she sang on a song called "Family Affair" by a group called the BEF. This song became a hit in the UK. In 1992, she was the lead singer on "Love Like This" by Grover Washington Jr..
Her album A Moment came out in 1994. It also appeared on the R&B music charts. Lalah has worked with many famous musicians. These include Mary J. Blige, Marcus Miller, and Take 6. She has helped write, produce, and sing background vocals for them. In 1999, she teamed up with Joe Sample for The Song Lives On. This album was very popular on the jazz charts.
In 2004, Lalah released her version of the Luther Vandross song "Forever, for Always, for Love." This song became number one on the Adult R&B chart. It was her first song to appear on the main Billboard Hot 100 chart. Her album Outrun the Sky was her first solo album in five years.
Lalah Hathaway also sang on Donald Lawrence's album I Speak Life in 2005. She also joined a tour called Daughters of Soul. This tour featured other talented singers like Sandra St. Victor and Nona Hendryx.
When she signed with Stax Records, Lalah said she was proud. She felt honored to join a label known for timeless soul music. Her first song with Stax was "Love's Holiday." In 2008, Stax released "Let Go." This song also did well on the R&B charts.
Her album Self Portrait came out in June 2008. She worked with producers like Rex Rideout again. This album became her most successful one at the time. It reached number 6 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. After the album came out, Lalah went on tour. She performed songs from her new album and older ones.
In late 2008, "That Was Then" was released as another song from Self Portrait. Lalah also joined Will Downing and Gerald Albright for a Christmas tour. She appeared on Black Entertainment Television in 2009. She continued to perform at major music festivals. In December 2009, she won an award for her song "Dealing" with Eric Roberson.
Lalah Hathaway's Unique Voice
Lalah Hathaway wants her music to be unique. She said she wants to "stand with" what's popular now, but still do her "own thing." She hopes people will truly connect with her music. She puts a lot of herself into her albums.
Lalah also feels a strong connection to her father, Donny Hathaway. She wants to create music that makes people feel many emotions. She hopes her music will bring happiness, sadness, or even comfort. She also wants people to understand her sense of humor through her songs.
Lalah Hathaway uses a special singing technique. It's called multiphonic singing. This allows her to "split" her voice and sing several notes at the same time. It's a very rare skill. She showed this amazing ability when she won her first Grammy Award in 2013. This was for her song "Something" with Snarky Puppy.
Songwriting and Producing Music
Between her own albums, Lalah Hathaway often works with other artists. She has collaborated with musicians like Marcus Miller and Mary J. Blige. She also lends her voice to the Daughters of Soul Tour. This tour features daughters of famous singers, like Chaka Khan's daughter Indira.
Lalah often gets ideas for her songs in interesting ways. For example, the song "On Your Own" from her album Self Portrait came to her in a dream. While she is known for slower songs, she has also sung many mid-tempo songs. These include "Let Go" and "Let Me Love You." She also often writes songs that connect to her childhood. "Little Girl" is one example. She co-produced this song with Rex Rideout and Rahsaan Patterson.
Performing Live
When Lalah Hathaway performs on stage, she often makes her album songs longer. She sometimes creates new arrangements for them. Her band usually includes a keyboard player, guitarist, bassist, and drummer.
Lalah Hathaway's Albums
- Studio and live albums
- Lalah Hathaway (1990)
- A Moment (1994)
- Outrun the Sky (2004)
- Self Portrait (2008)
- Where It All Begins (2011)
- Lalah Hathaway Live (2015)
- Honestly (2017)
- VANTABLACK (2024)
- Collaboration albums
- The Song Lives On (with Joe Sample) (1999)
