Interview: Ari Lennox On Connecting With Fans, Being Apart Of Dreamville, Performing In NZ, & More

Ari Lennox, the first lady of Dreamville is literally applying pressure in 2021. The R&B singer spoke to us about her fans, working with Jermaine Dupri, Bryan Michael Cox, & Johnta Austin, what she’s learnt from being in Dreamville, and more.

Where abouts are you at the moment?

I am in LA at my hotel.

Nice, because you bought a house in Maryland, right?

Oh, how you know that? yeah.

Last year during quarantine, I lived watching your live streams.

Thank you and I'm so sorry at the same time,

Don’t apologize honestly like, they kept me sane. I remember one of the days that there was a Dreamville event and you were asking your fans which dress you should wear, advice on trying to glue down your wig. And I think you ended up cutting parts of that and I swear, I don't think there are many artists like you who engage with their fans and that are that real with their fans. It's actually amazing.

Thank you

How important is it to stay connected to your fans, especially with everything that's going on at the moment?

Oh, I just want to make sure they're okay. You know, and then also sometimes I'm not okay, and it's their energy that makes me feel okay. It's important to me because it's like they support me like, even if it's not my music they support Ari or Courtney as like a as whatever that is to them, which is cool. It's like some I'm going to do the best I can I like get to know them and give myself to them personality wise not completely get myself,

We love that. So it's all good. You were you were actually like the last artist I saw before everything shut down. Last year in March, you performed in New Zealand and I was blown away by your performance. I'm not just saying that because I'm speaking to you. There aren’t many performances that I can vividly remember, because I go to so many shows, but yours was special. You kept talking to your fans and your vocals were on point. 

Thank you for coming.

Do you prefer writing and recording or being on stage?

Oh, being on stage hands down. I feel so alone sometimes. And sometimes it does feel like work. People think that well, sometimes the healing comes with the writing but sometimes the healing to me comes from Oh, I finished it and wait this is really beautiful. Like I poured my soul into this. But it can be hard work. So it's not that I guess it's like therapy. It's not that fun, necessarily. But in the end it's like oh dang well, there's healing that took place so it's worth it. But the most fun is the stage and like, you know, that is the truest healing and therapy like sharing that with people who can relate to the music.

So you pretty much assembled a team for ‘Pressure’? What did you take away from working with Jermaine, Bryan Michael Cox and Johnta Austin?

Oh, I took away just always be ready. Always be prepared. Like because it was pressure,

How did you even link with them? Like management right?

So Justin put me on to Jermaine Dupri and he put this session together and it was it was just history from there. Jermaine Dupri, Bryan Michael Cox, Johnta. And then eventually Jalen who finished writing the song, and it was just a dream.

Did you work with them on other tricks or just ‘Pressure’?

So I believe we did some other things, fortunately, I can't really get into it. ‘Pressure’ was the best out of like the demos that we did but man do I want to get back in with JD he is something.

I also read that you linked with Missy, How did that happen?

Oh man, well Missy is just a beautiful person like inside and out she's always showed love like she's always show love to me. I think our teams reached out I think, okay like let's take it let's take it there to next level let's start creating and so that's what happened and we just started vibing in the studio but also as like friends. She is everything she's so enlightening and she's wise and she's just a great sweet person and yeah just learning so much from her all the time.

Nice. Okay, I've got to ask, have you found yourself in a similar situation to ‘Set Him up’?

No, unfortunately. I've never been like that ever. I've never been cheated on. But the thing is, and I don't know though, I feel like I probably was cheated on at least by one of my exes, but there was nothing while we were dating that made me think it. But later in hindsight, it was like way like, Oh, I think maybe,

Being a part of one iconic label, what's one thing that you've learned from working with Dreamville that stuck with you?

Oh, wow, just um meditation is like a thing. Like with all of us, I don't meditate but all of them meditate and I just I've learned that that's probably a very peaceful beautiful form of healing and freedom because I see that so many of them do that and so many of them seem at peace so I've learned that, I learned I can keep going. And I've learned just staying in the studio no matter what state you’re in.

Yeah, I started meditating earlier this year. With life being so fast paced, you really need to slow down for a bit, even for 10 minutes, and shut everything out of your mind.

So I'm guessing maybe next year we're gonna get the album?

I think so. I think so. I don't know when next year.

That’s all good. No need to rush. 

Exactly.

Anyway, thanks for talking to me, Ari.  Honestly, I really hope that you get to come back sometime soon and we can get another show. I mean, it shows how good you are because your show sold out on a Tuesday night...And not many artists can do that.

Thank you, that was one of my favourite shows in the world. So like, Thank you like the love that I felt just unmatched. So thank you so much, Ange. I love you and your energy is beautiful. 

Thank you. 

Radiance, like I can feel that. Like Yes.

Please continue with your live streams. They are iconic.

Okay, I will. I'm gonna try. It's hard,

You’re all good. All right, cool. Enjoy LA.