Ari Lennox might still be considered an up-and-coming sensation waiting for her moment to fully unravel on the world stage, but Torontonians tell a different story about her.
The R&B artist touched down in Toronto on Tuesday to grace fans with her presence at Drake’s venue History, and perform songs from her latest album Age/Sex/Location.
Lennox, 31, is the first female artist to be signed to J. Cole’s record label, Dreamville Records. She also made it big following her debut album Shea Butter Baby in 2019, which ultimately put her on the map.
When I arrived at the designated concert venue, more than an hour after the scheduled show start time because everyone in the city knows concerts never actually start on time, I was not surprised by the line.
On one hand, I had a moment of dread for fans doing their best to keep warm in the negative cold weather. Many said they’ve been waiting outside for over an hour to be let into the venue.
Others told me it wasn’t worth the wait, and that a warm bed sounded tempting. Still, the majority wasn’t budging, and would no doubt get frostbite if it meant getting even a glimpse of the artist’s catalogue in a live capacity.
Lennox hit the stage just before 10:30 p.m., about an hour after her scheduled set time for 9:30 p.m.
But she was worth the wait, at least according to all the smiling faces around me.
The “Shea Butter Baby” singer dazzled in a see-through black sequin dress while sporting her natural curls and curves.
However, it was her voice that stole the show from right under her.
As breathtakingly stunning as she is, with the dance moves to match, I found myself closing my eyes throughout the show wanting to take in her vocal range while trying to understand how someone could sound just as good (if not better) than the studio version.
Throughout the concert, Lennox reminded the audience why she has the game on lock and isn’t taking her foot off the gas.
She glided on the stage with little effort, sang with no hiccups and let others around her shine, including her backup singers and her all-woman band.
The track that stood out the most from the album was “I Been,” a song about putting a past lover behind you who did not value the love you gave.
It received a big crowd reaction and fans took the lyrics straight out of her mouth, drowning out her voice and taking over with their own.
Fans also got into their sensual bag while singing along to “Hoodie” and “Pressure.”
As expected, Lennox threw in some iconic throwbacks like “BMO,” “Shea Butter Baby,” her feature on “Unloyal,” and “On It,” featuring Jazmine Sullivan.
The world stage might not be ready to listen in on Lennox just yet, but Toronto proved we’re all ears.
