Lalah Hathaway (born December 16, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter and music producer.[ #TBT: Watch ESSENCE Fest Performer Lalah Hathaway Perform 'Forever, For Always, Love' in 2009. Essence. Retrieved on April 11, 2025][ Lalah Hathaway, 'First Daughter of Soul,' to play Jefferson Center. The Roanoke Times. Retrieved on April 11, 2025] she is the first-born daughter of musician and soul singer Donny Hathaway.
She rose to fame in the 1990s with the release of her debut self-titled album, Lalah Hathaway (1990). The album's lead single "Heaven Knows" peaked in the top-five on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[ Lalah Hathaway Billboard Chart History. Billboard. Retrieved on November 3, 2024] Her follow-up album A Moment (1994) failed to make a commercial impact and ultimately released Hathaway from her recording contract with Virgin Records. In April 1999, she briefly re-emerged with her third album The Song Lives On, a collaborative album with musician Joe Sample. After another hiatus, Hathaway released her fourth album Outrun the Sky (2004). The album's lead single "Forever, for Always, for Love" peaked at number one on the US Adult R&B Songs chart.
In 2014, Hathaway's song "Something", featured on Snarky Puppy's album Family Dinner – Volume 1 (2013), won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.[ Lalah Hathaway Grammy Award Wins & Nominations. Billboard. Retrieved on November 3, 2024] Her song "Jesus Children" secured a Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards in 2015.
Hathaway received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music in 2022.
Early life
Eulaulah Donyll Hathaway was born on December 16, 1968, in
Chicago, Illinois, to Eulaulah Hathaway (),
[ Lalah Hathaway brings subtle storm of contemporary soul to Newport News. The Virginia Pilot. Retrieved on April 10, 2025] a classically trained vocalist and session singer, and
Donny Hathaway, a musician and soul singer.
[ Lalah Hathaway AllMusic Biography. AllMusic. Retrieved on April 9, 2025] Lalah's younger sister,
Kenya Hathaway, is also a singer. She also has a half-sister named Donnita Hathaway. Hathaway's father Donny Hathaway died when she was ten years old. Lalah attended the American Conservatory of Music where she learned piano.
She wrote her first songs while attending Chicago Academy for the Arts.
She later enrolled in Berklee College of Music.
Career
1987–1995: Career beginnings and Virgin Records
In 1987, Hathaway released her debut single "Inside the Beat" on Allegiance Records. She released her self-titled first album in June 1990, on
Virgin Records. The album peaked at number 191 on the U.S.
Billboard 200 and number 18 on the US R&B Albums chart.
The album's first two singles "Heaven Knows" and "Baby Don't Cry" peaked in the top twenty on the US Hot R&B Singles chart.
Despite positive reviews from music critics and performances on American musical variety television shows
Showtime at the Apollo and
Soul Train, the album failed to become a commercial success.
[ Lalah Hathaway - Lalah Hathaway album. AllMusic. Retrieved on April 5, 2025] In March 1991, Hathaway recorded a song "Night and Day" for a commercial by Japanese cigarette company
Mevius. The song was exclusively released in Japan as a single without Hathaway's consent. In July 1991, Hathaway released a cover version of Sly and the Family Stone's song "Family Affair" on British Electric Foundation's album
Music of Quality and Distinction Volume 2. The song peaked at number thirty-seven on the UK Singles Chart.
[ Lalah Hathaway full Official Chart History. OfficialCharts. Retrieved on April 5, 2025] In 1992, Hathaway appeared as a featured vocalist on American jazz saxophonist Grover Washington Jr.'s album
Next Exit. The single "Love Like This", which featured Hathaway, peaked at number thirty-one on the Hot R&B Singles chart.
In May 1994, she released her second album A Moment, which only peaked at number forty on the US Top R&B Albums chart.[ An Interview with Lalah Hathaway: A Modern Day Legend. Agenda Magazine. Retrieved on April 5, 2025][ alumni profile: Lalah Hathaway '90. Berklee. Retrieved on April 5, 2025]
1996–2005: GRP Records and The Song Lives On
In 1996, Hathaway performed a rendition of jazz standard "Summertime" for
Marcus Miller's live album
Live & More. Through her friendship with Miller, Hathaway was introduced to American musician
Joe Sample.
In 1999, Hathaway signed a one-album deal with
GRP Records, a jazz record label which featured Joe Sample on its roster.
In collaboration with Sample, Hathaway released her third album
The Song Lives On in April 1999.
[ Joe Sample & Lalah Hathaway - The Song Lives On. AllMusic. Retrieved on April 5, 2025] The Song Lives On peaked at number two on
Billboard's
Billboard charts chart and at number fifty-three on the US Top R&B Albums chart.
The album's lead single "When Your Life Was Low" peaked at number twenty on the US Adult R&B Songs chart.
In 2003, Hathaway signed with Mesa/Bluemoon Recordings. She released her fourth album Outrun the Sky on October 5, 2004, which peaked at number thirty-four on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[ Lalah Hathaway grateful for her father's gifts. San Francisco Chronicles. Retrieved on April 5, 2025]
2006–2012: Stax Records
In 2007, Hathaway signed a two-album recording contract with
Stax Records. In March 2007, Stax Records released a tribute album
, which featured Hathaway's cover version of Earth, Wind & Fire's song "Love's Holiday".
[ Various Artists: Interpretations Celebrating the Music of Earth, Wind & Fire. AllMusic. Retrieved on April 5, 2025] In April 2008, Hathaway released the single "Let Go",
[ Lalah Hathaway - Let Go. AllMusic. Retrieved on April 5, 2025] which peaked at number fifty-one on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number sixteen on the Adult R&B Songs chart.
Two months later, Hathaway released her fifth album
Self Portrait in June 2008. The album debuted at number sixty-three on the US
Billboard 200 and number six on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums; her highest charting debut during that time.
In October 2008, "That Was Then" was released as the second single and peaked at number thirty-two on the US Adult R&B Songs chart.
The song was nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2010; her first Grammy Award nomination.
In November 2008, Hathaway toured alongside
Will Downing and
Gerald Albright for the Soulful Christmas Tour.
In 2010, Hathaway collaborated with American musician Kirk Whalum on the song "He's Been Just that Good" for his album The Gospel According to Jazz: Chapter III. The song peaked at number twenty-one on the US Billboard charts.
2013–2023: Career breakthrough and Hathaway Entertainment
In September 2013,
Snarky Puppy released their studio live album
Family Dinner – Volume 1, which features a collaborative performance of Snarky Puppy and Hathaway on a re-recorded version of Hathaway's song "Something". The song won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards in 2014.
In October 2013, Hathaway featured on the song "Jesus Children" for
Robert Glasper's album
Black Radio 2. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards in 2015.
In October 2015, Hathaway released her live album Lalah Hathaway Live on eOne Music.[ Exclusive: Grammy Winner Lalah Hathaway Teams With eOne Music. Billboard. Retrieved on April 9, 2025] The album became her highest-debuting album on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart,[ Lalah Hathaway Has Best Week Ever on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Billboard. Retrieved on April 5, 2025][ Lalah Hathaway's Live Album Is Her Highest Chart Debut. Essence. Retrieved on April 5, 2025] debuting and peaking at number two.
In July 2017, she released a single titled "I Can't Wait" which peaked at number twenty on the Adult R&B Songs chart.[ Boney James, Lalah Hathaway - Coastin'. AllMusic. Retrieved on April 9, 2025] "Coastin'" peaked at number seventeen on the Adult R&B Songs chart.
2024–present: Vantablack
In June 2024, she released her eighth album
Vantablack on her own record label Hathaway Entertainment. On November 8, 2024, Hathaway headlined the Palm Springs Women's Jazz Festival which was held at the Annenberg Theater in Palm Springs, California.
[ Keeping Jazz Alive: The Palm Springs Women’s Jazz Festival Features Local Greats and Grammy Award-Winning Vocalist Lalah Hathaway. Coachella Valley Independent. Retrieved on April 5, 2025]
Artistry
Voice and musical style
Hathaway's voice is classified as a
contralto.
Music critic Alex Henderson of
AllMusic described Hathaway's voice as "a big vocal range, but also plenty of charisma, passion, and charm to go with it."
She is also known for
multiphonic singing which allows her to "split" her voice and sing several notes at the same time.
Hathaway's method generates two distinct pitches from the vocal folds directly.
Her music includes various styles of musical genres such as contemporary R&B,[ ‘I'm always finding new things that are interesting to me to try’: Lalah Hathaway on her diverse musical career. WBGO45. Retrieved on April 10, 2025] neo soul,[ Everything Is Everything: The Music of Donny Hathaway. AllMusic. Retrieved on April 9, 2025] and Gospel music.[ Kirk Whalum - The Gospel According to Jazz: Chapter III. AllMusic. Retrieved on April 9, 2025] Her debut album Lalah Hathaway (1990) followed a contemporary R&B sound, while her third album The Song Lives On (1999) featured a jazz sound. Hathaway also continued performing jazz music on Kirk Whalum's The Gospel According to Jazz: Chapter III (2010) and Boney James' "Coastin'" (2021).
Influences
Hathaway has always cited her father
Donny Hathaway as a major musical influence.
[ Donny Hathaway’s Daughter Lalah Is Finally Ready to Honor Him in Concert. New York Times. Retrieved on April 9, 2025] Hathaway has covered several of her father's songs including "Little Ghetto Boy", "You Were Meant for Me", and "This Christmas"; the latter of which she was recorded as a posthumous duet with Donny Hathaway using with instrumentation and unreleased vocals by Donny from an unreleased demo of the song from 1970.
[ WATCH: Lalah and Donny Hathaway Duet on Holiday Classic THIS CHRISTMAS. Rhino. Retrieved on April 9, 2025] Hathaway and her sister Kenya Hathaway performed "Where Is the Love" at the Grammy Salute To Music Legends in 2019.
[ Watch: Lalah Hathaway Honors Late Father Donny Hathaway In Moving GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends Performance. Grammy. Retrieved on April 9, 2025][ GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends® 2019. PBS. Retrieved on April 9, 2025]
Hathaway also cites Miles Davis as another major music influence. In an interview with DownBeat, Hathaway stated, "I never met Miles, but he was a huge influence. I see myself as a vocalist who improvises, which I got from Miles. Kind of Blue is at the top of my list 10 Desert Island albums. Miles plays pure."[ Miles Davis’ ‘Rubberband’ Finally Arrives. DownBeat. Retrieved on April 9, 2025] Hathaway was heavily influenced by Ella Fitzgerald, and once said "She helped me define my voice as an instrument."[Reflection: A Contemplative Interview with Lalah Hathaway. Dyes Got the Answers 2 Ur Questions. Retrieved on April 10, 2025]
Business and ventures
In 2015, Hathaway founded her own entertainment company Hathaway Entertainment which formed as an imprint based from eOne Music, the company began as a production unit for music and videos in 2017. The company has distributed Hathaway's albums such as
Lalah Hathaway Live (2015),
Honestly (2017), and
Vantablack (2024).
Philanthropy
Hathaway was a national ambassador for Susan G. Komen's Circle of Promise; a
breast cancer organization.
[ Lalah Hathaway Discusses Breast Cancer Advocacy & Her Latest Project. Black Enterprise. Retrieved on April 10, 2025] The Circle of Promise campaign aimed to educate and mobilize the African-American community in the fight against breast cancer.
Although Hathaway no longer serves an official ambassador, she continues to encourage women about the cancer.
In 2022, Hathaway partnered with the Wesley Community Service Center (WCSC), to raise money for an education facility, which will house a Head Start program and other community services for Portsmouth, Virginia and
Hampton Roads residents.
[ Lalah Hathaway and Robert Glasper benefit concert. WNSB Hot91. Retrieved on April 10, 2025]
Discography
- Albums
-
Lalah Hathaway (1990)
-
A Moment (1994)
-
The Song Lives On (with Joe Sample) (1999)
-
Outrun the Sky (2004)
-
Self Portrait (2008)
-
Where It All Begins (2011)
-
Honestly (2017)
-
Vantablack (2024)
Awards and nominations
Grammy Awards
|
| | Best Female R&B Vocal Performance | "That Was Then" | | |
| | Best Female R&B Vocal Performance | "He's Been Just That Good" | |
| | Best R&B Performance | "Something" | |
| | Best Traditional R&B Performance | "Jesus Children" | |
| | Best Traditional R&B Performance | "Little Ghetto Boy" | |
| | Best Traditional R&B Performance | "Angel" | |
| Best R&B Album | Lalah Hathaway Live | |
| | Best Traditional R&B Performance | "Made for Love" | |
| Best R&B Performance | "Y O Y" | |
| Best R&B Album | Honestly | |
| | Best Traditional R&B Performance | "No Lie" | |
| Best R&B Album | Vantablack | |
|
Soul Train Music Awards
|
| | Centric Certified Award | | | |
| | Best R&B/Soul Female Artist | | | |
| Soul Train Certified Award | | |
|
External links
