Lauryn Hill News

This November, a triple-bill of current Blue Note artists—Kandace Springs, James Francies, and the James Carter Organ Trio—will embark on a U.S. tour of performing arts centers and theaters around the country in celebration of the 80th Anniversary of Blue Note Records. Each artist will perform a set of their own music followed by a finale with all the musicians coming together to perform a classic Blue Note tune.

Apple Music today announced world-renowned producer, platinum-selling recording artist, social media titan, modern-day music mogul, and Asahd's Dad, DJ Khaled as its first artist in residence. Working closely with the Apple Music team, DJ Khaled will create and executive produce stand alone special editions of some of Apple Music's most successful and beloved playlists. To officially kick things off, DJ Khaled today unveiled Office DJ Khaled, his own version of Apple Music's popular Office DJ playlist. The new playlist is uptempo, easygoing and most of all fun and features everyone from Lauryn Hill, Drake, Sam Cooke, Snoop and of course, DJ Khaled to name a few.

The Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969 is the most popular music festival you may have never heard of. Performers including Nina Simone, The 5th Dimension, B.B. King, Sly and the Family Stone, Stevie Wonder, Mahalia Jackson and more came together in celebration of Black music, culture and pride. The free concerts, six in total, took place in Marcus Garvey Park with more than 100,000 people attending.

The Apollo Theater today announced details of its 2019 fall season, featuring myriad music, dance, and theater performances and film screenings that expand the nonprofit theater's role as a partner, commissioner, and co-producer of programming that articulates African American narratives.

On Thursday, August 15 at 7:00 p.m., the Apollo Theater in partnership with Spectrum News NY1, WLBS, and New York Amsterdam News will present Apollo Uptown Hall: Harlem's Culture - Past. Present. Future. The panel will gather thought leaders from some of Harlem's most influential arts organizations to celebrate milestone anniversaries in the Harlem arts community and discuss the roles these cultural organizations will play in either preserving traditions or advancing change. The event is free with RSVP.

MTC announces complete casting for the world premiere of The New Englanders, the new play by Jeff Augustin (Little Children Dream of God) and directed by Saheem Ali (Sugar in Our Wounds).

Latium Entertainment and Atlantic Records have announced the eagerly awaited label debut single from Long Beach, CA-based pop-rock reggae outfit 4th & Orange. “Girl Next Door” is available now via all digital music retailers and streaming services.

Following a previously announced Midwest fall tour, Massachusetts hardcore band Defeater are pleased to announce a winter West Coast run. The Midwest run will begin September 27 in St. Louis, MO and wrap October 6 in Buffalo, NY. The band will hit the West Coast starting in Seattle, WA on December 4 and ending in Denver, CO on December 14. Tickets are on sale now for the fall dates and winter dates will go on sale Friday, June 7 at 10am local time.

With nothing more than an acoustic guitar and a microphone, one of 2019's most exciting rising stars Kara Marni delivers a soulful rendition of Khalid's“Better” on her YouTube Channel today. In this rich black-and-white video, she strums each chord with passion as her astonishing vocal range stretches from intimate verses to the infectious refrain. 

Following a whirlwind start to the year in which Kara has been named in both Amazon + Vogue Ones To Watch 2019, announced as main support for Lewis Capaldi's Great Escape show, featured as Box TV Fresh Focus Artist of The Month for March, selected for a support slot with Mabel at Liverpool Sound City, and celebrating over 15 million combined streams, the London R&B artist shares her first new music of 2019. 

Today Massachusetts hardcore band Defeater release their self-titled album. This Defeater's fifth full-length release and their first in 4 years. You can listen to Defeater at Spotify now

The East Village Playhouse, home of the The CityKids Foundation, is proud to present the return engagement of The Artivist, The Bayard Rustin Story, a solo show that musically explores the life of civil rights activist Bayard Rustin through his speeches, songs, monologues, documentary footage, and letters. The play reopens May 30th and runs through June 23rd, 2019. Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 4pm.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic celebrates 20 years of its popular KCRW's World Festival series during the Hollywood Bowl 2019 season. A partnership between LA Phil and KCRW that began in 2000, KCRW's World Festival series continues to feature a diverse array of cutting-edge artists making music on a global scale.

The Apollo Theater will bring the New York premiere of TWISTED MELODIES, an intimate one-man production inspired by the life, artistry, and struggles of 1970s soul singer and composer Donny Hathaway, to its iconic stage, 45 years after Hathaway himself last performed on it.

The Apollo Theater Salon Series in partnership with Dr. Barbara Ann Teer's National Black Theatre (NBT) will present WiLDFLOWER, the staged concert reading of the full-length musical with book, music and lyrics by Jason Michael Webb and Lelund Durond Thompson. The performance, directed by Logan Vaughn and starring Broadway stars Tshidi Manye (The Lion King) and Quentin Earl Darrington (Once on this Island), will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 26, and Saturday, April 27, on the Apollo Theater Soundstage.

Soulful singer/songwriter ELISE TESTONE, a former American Idol finalist and powerhouse vocalist whose incredible stage presence and bluesy maturity rank with the best, is releasing her long-awaited sophomore album, This Is Love, on April 17 and immediately mounting an East Coast Tour that includes special performances during the world-renowned New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

Livewire Festival has announced that the Sunday evening slot will be a musical extravaganza, titled 'From Movies To Musicals' bringing some of the UK's most beloved musical stars to the famous seaside resort for the August bank holiday in 2019. Ben Forster, John Owen-Jones, Kerry Ellis, Ruthie Henshall, and more yet to be announced will be accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra.

The NAACP today announced that globally dominant pop culture icon Shawn 'JAY-Z' Carter will receive the prestigious President's Award during the 50th NAACP Image Awards. The President's Award is presented in recognition of a special achievement and distinguished public service with previous recipients including Jesse Jackson, Lauryn Hill, Soledad O'Brien, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, and Muhammad Ali among others. NAACP President Derrick Johnson will present the award to Shawn 'JAY-Z' Carter during a LIVE TV special on TV One on Saturday, March 30, 2019 from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, hosted by Anthony Anderson.

Hotly tipped singer-songwriter Iyamah has unveiled her brand of raw neo-soul with her much anticipated EP, 'Truth EP.1'. The 5-track project is out now, holding true to the stripped back sounds that have garnered her notable praise from the likes of BBC Radio 1/ 1Xtra's Phil Taggart, Jamz Supernova and the legendary Sir Elton John.