Talk about having extraordinary skills in Jazz and R&B music, and American contralto singer Lalah Hathaway must come into the picture. Also a songwriter, record producer, and pianist, Lalah is not restricted to only R$B and Jazz, but also makes Soul and Gospel music.
Lalah was born Eulaulah Donyll Hathaway on December 16, 1968, in Chicago, Illinois. The reason for Lalah Hathaway’s milestones in music is not far fetched – her parents were both singers. Her father was the celebrated Soul legend, Donny Hathaway while her mother, Eulaulah Hathaway was also a musician. They both gave her ample inspiration to also become a singer.
Career Beginning and Rise to Fame
Hathaway started pursuing a career in music during her days at Berklee College of Music. According to her, she discovered her voice during her years in college. Her first record signing came in 1989 while she was 20. It was with the Virgin Records who produced her first song, “Inside the Beat” in 1990. That same year while still at Berklee, Lalah released her first single, “Heaven Knows”. The song turned out a hit, reaching number 3 on the Hot R&B chart. This was followed by “Baby Don’t Cry” which charted at number 18 on the Hot R&B. Later in the year, she released her self-titled debut studio album with “Heaven Knows” as its lead single. Despite being her first album, Lalah Hathaway portrayed Lalah’s skilled technique and classic vocal style – just like her father’s.
In 1994, she came out with her second album, A Moment, still with Virgin Records. After this, Lalah went on a long career break only to return in 1999 with a new album with Joe Sample, The Song Lives On , produced by GRP Records. The album sold well, hitting the 2nd place on the Jazz Album chart. It also received the Billboard/BET award for Best Mainstream Jazz Album.
2004 saw Hathaway release her fourth album, Outrun the Sky by Pyramid Records. Self Portrait followed in 2008 after her signing with Stax Records. In December 2009, Lalah Hathaway won SoulTracks Readers Choice’s Song of the Year Award; this was for her duet with singer Eric Roberson on “Dealing”. Still under Stax, Lalah released her sixth album, Where It All Begins in 2011.
In 2015, she released Lalah Hathaway Live , a live stage performance she recorded at the Troubadour, a rock club in California. Her father had also recorded there years back during his own career in music. 2015 also saw Hathaway pick up the Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance.
By 2017, Lalah has already created her own record label, Hathaway Entertainment under which she produced her eight album, Honestly in November of the same year. In addition to her individual works, Lalah writes songs for other singers, especially for the musical medley, Daughters of Soul.
Despite being much older than the contemporary generation of R&B and Jazz musicians, Lalah Hathaway remains incredibly unrivaled. It is her desire to make her listeners really feel something, be it happiness, sadness, grief or heartache. The feats she has so far accomplished in her career include winning Grammy awards in three consecutive years – Best R&B Performance (2014), Best Traditional R&B Performance (2015) and Best Traditional R&B Performance (2016).
The success of Hathaway’s almost three decades career, has earned her collaborations with other talented artists such as Mary J Blige, The Winans, Take 6, Marcus Miller, Donald Lawrence, Nona Hendryx, Sandra St. Victor, Joyce Kennedy, Will Downing, Gerald Albright, and Simone among others. She also featured on Israel and New Breed’s 2006 Christmas album, A Timeless Christmas.
Aside from music, Lalah Hathaway is a breast cancer activist. She is one of the National Ambassadors for the Circle of Promise, a campaign launched in October 2007 by Susan G. Komen. The campaign is meant to cure, educate, empower, and mobilize the African-American community in the fight against breast cancer.
Married or Dating, Who Is Lalah Hathaway’s Husband/Boyfriend?
Now to the big question. But no way! No one gets Lalah Hathaway to talk about her relationships – boyfriend, husband, kids, and all those stuff. Never! Journalists have tried numerous times but the usual reply from Lalah has always been – “No comment”. And so, no one knows if Lalah has ever been in a marriage or not, whether she has dated previously or is dating anyone at the moment. No one can say.
Howbeit, rumor one diffused that Lalah was spotted shopping engagement rings with a man believed to be her boyfriend. According to reports, the pair were eyeing some pricey diamond rings in a couple of jewelry stores. Well, we’ll watch out and see what becomes of the story.