Every label needs a leading lady, and Dreamville found that in soulful songstress, Ari Lennox. From first listen, without any knowledge of Lennox, you’d understand that she’s rooted in a sound that doesn’t quite resonate with the mainstream artists of today. In her interview with The Fader, the D.C. native reminisces on how her dad would play some of the strongest voices in the industry like Whitney Houston–who he’d imagined his daughter would emulate–to venturing out and discovering sounds that were true to her artistry like John Legend’s Get Lifted.
One of her goals in signing with Dreamville was to evolve her sound to be able to penetrate a younger crowd. Regardless of Lennox’s unparalleled vibes, she’s still managed to find that balance and gain a lot of attention through her single, “Backseat.” Its sultry, yet frank lyrics paired over the smooth instrumentals with Cozz’s bars make for the ideal addition to anyone’s date night playlist–young or not-so-young.
Approaching the release of her first Dreamville-based project, Pho, the 25-year-old released visuals for the single. And just like her album cover, the video is fun, flirty and colorful–and exactly what you’d imagine. Stationed in Atlanta, the video features Lennox belting out soulful notes and Cozz spitting game–and rhymes–on his date, under neon green, yellow, blue and green lights in an arcade setting.
Before you hop into the backseat of your ride this weekend, check out the video below.