The singer named Lalah Hathaway has a pretty good musical background, being a product of the Berklee College of Music and being a child of Donny Hathaway (who was also a successful soul singer before.) After her studies in that school, Lalah was signed up for a record deal by Virgin Records, who helped her release her first album called Lalah Hathaway back in 1990. For a beginner in the music business, Lalah seems to have what it takes because her debut album was well-received and several Rhythm and Blues (R&B) songs became hits.
Lalah Hathaway has been able to work with different musicians and artists to create music. Some well-known names in music that worked with Lalah are Mary J. Blige, Take 6, Marcus Miller, and Joe Sample. But Lalah still remains categorized as a contemporary R&B, and Jazz, singer. Unfortunately, she cannot play any musical instruments but since she is very, very good at singing, hopefully that will carry her through in the world of music anyway. It is good she inherited the vocal genetics of her father Donny (who died after falling from a hotel room building when he was just 33 and Lalah was only 10 years old.)
If you manage to buy a ticket to a Lalah Hathway show, you might notice that she does perform some well-known songs of her father. Lalah likes to say that being his daughter has its pros and cons – the pro part being that many people opened doors to her in music because of her lineage, and the con being that she has to prove she can be just as good a singer as her late father. Still, since Lalah grew up in a musically-inclined family (with her mother trained in classical singing, and a younger sister who can play the guitar, and percussion instruments, and can sing too), her exposure probably helped her live up to expectations and dispel doubts about her capabilities.
Unlike other musicians, whom you can only interact with as a ticket holder to their shows and then never meet in real life, fans of Lalah can visit her personal website at lalahhathaway.com where she posts content herself (like song lyrics.) There is also a message board there where fans can leave their messages to Lalah so she can reply when she can.
Anyone trying to buy a ticket to a Lalah Hathaway concert because they hope to find pop elements in her music are bound to be disappointed. Lalah tries to stay true to her jazz and soul roots rather than become a commercial artist pandering to the pop music genre fans. Buy a ticket if that is the type of music you are into then, because it is unlikely Lalah will switch genres just to please the masses or get awards that seem to come so easily to others.
Still, if you missed getting a ticket to recent concerts of Lalah Hathaway, fear not. It is very likely you can snare a ticket for any upcoming performances because Lalah herself wants to keep performing in front of her fans (as opposed to just staying in the recording studio to sing to a microphone and blank walls.) Some people thrive on authentic appreciation for what they can do.
