We Catch Up With Lalah Hathaway

The five-time Grammy winner has thoughts to share about her journey as an African American woman and artist, and why she refuses to be defined by her hair or her age.

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Published February 13, 2026
Lyne Lucien

Lalah Hathaway’s gorgeous, honey-glazed mezzo-soprano vocals have soulfully soothed and captivated us since we heard her 1990 self-titled debut. The Chicago native is the daughter of the late great soul singer-songwriter Donny Hathaway and singer Eulaulah Hathaway. And over the years, Hathaway has continued in her father’s musical footsteps, dazzling listeners with introspective gems like “Mirror” and “Breathe,” and jazzy renditions of some of our favorite songs, like Anita Baker’s “Angel” and Luther Vandross’s “Forever, For Always, For Love.”

“I love good songs. I grew up in the 70s and 80s, an era when Black music uplifted people. Those records that I remember from my childhood mean something to me. So, I want to provide music like that for people for generations to come,” Hathaway told Sisters from AARP.

With her eighth album, 2024’s Vantablack, Hathaway delivered her most deliberately Black-woman-affirming work. The album’s title is inspired by one of the darkest pigments ever created. The opening track, “Black,” features rappers Rapsody and Common, and opens with the line, “This is the story of a Black girl.”

“[During the pandemic] I was watching the news and watching the world come undone. I was kind of arrested by what was happening in this country. And at a certain point, there was absolutely a day when I felt like, “Wow, this is the Blackest I have ever been in my entire life. I feel super Black,” she explained.

“I have always been a Black girl. But something flipped where I was like, “Now wait a minute!” And I started exploring what that meant. At certain points [while making Vantablack] I would pull back and say, “Well, this song isn’t about being Black or about the struggle in this country as a Black American.” But then I realized that all of my expression really sums up part of the struggle of being a Black woman in this country. Things just started to blossom for me in a different way.”

Read more of our thoughtful conversation with Hathaway, where we discussed how she’s still a kid at heart, how her music has evolved, how she preserves her father’s musical legacy, and more.

Sisters From AARP: Did you ever want to do something else other than pursue a music career?

Lalah Hathaway: [Music has] always been my foundation and my base. From the time I was three or four years old, I studied music, played the piano, and took lessons with a private teacher. I attended a performing arts high school, then Berklee College of Music.

[But], sure, there were times when I wanted to be a dancer. I wanted to be an actor or a writer. Low key, I have always wanted to be a comedian. I have been creative my entire life.

You sing in a lower vocal register, which we love. But early in your career, do you think it was hard to market yourself because of the deep tone of your voice?

I think so. What happens in the music industry and what happens in a lot of commercial creative fields is people decide, “Oh, wow, you have something different that we really like and appreciate, and we can try to exploit that.”  But once you get in, they try to change you to homogenize you with everyone else, which is really tough.

So, I think that there were definitely moments, you know, where I was somewhere as a 20-year-old or a 25-year-old with this voice and with a presence that wasn’t matching with what the rest of the girls around me were doing. So, I definitely had and sometimes still run into those types of hurdles. But I recognize that my uniqueness, the stuff that I have, puts me at the front of the line. And that’s the thing, whenever I do [music] clinics or talk to students or young musicians, I’m always trying to impress upon them to stay [the course]. There’s another road that you can look over and glance at and learn from, but there’s nobody else in front of you on your actual path.

 In the ‘90s, you were one of the few Black female singers we recall wearing locs, so that also made you stand out.

 I didn’t have locs [until] 1997, so seven years into my [career]. But yeah, I really enjoyed having my locs for over 20 years. When I cut my hair in 2021 or 2022, people were so disappointed, which was kind of funny to me. But I’m back into all kinds of different hair.

What made you change your hair?

 It was really time. I was always someone who enjoyed hair. And if you go through the internet and look at pictures of me from 1990 to now, I’ve had everything. I’ve had blue hair and purple locs. I’ve had blond straight hair. I’ve had red curly hair. I really love to play with looks. It was also getting progressively harder to braid the locs down and put them under wigs. So, I just gave myself a little refresh.

Your younger sister, Kenya, is a singer as well, and you both paid tribute to your Dad at the Grammys in 2019. What was that experience like for you?

 I mean, it was just a glorious moment for me. Even though [Black folks] know what my Dad means to the culture, some of these wider, bigger places have not said what they need to say. So, I felt like the Grammys did a beautiful job of saying, here’s a voice that has lasted through time and will continue to last through time. I was really pleased that they allowed us to participate because everything is so political. So, I was really proud to be able to say, “Oh, wow, this is such an honor. My mother is here, and this is great. My nieces can see this, and it just meant the world to my family.” And [my Dad] deserved it. In my mind, it was long overdue.

A while back, you also did an orchestral tribute to your father at Lincoln Center in New York City. Do you plan to do more tributes?

 Yeah, I would like to. I’ve done [the tribute] in Europe many times. And at some point, I would like to make a record of those things. I think the material is so timeless and so beautiful. It’s going to last forever. And so, it’s important to me with the legacy that I have, with the blessings that I have, to take that music forward.

I can relate to the artists who came before me, which is why I love doing covers and singing those songs. And I’m always also trying to figure out what’s on the horizon for me going forward. I’m happy to be a bridge for the people who knew and love my father, and for the people who will discover and love my father. Because every year, [the song] “This Christmas” just will not go away, you know? I’m happy to take that [song] into the future and take him into the future with me.

“This Christmas” is a holiday staple. When you perform and hear that song, what does it mean to you?

 It absolutely means Christmas. You know how we hear Mariah Carey, and we know, okay, it’s the start of the season. If she is the queen of Christmas. Donny Hathaway is absolutely the king of Christmas.

I read that your Mom used to give your Dad vocal notes. Has she influenced you as a singer?

Absolutely. My Mom’s a beautiful singer. But, you know, growing up the child of two educated singers, I feel like I’m a good balance of nature and nurture. [My Mom] definitely gives notes. She’s a note-giver. She has notes about, you know, enunciation and about placement, and I cherish all of that. I have learned so much from both of my parents just by listening to them sing.

 Prince was one of your favorite artists, and you got to perform with him. What was it like sharing space with the Artist?

 It’s really hard to describe. I have had a few moments in my life that feel like clarion moments, like full-circle moments, where somebody that, at age 11 or 13, I was listening to on my Walkman on the way to school, I am now working with, and that was absolutely one of those moments. It’s a spiritual manifestation, a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy. You know, all my life I thought, “Oh, one day I’m gonna sing with Prince. Oh, one day I’m gonna sing with Herbie Hancock. One day I’m going to sing with Anita Baker.” And I have really been blessed. It has really been a blessing to work with so many of the people who mentored me musically before I even knew them, before I met them.

How have you evolved as an artist?

I think when I was 20 or whatever, I could not even imagine all the places that music would take me, all the places I would be able to go and the people I would be able to meet and the folks that I would be able to sing in front of.

So, I think I have musically evolved. I’ve learned more. You know, my thoughts are different, the world around me is different. But in a lot of ways, I’m still the same girl. I’m still excited about music every day. I’m still excited to make a playlist for my car. I’m still a nerd. I still want to know who played on the records. You know who played the keys.

You have a lot of cool collaborators on Vantablack, including Willow and Michael McDonald. How did you decide to work with those people?

I try to stay around people that I think are great. I feel like that greatness rubs off on me. I learn something every time. You know, I really love the fact that the record, again, is like a bridge. Willow is great, and she is going to be a monster. We also have Gerald Albright [and] Michael McDonald. I’m so in the past and in the future musically, that it felt good to include all of these different types of great [artists].

Would you say that’s a product of being a Gen X-er? We can listen to music from our parents’ generation, our own music, and current-day stuff, too.

I think so. Like, if I make a playlist to ride my bike or go roller-skate, I have Stevie Wonder, Prince, and Michael Jackson on it. It may also feature Thundercat, Willow, and Tyler, the Creator. [There are] probably more deejays in [Generation X] than in any other generation.

What do you like to do for self-care? For fun?

 I’m a bike rider. I like to cook. I play video games. I’m a techie. I’m into computers, cars, and things that light up. I love a good movie. I love sneaking away with my girls to hang for a weekend.

We don’t read much about your personal life. Are you married?

My personal life is super regular. I’ve never been married. But my guy is with me everywhere. He manages for me, and we’ve been together for almost 17 years. But it’s cool. I’m glad to just exist in my little world.

Where do you call home?

 I have lived in Los Angeles since 1990, since my [first] record came out. [In my 20s] it wasn’t where I wanted to be. I wanted to go to New York because all my friends were going there. I thought I was a jazz musician and that’s where I needed to be. But the West Coast is so home to me now, it is crazy. I love all my friends. I love the history of Black people in Los Angeles. You know, I really love Compton. I love L.A. in a way that I never thought would be possible for me.

What do you know about yourself now at age 56 that you didn’t know at age 36 or 46?

What I know now about myself is that my age doesn’t define me, even though people call [attention] to it a lot. The way I look doesn’t define me. Folks always come up to me and say, “Girl, you’re aging backward. You look so young. You look skinny.” But there’s so much focus on the superfluous parts of who we are, like age or what our hair is.

I have always been surrounded by elders [like] Marcus Miller [and the late] Joe Sample. I always thought of us as on the same time continuum, if that makes sense. Like I was just with Chaka Khan in Switzerland to do a Quincy Jones tribute [and she’s] 72. But nobody thinks about that because Chaka doesn’t [project] that.

I know now that there’s something timeless inside of me. I’m always going to feel young. I’m always going to want to be the greatest. I’m always going to want to play with the kids, you know what I mean? I think I’m just coming into myself more and more every day. And that, for me, is an evolution.

*This interview has been edited for clarity.

A fan of music, dance and cats, Tracy E. Hopkins is a lifestyle and culture writer who has contributed to numerous print and digital publications, including Essence, Woman's Day, Prevention, Fodor's and Entertainment Weekly.