Ari Lennox is currently on hiatus from the internet until her sophomore album, age/sex/location, drops on Sept. 9 via Dreamville/Interscope Records.
On Aug. 31, she announced her mini break from the net but didn’t leave fans high and dry. Instead, she surprised them with a five-song project titled Away Message, which includes her Summer Walker-assisted tune “Queen Space.” “New EP to hold you over until the album, love ya,” Lennox tweeted.
That same day, Grammy-winning rapper J. Cole, also the founder of Dreamville, went to Instagram to share a screenshot of a text message he received from Lennox. “I asked Ari what this new album means to her. I needed to know cuz I f*ck with it so heavy. What I hear is the highs, lows, joys and pains of dating life in 2022. But her answer made it even deeper for me,” Cole wrote in an Instagram caption.
In Lennox’s lengthy text to Cole, she mentioned how age/sex/location represents a “transitional space” that she’s in right now.
“I remember the countless times I was kicked out of dating apps because they didn’t think I was really myself. It reminded me of those age/sex/location days where I actually wasn’t being myself in those chat rooms. I spent so much time seeing the god and good in some abusive people. Neglecting my needs and self-worth,” Lennox wrote.
She also reflected on how she used to romanticize “terrible people” and ignored red flags in her relationships. But she’s no longer in that mindset. Instead, she has pledged to be more transparent about her concerns. “No more tip-toeing. No more docile. Providing grace and compassion for myself. Blocking those that no longer serve me or just literally not responding. Blocking the resistance to heal. Allowing accountability and maturing. Allowing growth to happen,” Lennox said.
She continued to outline her new approach. “Allowing self-worth and self-love and inner work to happen. Allowing therapy. Allowing dating me to happen. Doing things I like to do whenever I want. Learning new things. Allowing that desperation and neediness to fade. What’s for me is for me and I’m complete on my own. This is my eat pray love journey. And it’s my honest goodbye to searching for love I got it right here inside of me. The end of searching for anything other than self-love and family. Pouring into me and giving the greatest love to me.”
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Age/sex/location will feature 12 tracks, including the previously released singles “Pressure” and “Hoodie.”
The former track, which includes production from Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox, peaked at No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay Chart and at R&B radio.
In May, “Pressure” was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling more than 500,000 equivalent units. It’s unclear if Age/sex/location will include any of the five new tracks that are on Away Message.
On Sept. 18, Lennox perform at 107.5’s WGCI Summer Jam in Hazel Crest, Illinois. The lineup also includes Chlöe, dvsn, Keyshia Cole and Tink, among others.
Revisit Ari Lennox’s “Pressure” video below.
