Ari Lennox is gearing up for her musical return. The R&B star has announced her new single “Smoke” will release Oct. 18 via Dreamville/Interscope Records.
The upcoming retro-soul track was produced by Bongo ByTheWay, who has worked with everyone from Mary J. Blige to Jazmine Sullivan.
“Smoke” will arrive nearly a year after Lennox released her sultry single “Get Close,” produced by Wu10 and DZL.
“Smoke” will appear on Lennox’s third album, which does not have a release date at the time of publication.
In an Instagram Live broadcast last month, Lennox told viewers she aims to release the untitled project in the first quarter of 2025. She didn’t mention whether or not “Get Close” will be included on the album.
“Get Close” was released Nov. 17, 2023, marking Lennox’s first solo single since her sophomore album, age/sex/location. The album, ranked No. 5 on Rated R&B’s 30 Best R&B Albums of 2022, included the No. 1 hits “Pressure” and “Waste My Time.”
“Pressure,” produced by Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox and Elite, spent three weeks atop Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart. Meanwhile, “Waste My Time” claimed the top spot for one week in April 2023.
After releasing age/sex/location, Lennox appeared on songs with Babyface (“Liquor“), Alex Vaughn (“Demon Time“), Rory (“My Phone Can Die” with James Fauntleroy), Foggieraw (“Stay Awhile“) and most recently producer Camper (“War” with Jeremih).
Earlier this summer, Lennox was spotted back in the studio with Dupri and Cox.
According to Dupri’s social media posts, they were joined by R&B singer and songwriter Jai’Len Josey, singer-songwriter Gabrielle Rodgers, and singer-songwriter Ant Clemons. Although there aren’t many other details, Lennox commented on one of Dupri’s posts, “Thanks for these beautiful records.”
On Oct. 19, Lennox will headline a Femme It Forward concert at YouTube Theater in Los Angeles. Durand Bernarr and Destin Conrad will join her as special guests.
Then, Lennox will head to Atlanta to perform at the 15th annual ONE Musicfest on Saturday, Oct. 26. Cardi B, Earth, Wind & Fire, Fantasia, Fridayy, and more are also on the bill for day one.
Ari Lennox’s new single “Smoke” is available for pre-save.
