To say singer Lalah Hathaway is cool is an understatement. The three-time Grammy-winning vocalist is nominated again this year for both Best R&B Album and Best Traditional R&B Performance. She’s hot off a coveted partnership with Pharrell Williams on a track for the film Hidden Figures. And to top it all off, she’s been personally chosen by Snoop Dogg as one of the “The Tanqueray TEN,” a curated group of visionaries across various verticals from music, film, art, tech, business, fashion and more. Each embodies sophistication, creativity and a masterful blend of timeless style—just like his signature Gin & Juice.
We chatted with the singer (who is the daughter of soul singer Donny Hathaway) about the Grammys, Snoop and a life lived in music.
How did you learn you’d be chosen for the Tanqueray TEN? What has that experience been like?
Stampede Management was kind enough to let me know that I was included by Snoop as one of the Tanqueray TEN! It was an honor to be in the class of cool kids from the hip-hop music world to the art world to fashion and more. I knew this was something I wanted to be a part of, since it is all about celebrating innovators and artistry that have been creatively inspired by Gin & Juice.
What is Snoop like? Can you recall the first time you met him?
Everybody knows that Snoop is probably one of the coolest people you will ever meet. I can’t even remember how long I’ve known him. I met him some time in the early ’90s, and he is exactly as you think he would be— cool as the other side of the pillow.
Have you and Snoop ever worked together or would you like to?
Snoop and I have worked together many times. We have been talking about possibly making a small movie together, which would be really fun.
Both of your parents were musicians. How did that shape your early interest (or disinterest) in music and how did it influence your career and the way you make music today?
Both of my parents are indeed musicians, and my father’s parents were musicians, and parents of those parents were musicians, so I have been doing this a really long time. I think that my parents’ encouragement of me being an artist is really the reason that I’m here today, and I never take for granted that I chose the right family to be born into.
You’re up for two Grammys, and you’ve already won three! How does it feel to be nominated this year?
I am up for two Grammys this year and it is the most surreal feeling ever. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that it becomes passé, because it doesn’t. It never gets old. I am excited and I have nervous butterflies in my stomach, and I’ve had them since November!
What’s it like attending the Grammys as a nominee?
The Grammys are fun to go to. It’s always great to be in a room full of people you admire and look up to and want to see play music and want to watch their shows. It’s a really cool hang and, again, just one of those days I get to be part of the cool kids.
You worked with Pharrell on a track for Hidden Figures. What was that experience like? What did it mean to be part of that movie?
The Hidden Figures soundtrack was a dream come true for me because I have been wanting to work with Pharrell since the early ’90s. That it was for such an important movie that told such an important story was just icing on the cake. I saw the movie and heard my song in it, and I was just really delighted to be a part of that storytelling.
It’s such an interesting time to be an artist. How do you find yourself using art to make a statement? Do you think artists should make a statement about their beliefs?
I hate to be judge-y, but I definitely feel like the artist’s job is to connect people and to tell the story of people, and to tell the story of the things that they see going on around them in their time. The artist’s job is to report and connect so, for me, it’s part of my obligation as an artist to say what I see, to try and help people heal and help people connect.
What are you working on now? What’s next?
I am working on an EP that will be out shortly. The single is coming out in the next couple weeks and it’s featuring Lecrae. I’ll be on the road, as I am all year round, being a musician. Being a professional musician.
Check out the full list of the Tanqueray TEN below:
Ty Dolla $ign (artist/producer/songwriter)
Terrence J. (actor)
Lalah Hathaway (recording artist and 2017 Grammy nominee)
STIX (artist/rapper)
Aris Jerome (photographer)
Marcus Hyde (photographer)
Melody Ehsani (jewelry and fashion designer)
Ugo Mozie (celebrity stylist)
Devin Troy Strother (visual artist)
October London (music singer songwriter)
