Lalah Hathaway on 'VANTABLACK' and Town Hall Show (Listening Party)

Summary

Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: All Of It
Host: Alison Stewart (WNYC)
Guest: Lalah Hathaway
Episode: Lalah Hathaway on 'VANTABLACK' and Town Hall Show (Listening Party)
Date: September 23, 2024

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Overview

This episode of All Of It features acclaimed, Grammy-winning musician Lalah Hathaway, discussing her new album VANTABLACK ahead of her live performance at Town Hall. The conversation centers around the album's inspirations, creative process, key collaborators, Lalah's reflections on her roots, and how recent history shaped her artistry.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Inspiration Behind VANTABLACK

• Lalah Hathaway explains the album’s title draws from the darkest pigment, “vantablack,” and the concept of absorbing light and depth in both literal and metaphorical senses.
  • Quote:

    “Really realizing that the color was just absorbing all this light and everything around it, like this black hole. I thought it would be just such a great, a great calling card for the album.”
    — Lalah Hathaway [03:49]

Writing Affirmative Anthems: “I Am”

• Hathaway wanted to create a song that was “anthemic and something affirmative,” channeling positivity and self-affirmation, inspired in part by the “I Am a Man” poster from the Civil Rights movement.

  • Quote:

    “I wanted to write something that people could kind of get behind and go to war with and…get ready for school…just something affirmative and positive. I feel like there’s such a lack of that in the marketplace right now.”
    — Lalah Hathaway [04:32]

• On reinforcing affirmations in her daily life:

  • Quote:

    “I really like to kind of…make these declarations and affirmations every day…It may seem a little airy fairy…but it’s a great way to remember to be really literal about being positive out loud.”
    — Lalah Hathaway [06:54]

Vocal Arranging and Studio Process

• Lalah describes her instinctive approach to building vocal layers, treating each song individually, often adding and removing layers until the song “feels finished.”
  • Quote:

    “I really try to treat each song separately and really see how it feels…sometimes I add things and then take them away. So it’s really about answering the song mostly.”
    — Lalah Hathaway [07:42]

Artistic Growth Over the Past Seven Years

• Hathaway reflects on the seven-year gap between albums, noting that the pandemic’s forced pause provided much-needed “rest and restoration.” This downtime allowed her to process social and personal upheaval, particularly events around 2020 (e.g., Black Lives Matter, George Floyd).
  • Quote:

    “It was an actual real time of rest and restoration for me…we started writing really detached from the outcome of what might happen with the album. But in the end, I had a full story with an arc, so I was really happy about that.”
    — Lalah Hathaway [08:26]

Song Spotlight: “The Energy”

• “The Energy” is inspired by her Chicago upbringing and the warmth of community—family gathering, singing, sharing meals.
  • Quote:

    “The song was just so reminiscent of my childhood, kind of growing up in Chicago. That was what I was really wishing for during the first part of the quarantine…being able to get together with my friends and have a meal together.”
    — Lalah Hathaway [11:27]

Revisiting Her High School Roots

• Hathaway shares the profound impact of visiting the Chicago Academy for the Arts, her former high school, and the importance of creative mentorship.
  • Quote:

    “It made such a difference when creatives came…at my high school…Oprah Winfrey came, and she brought Michael Peters…So I really love being able to talk to young people…tell them that I’m on the same street as they are. I’m just a few blocks up the road, you know?”
    — Lalah Hathaway [12:05]

Collaborating with Michael McDonald

• The duet “No Lie” features Michael McDonald, a musical icon Hathaway has long admired.

  • Quote:

    “He’s such a part of the fabric of the music that I listened to growing up…So all these records…his voice is such a part of…He’s absolutely at the root of soul music for me.”
    — Lalah Hathaway [13:19]

• Fun studio anecdote: She connected with McDonald through Thundercat, with McDonald quickly agreeing to join the project.

The Live Experience and Audience Connection

• Hathaway addresses the legacy of powerful live performances in her family (Donny Hathaway) and her intention to create a communal, immersive experience for audiences.
  • Quote:

    “The crowd…they are a part of the music when we come to play for them…It’s really my job to make sure that the room is happy…to take care of the audience and give them an experience.”
    — Lalah Hathaway [16:24]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Manifesting Success:

  “You know, I’m working on manifesting my billion dollars as we speak.”
  — Lalah Hathaway [04:32]

• On Pandemic Reflection:

  “There was no traffic in LA…The sky was clear, there was no smog. So it was a real time for me of recharging.”
  — Lalah Hathaway [08:26]

• On Audience Recording Shows:

  “It’s so annoying when someone’s standing there with a full iPad to record your show when you’re just really trying to sing to them.”
  — Lalah Hathaway [16:24]

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Important Timestamps

• [02:02] Introduction & album background
• [03:38 – 04:21] Origins of the "vantablack" theme
• [04:21 – 05:08] Writing “I Am”—affirmation and positivity
• [07:42] Studio and vocal arrangements
• [08:26] Reflections on growth, COVID, and inspiration for the album
• [11:27] The meaning of “The Energy” and family memories
• [12:05] Importance of giving back to young creatives
• [13:19] Making “No Lie” with Michael McDonald
• [16:24] On the energy of live performance and audience participation

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Episode Flow

• Introduction
  Alison sets the stage, introducing Lalah Hathaway and the new album VANTABLACK, with a brief play of the title track.

• Album Inspiration
  Discussion moves into the meaning of the album’s title, followed by the inspiration for key songs (“I Am,” “The Energy”).

• Song Listening Sessions
  Several tracks from the album are played in full or in part, with Hathaway providing context and personal anecdotes between listens.

• Processes and People
  Detailed conversation about the creative process, vocal arrangements, and the experience collaborating with celebrated musicians like Michael McDonald.

• Personal Growth and Community
  Hathaway shares stories about her growth over the last seven years, pandemic reflections, revisiting her high school, and the joys of mentoring and connecting with young artists.

• Live Performance
  The chat concludes on Hathaway’s anticipation for her live show at Town Hall and the sacred nature of audience connection.

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Closing

All Of It with Alison Stewart spotlights Lalah Hathaway’s thoughtful, soulful approach to making VANTABLACK, weaving together affirmations, community memory, and the vitality of live performance. Hathaway’s humor, warmth, and intention shine through—making this episode both an intimate listening party and a reflection on the purpose of creative work in challenging times.

Transcript

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[Layla Hathaway (performing vocals)]

Listener Supported WNYC Studios.

[Radio Host Alison Stewart]

This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. Grammy Award winning musician Layla Hathaway made a new album after the Blackest Black Pigment in the World. It's called Fantablack. Here's the title track.

[Layla Hathaway (performing vocals)]

I want to be in my skin Just whatever I am I want to feel good again I wonder when I wonder when can I be in the moment Always projecting forward I sure and I can't come down Giving into the sound say be here right now not sure if I know how I want to give it up Trying to make the scan of innocent Take it out back and start again Melanin rising Don't be mad I want everything better back.

[Radio Host Alison Stewart]

I want Vantablack also features some notable collabs with artists like Common, MC Light, Miguel McDonnell Willow and more. Vantablack is out wherever you listen to your music and Layla Hathaway is here now for a listening party ahead of her show at Town hall this Wednesday evening starting at 8:00pm welcome back to the show.

[Layla Hathaway (interviewee)]

Thank you so much for having me.

[Radio Host Alison Stewart]

When you look at the color vantablack, you really see how dark it is. When did you first become aware of vantablack?

[Layla Hathaway (interviewee)]

You know, I don't remember. I just remember seeing something that was vantablack and all of the light being absorbed into it. And I was just always so taken with the way that the word just fell out of my mouth. It has such a mellifluous kind of tone to it. I just really liked the word itself and so really realizing that the color was just absorbing all this light and everything around it, like this black hole. I thought it would be just such a great, a great calling card for the album.

[Radio Host Alison Stewart]

We listened to a song titled I Am. It reminded me of the I Am a Man posters during the Civil Rights movement. What's the story behind how you wrote the song?

[Layla Hathaway (interviewee)]

You know, I just, I felt like I wanted to write something anthemic and something affirmative and I am a believer. You know, I'm. I'm working on manifesting my billion dollars as we speak. So I wanted to write something that people could, could kind of get behind and go to war with and go out with their friends with and get ready to party and get ready to get dressed for school and just something affirmative and positive. I feel like there's such a lack of that in the marketplace right now.

[Radio Host Alison Stewart]

Lets hear I Am by Leila Hathaway.

[Layla Hathaway (performing vocals)]

Somebody asks you how I've been living Tell them I've been minding my own. I've been drinking water, been making music I've been building up my heart if somebody asks me as far as I can see I am the land and the ocean and the seven seas I am a mountain I am the outer alpha and omega sp if you hadn't noticed I'm in my knowing. My skin is clearer than it's ever been. I am electric, I am magnetic. I am at one with all that happened and is happening. I am abundant. I am becoming all of the dreams my people ever dreamed. I am a spirit, I am ascending. I am the past and the present. I'm the moment and the blessing I am.

[Radio Host Alison Stewart]

That'S I Am by Layla Hathaway. So it sounds like you're really feeling yourself in that moment.

[Layla Hathaway (interviewee)]

When are you.

[Radio Host Alison Stewart]

When those in your life. Have you had one of those moments when you like, I've got it going on. Is it on Stage is it just, I don't know, being a good friend, what is a life? You really felt that?

[Layla Hathaway (interviewee)]

Yeah, I mean, I really do feel like whatever I declare is true. So I try to try to stay positive. You know, there are times when I'm down, but I. I really like to kind of, you know, make these declarations and affirmations every day, like I am happy, I am well. And it may seem a little airy fairy for people, but I think it's for me, it's a great way to remember to be really literal about being positive out loud.

[Radio Host Alison Stewart]

My guest is Layla Hathaway. She's a listening party now for her latest album Vantablack. She'll be playing Town hall this Wednesday night. That on the record, your vocals are very layered. What's your process for arranging vocals in the studio?

[Layla Hathaway (interviewee)]

I think I go song by song. What I do is I listen and I feel like if I'm not finished, I just keep going. Some of the things are more simple and maybe one vocal or two vocals. I just really try to treat each song separately and really see how it feels and how I can not add so much. But sometimes I add things and then take them away. So it's really about answering the song mostly.

[Radio Host Alison Stewart]

Your last album came out I think in 2017 and that's a seven year gap. You kind of get forget with COVID in there. What did you notice about how you grew as an artist during that time?

[Layla Hathaway (interviewee)]

I think that the. The biggest thing that happened for me is that 2020, when we. When we went down for the quarantine, which I thought in my mind would last maybe three weeks, you know, it was an actual real time of rest and restoration for me. I have. I probably been working all year, every year since 1990 or 91. And it was a time for me to really reflect and sit down and be home and hang out with my mom and my dog. And there was no traffic in la, where I live. The sky was clear, there was no smog. So it was a real time for me of recharging. And I really was able to reflect on a lot of things that we were seeing at that time, the Black Lives Matter movement. I mean, we were grappling with George Floyd, what we saw happen. There were a lot of things happening, a lot of news happening. And that's really kind of how I started the record. Really reflecting on what I was seeing with my own eyes in my community, in the streets, in the world. And so that time for me was crucial really to just build up. And we started writing really detached from the outcome of what might happen with the album. But in the end, I had a full story with an arc, so I was really happy about that.

[Radio Host Alison Stewart]

The song, the energy. You talk a bit about your memories of your childhood in Chicago. Let's listen, and we can talk about it on the other side. This is Layla Hathaway.

[Layla Hathaway (performing vocals)]

Somebody cooking greens in the kitchen. Somebody in the backyard singing. Everybody on the home team winning. That's the feeling. Coming home from church on Sunday. It's the L Devil Dutch at the lakefront. Someone told me that the best day's coming. That's the feeling in my mind when I. When I think of you and the magic things we do. You can bring me back in time. I can't tell you why? But it's natural easy like a summer evening? And I can't shake the feeling? Cause there's something about the energy? I got no good reason and you don't either. But I can't shake the feeling? There's just something about the energy.

[Radio Host Alison Stewart]

You know, Layla. And you sing that song. Somebody's cooking greens in the kitchen. Someone in the backyard singing. Was that a typical Sunday in the Hathaway household?

[Layla Hathaway (interviewee)]

I mean, that could be any day in the Hathaway household. And the song was just so reminiscent of my childhood, kind of growing up in Chicago. So I really love that song, just the vibes and the feel. And that was what I was really wishing for during the first part of the quarantine was like being able to get together with my friends and have a meal together. And, you know, nobody was doing that. So that's where that song came from.

[Radio Host Alison Stewart]

I read that this year you went back to your high school, the Chicago Academy for the Arts, for the first time since graduating, and you ended up staying a little longer than you planned. Why do you think that visit was so meaningful to you?

[Layla Hathaway (interviewee)]

You know, it's always great for me to commune with other creatives, particularly like that age 16, 17, 18. I remember myself at that age, and it made such a difference when. When creatives came in to visit with us at my high school, Oprah Winfrey came, and she brought Michael Peters, who choreographed the beaded video from Michael Jackson. And it was such a big deal. So I really love being able to talk to young people, young musicians, young artists, and just kind of tell them that I'm on the same street as they are. I'm just a few blocks up the road, you know, And I think that there's. There's, you know, while there's an age gap with creatives. There's hardly ever a time gap, which is really interesting. So I was meant to be there just for a moment, but then I started really taking in some of the stuff the kids were doing. I got to see some music, I got to see some art, and it's just the same school as when I left.

[Radio Host Alison Stewart]

One of the guests on this album, you have a lot of guests, is Michael McDonnell. How did that come about?

[Layla Hathaway (interviewee)]

You know, I had this song called no Lie, which I feel like at its best, it feels like the. Just the greatest FM rock, soul, yacht, rocky type of song. And I had been hearing his voice on it from the moment we started writing it. And so what I did was I called my friend Thundercat, who has an album, who has a record with Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins, if you can believe that. And I said, you've got to call Michael for me and see if it's okay if I have his number so I can beg him to come be on this record. And within about three days, we had it going. I have a Message from Michael McDonald on my phone presently that I will never disappear or vanish where he is saying that he likes the song and that means so much to me. He's such a part of the fabric of the music that I listened to growing up, not only as a solo artist, but as a background singer, as a session musician. So all these records, you know, like the Steely Dam Records, Crisscross Records, Kenny Loggins records that his voice is such a part of. He's absolutely at the root of. Of soul music for me. He's one of those voices that is the part of the foundation of soul music.

[Radio Host Alison Stewart]

Let's hear no lie.

[Layla Hathaway (performing vocals)]

You can see it in our eyes Everybody knows something in the way we shine we make it look easy Whole world could fade away we still live every day in the light it never paid no mind Ever since I saw your smile.

[Layla Hathaway (interviewee)]

I.

[Layla Hathaway (performing vocals)]

Knew you were the one to get me to stay a while Let a little fire grow and never put it out like sunlight shining through the clouds and the rain it's getting brighter every day no, it's true I'm gonna love you forever and that's no love Nothing shines so bright like we Loving you is easy Loving you ain't never mad Love the way you match my fly Gliding on a cloud this song is.

[Radio Host Alison Stewart]

Called no lie, featuring Michael McDonald. So you're on tour now. You're supposed to play Town hall on Wednesday. The Hathaway name is famous for its live performance. How do you as an artist try to move or lift a crowd when you're performing?

[Layla Hathaway (interviewee)]

You know the crowd is and a lot of them don't realize it, but they are a part of the music when we come to play for them. So this is why it's so annoying when someone's standing there with a full iPad to record your show when you're just really trying to sing to them. But it's easy for me to look at a crowd and look in their eyes and feel the breadth of the room. Sometimes we call an audible during the show. Maybe there's a song that I want to substitute that feels like it may fit the room better. But it's really my job to make sure that the room is happy, as happy as I can get them, as good as I can get them feeling. I take it very seriously. I really like to take care of the audience and give them an experience. I want them to feel like they are leaving having had an experience.

[Radio Host Alison Stewart]

You can check it out this Wednesday at Town hall you can hear Layla Hathaway sing from her new album Vantablack. Thank you so much for joining us, Layla.

[Layla Hathaway (interviewee)]

Thank you for having me.

[Radio Host Alison Stewart]

And we're going out on the song Higher from the new album Vantablack.

[Layla Hathaway (performing vocals)]

I've been dancing behind the beat for so long it sings always catching the mood and flow I'm 1 and 3 and it's hard to deny the 2 and 4 of life finally stepping into this everybody's living one day at a time.

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