Lalah Hathaway has a new album coming this fall.
The Grammy-winning singer has announced her ninth LP, Made In Chicago, will arrive Oct. 1 via Hathaway Entertainment/SRG-ILS, in partnership with Virgin Records.
The album, which is described as a love letter to the city she grew up in, shares its release date with what would have been the 81st birthday of her father, iconic soul singer Donny Hathaway.
Made In Chicagowill include the lead single, “47th Street,” featuring Chicagoan poet J. Ivy. The soulful track, which Hathaway co-produced with Phil Beaudreau, takes a beautiful stroll through the street where her father and his family lived. The song not only honors Hathaway’s lineage but is also rooted in Black history, offering a nuanced story of the Great Migration from the South to the Windy City.
Ivy narrates the history, recalling how “the South had an exodus” and “they headed North down to lay down their roots,” while Hathaway memorializes her father and her grandfather, Hosea, singing: “If only these streets could talk / That’s where my daddy laid his hat down / Sweet Hosea wore the crown.”
Speaking on “47th Street,” Hathaway says, “That’s where my father’s family lived. My grandfather Hosea—we pronounced it Hozee—together with his mom and dad were always welcoming. In my mind, going back to 47th Street regenerated the pulsating urban vibe of my beloved hometown.”
Made In Chicagowill followVantablack. Released in 2024, the Grammy-nominated album featured collaborations with Michael McDonald, MC Lyte, Common, Willow, Rapsody and Gerald Albright. Regarding the album, Hathaway said, “I started reframing how I saw color in terms of being the blackest I’ve ever been, and even though I’m steeped in who I am, it doesn’t exclude the other things that make up the sum of me. Similar to how all the music around me informs the Black music that I create. So it’s all a melting pot of all of me.”
Stream Lalah Hathaway’s “47th Street” featuring J. Ivy below.
