Ari Lennox has thrown her hat in the ring to be the next Disney princess with an impromptu audition video, showcasing her vocal abilities.
In the wake of Halle Bailey’s casting as Ariel — whose character has historically been portrayed as white — in the upcoming The Little Mermaid movie, a greater emphasis has been placed on showcasing diverse characters.
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More recently, after rumors begun circulating that a live-action remake of 2009’s The Princess And The Frog is reportedly in development, discussions immediately swirled online regarding who should play Princess Tiana (Disney’s first Black princess). In response to the convo, Ari decided to throw her hat in the ring, and took to Twitter on Monday (March 20), to share a video of her singing a song from the film titled “Almost There.”
“Hi @Disney I’m Ari Lennox and I would love an opportunity to audition for Princess and The Frog in person,” she wrote in the post’s caption. “Here’s #AlmostThere by Anika Noni Rose.”
Her entry into acting could mark the start of a new chapter for Ari. While she hasn’t confirmed if she’ll be leaving music anytime soon, the singer did recently announce that her Age/Sex/Location tour would be her last.
This past December, the “Shea Butter Baby” singer announced via Twitter that her current tour, which treks across North America in early 2023, will be the final time fans will get to see her on the road as a touring artist.
Lennox didn’t go into detail about why she’ll no longer be touring, but she did say that the European leg of her forthcoming roadshow has been canceled due to “reasons out of [her] control.”
“Age Sex Location will be my last tour,” she wrote to her 800,000-plus followers. “I love my genuine fans so much and can’t wait to give you my all every night.”
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She added: “Europe I love you but unfortunately there will not be a tour due to reasons out of my control. Happy holidays. See you soon Vegas!”
The tour kicked off on January 26 in Las Vegas at the House of Blues, before making pitstops in major US cities like Los Angeles, Oakland, Houston, and New Orleans. The Age/Sex/Location tour will wrap up in her hometown of Washington, D.C. at the Howard Theatre on Tuesday (March 28).
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The tour follows Ari’s sophomore album of the same name, which arrived last September. The 12-track project boasted appearances from Lucky Daye, Summer Walker and Chloe Bailey, along with production from Jermaine Dupri, J. Cole, Bryan-Michael Cox and others.
