Grammy-winning singer Lalah Hathaway has reimagined her eighth album, Vantablack, with her Vantablack: Expansion Pack.
The remix album features alternate versions of the original album’s tracks plus two new songs, including the latest single “Poison + The Cure.” She co-wrote and co-produced the latter song with Ariza.
“Reimagining music has always been at the core of my artistic journey,” says Hathaway. “This project is a heartfelt tribute to the transformative power of the REMIX, and a celebration of the timelessness of great SONGS!”
The original version of Vantablack was released June 14, 2024, via Hathaway Entertainment/SRG-ILS Group.
The album included the singles “So In Love,” “Mood For You” featuring MC Lyte and “I AM.” It also featured collaborations with WILLOW, Michael McDonald (“No Lie”), Rapsody, Common, Phonte and Gerald Albright.
“Vantablack was always the name of the project,” said Hathaway. “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.”
Vantablack spawned two nominations at the 67th Grammy Awards: Best R&B Album and Best Traditional R&B Performance (“No Lie”).
Hathaway’s nod in the latter category tied her with Anthony Hamilton‘s record for most nominations (five). “Listen, I got nominated again. I’m so thankful,” Hathaway exclusively told Rated R&B. “I am honored to uphold the legacy of traditional rhythm and blues because, really, that’s what all of it is.”
Vantablack is the follow-up to Hathaway’s 2017 album, Honestly, which also received a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album.
Vantablack was ranked No. 4 on Rated R&B’s 25 Best R&B Albums of 2024 list. “One of Hathaway’s longest sets, Vantablack, lives up to the hype of its jet-black handle and, in some spots, exclusively celebrates Black culture,” wrote Antwane Folk.
Hathaway supported her latest album on her headlining Vantablack Tour.
Stream Lalah Hathaway’s Vantablack: Expansion Pack below.