lavahi

LAVAHI is a scholar-artist on a mission to better society from the inside out. Through her music, scholarship, and performance, LAVAHI is building a platform to nourish the heart and mind, empathize our human experiences, and vibe together. As a daughter of jazz, the culture heavily informs her ideology and influences her sound. Acrobatic scatting, compelling chords, and the art of improvisation evoke that classic traditional aesthetic and set her contemporary sound apart from the norm of mainstream neo-soul, hip hop, and R&B. And with her satisfying blend of analog and digital sounds, LAVAHI shows that the lineage of Black sound is not linear but ever folding and stretching.
LAVAHI has been actively developing her artistry via performing, songwriting, and recording since 2010. In the process, she has worked with a range of artists and produced noteworthy collaborative projects. Her list of credits includes "Hold On," the widely successful second single release from jazz vocalist Lori Williams's 2018 studio album Out of the Box. The song features the legendary Tom Browne and had been topping the UK Soul charts since its release.
LAVAHI also produces, plays flute, and arranges. She has added her unique sound to projects by a range of national and international artists in genres varying from rap to film scores to alternative. LAVAHI loves the studio and feels most natural when recording independently at home; but her true second home is the stage. She has been featured at venues such as Blues Alley, Bethesda Blues and Jazz, Kat's Cafe, Porter-Sanford III, St. James Live!, City Winery, and more.
As a scholar, LAVAHI curates an experience to critically read environment, self, and society through pop pedagogy, blending popular culture and trending topics with theoretical, historical, and philosophical foundations. Her latest publication will be featured in The Lemonade Reader: Beyoncé, Black Feminism, and Spirituality, an edited collection by Dr. Kinitra Brooks and Dr. Kameelah L. Martin. LAVAHI is also developing a series entitled "Call and Response," which invites artists to perform and use their art to engage in critical conversations with a mixed audience of the public and the academy.
Whether through performance in music, in writing, or in academic spaces, LAVAHI allows her own vulnerability to cultivate the vibe and create a safe space, internally and externally, for those sharing the experience with her.
LAVAHI is currently working on her full-length debut solo project of all original music to follow her current single, "Forever," and upcoming single releases.
Make sure to follow @lavahi to stay updated on the LP and latest information for live performances, publications, and events!