"Up Late" is a song by American singer

Ari Lennox Courtney Shanade Salter (born March 26, 1991), known professionally as Ari Lennox, is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer from Washington, D.C. She is the first female artist to be signed to J. Cole's record label, Dreamville Records. She b ...

. It was released as the fifth promotional single for the album ''

Shea Butter Baby ''Shea Butter Baby'' is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Ari Lennox. It was released on May 7, 2019, by Dreamville and Interscope Records. The album was executive produced by Dreamville producer Elite. In addition, the maj ...

'' on April 30, 2019.

Background

On April 30, Ari Lennox announced the release date and tracklist of the album, and released the single "Up Late". In an interview with ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'', Ari Lennox said "A lot of these songs I’ve been holding on to for a long time, I just want the world to hear them. And then, finally, I can exhale." She also describes the song as "neo-soul sexy sweet midnight delight."

Recording and composition

The song was produced by Nick Quinn, Masego, Kojo, Hollywood JB, and Bigg Kid. Masego also plays the saxophone on the track.

Critical reception

Michael Saponara of ''

'' said the "sultry jazz-tinged" song "finds her exercising her vocal range while detailing another romantic encounter." Cherise Johnson of ''

HipHopDX ''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's current president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the Head Of Content is Jerry L. Barrow. ''HipHopDX'' is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group. ...

'' wrote "Intimacy can go down at any time as indicated on her revealing third single, “Up Late,” where she sings of finally getting it in with a crush following a session of smoking on Backwoods."

Music video

The official music video for "Up Late" was released on May 14, 2019. The video was directed by Lacey Duke and produced by Sarah Park. According to ''

'', the video "plants a white and red platform randomly in the middle of the open mountainous region, as Ari belts out the sensual lyrics and moves to the beat of her final SBB single under the clear blue skies." Masego also makes a guest appearance in the video.

Live performances

On June 21, 2019, Ari Lennox made her television debut on ''

Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incar ...

'' to perform a medley of "Up Late" and "BMO". The appearance took place directly after the North American leg of the Shea Butter Baby Tour concluded.

Credits and personnel

Credits and personnel adapted from

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...

. * Courtney Shenade Salter – main artist, composer, lyricist * Justin Bryant — producer, composer, lyricist * Nicholas Venezia — composer, lyricist * Oliver Bergqvist — composer, lyricist * Kojo Asamoah — producer, composer, lyricist, recording engineer * Masego — producer, associated performer, saxophone * Bigg Kid — producer * Juru "Mez" Davis — mixer, studio personnel

Release history

References

{{Ari Lennox 2019 songs 2019 singles Ari Lennox songs Smooth jazz songs Songs written by Ari Lennox