LION BABE

Lion Babe formed as an alternative R&B duo whose sound merges soul, disco, and house while weaving in progressive hip-hop production touches drawn from figures such as J Dilla and Timbaland, all delivered with an up-to-the-minute sensibility. Early on, vocalist Jillian Hervey and producer Lucas Goodman labeled their method “futuristic nostalgia,” a description that fits their catalog beginning with the 2016 album Begin, continuing through Cosmic Wind in 2019, and extending to Rainbow Child in 2021.

The pair first connected at a gathering on the Boston campus of Northeastern University when Hervey, daughter of Vanessa Williams, heard tracks made by Goodman, who records as Astro Raw, and initiated a discussion that quickly turned into creative exchange. Over time they traded ideas and built songs until their debut track, “Treat Me Like Fire,” appeared on SoundCloud in November 2012, after which Polydor in the U.K. signed them. They returned in January 2014 with a self-titled four-track EP that contained both “Treat Me Like Fire” and the strutting “Jump Hi,” which featured Childish Gambino. Additional visibility arrived via their contribution “Hour Glass” to Disclosure’s second album, Caracal, and a subsequent tour supporting the duo.

Those steps led to the completion of Begin, issued in February 2016 and spotlighting the Pharrell Williams-produced cut “Wonder Woman.” In the years that followed, the duo maintained momentum with a series of singles and festival dates. During 2017 they released “Rocket” and “Hit the Ceiling,” each accompanied by remixes, while 2018 brought “Honey Dew” and the Leikeli47 collaboration “The Wave.” Ahead of their next project they offered the single “Western World,” then self-released Cosmic Wind in March 2019; the album included “The Wave” as well as appearances by Raekwon and Bilal. Between full-lengths they supplied fresh takes on Mos Def’s “Umi Says” and Odyssey’s “Native New Yorker.” Their third album, Rainbow Child, arrived in August 2021 and opened with “Rainbows,” which features Ghostface Killah. In 2022 they joined Busta Rhymes for the single “Harder.”