Ari Lennox, born Courtney Shanade Salter and sometimes credited simply as Courtney Salter, is an R&B and soul singer-songwriter from Washington, D.C., United States. Known affectionately as Ari, she specialises in R&B, soul and neo soul, blending vintage textures with candid, modern storytelling.
After independently releasing projects including the mixtape "Five Finger Discount" and the EP "Ariography", she signed to J. Cole’s Dreamville Records in 2015 as the label’s first female artist. Her major-label EP "Pho" (2016) built underground buzz, and her debut album "Shea Butter Baby" (2019) brought wider acclaim through tracks such as "Shea Butter Baby", "Whipped Cream" and "BMO". She appeared on Dreamville’s Grammy-nominated compilation "Revenge of the Dreamers III" and later issued her second album "Age/Sex/Location" (2022), led by the hit single "Pressure".
In 2025 she departed Dreamville while remaining with Interscope Records, releasing her third studio album "Vacancy" in 2026, which has been praised for its maturity, emotional depth and refined neo-soul sound.
