Neo-soul artist Meshell Ndegeocello is performing at Thalia Hall on June 16 as a part of her most recent tour of the United States in anticipation of  the release of her 13th studio album, The Omnichord Real Book, which comes out the same day. 

Ndegeocello got her start in Washington D.C, where she moved to from West Berlin, Germany as a child. In D.C, Ndegeoello learned her craft at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts as well as the D.C go-go music circuit in the 80s. The artist played with many bands before eventually signing to a record label herself and releasing her first album. 

Ndegeocello has gone on to become one of the leading voices in the new soul music movement, integrating genres like jazz, reggae, and rock into her smooth, soleful music. She has also collaborated with some of the biggest voices in music, including John Melloncamp, Madonna, Tupac Shakur, and Alannis Morrisette, playing bass and occasionally rapping.

Ndegeocello has also worked in collaboration with various activist groups, such as the Enough Project and the It Gets Better Project by contributing music and essays to compilations. She is also featured on Red Hot + Cool, an album created to raise awareness of AIDS, especially in the Black community. She also changed her surname from Johnson to Ndegeocello, meaning “free as a bird” in Swahili. 

Written after the death of Ndegeocello’s parents, her new album is self described as being about “the way we see old things in new ways.” The album will be released the same day as her Chicago store, following her single “Virgo”. 

You can see Meshell Ndegeocello at Thalia Hall on June 16, 2023. Tickets are available at this link. 

Location: Thalia Hall

Address: 1807 S Allport St, Chicago, IL 60608

Show Time: 7:00pm

Doors Open: 8:00pm 

Ticket Price: $45

Age: 17+