Ari Lennox Announces ‘Vacancy’ Deluxe Album, Shares ‘Hookah Baby’

The Ari Lennox era of Vacancy is far from over. The Washington, D.C., native has officially announced a deluxe edition of her third studio album, titled Vacancy: The Late Checkout, which is scheduled to arrive later this year via Interscope Records.

The forthcoming expanded project will feature the newly released single, “Hookah Baby.” Produced by the collaborative team of Tommy Brown and Leather Jacket, the track captures a hazy, atmospheric vibe, inviting listeners into a space defined by scented smoke and melodic rhythms—a setting where time seems to stand still and the artist is in no hurry to depart.

The standard edition of Vacancy made its debut this past January. Executive produced by Elite, the original project was anchored by a series of successful singles, including “Soft Girl Era,” “Vacancy,” “Under The Moon,” and “Twin Flame.”

Reflecting on the thematic core of the album during an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, Lennox explained, “Vacancy, the title, it really is that. There’s a space — a void — that I would love for someone to feel, but the reality is people be in and out like a gosh darn hotel. So I’ve just been writing a lot about my infatuation phases all the last 34 years of my life.”

Following the conclusion of The Vacancy Tour in June, this deluxe release serves as a continuation of the narrative established in her 2022 sophomore effort, Age/Sex/Location.

Listen to Ari Lennox’s “Hookah Baby” below.