ABOUT
From her Hall of Fame-worthy beginnings in the '60s to her revolutionary ventures into art-rock, new-wave, and now cutting-edge mixed reality experiences, Nona Hendryx continues to earn her title as music’s “Queen of Transformation.” Never content to rest on her laurels, this visionary artist perpetually pushes the boundaries of what music and technology can achieve together.
Hendryx found her start in the group Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles, whose fresh harmonies earned them their reputation as “The Sweethearts of the Apollo” and their induction into the R&B Hall of Fame in 1999. After signing to Atlantic Records, the group reinvented themselves into the iconic funk-rock group Labelle. In the '70s, Hendryx’s empowering and socially conscious songwriting abilities shined through Labelle, earning the group three Gold Albums and a #1 Worldwide Platinum Hit with “Lady Marmalade.”
Her solo career encompasses nine studio albums and collaborations with musical luminaries including Prince, Peter Gabriel, Talking Heads, George Clinton, Bono, and Keith Richards, resulting in several top 10 hits and a Grammy nomination. Having recorded over 25 albums and toured internationally for more than 40 years, Hendryx expanded her creative reach in the '90s into theatre and film, writing music for Charles R. Wright’s play “BLUE” and the Oscar-nominated film “Precious,” while also scoring the film “Gospa” and creating music for Alvin Ailey’s American Dance Theatre.
A serious technology pioneer, Hendryx has been at the forefront of integrating digital innovation with artistic expression since the 1980s. Starting with the Atari ('70s) and quickly advancing to Mac Plus systems with early MOTU sequencing software, she became a self-taught master of DAWs including Pro Tools, Cubase, Reason, Logic, Ableton and various sampling technologies. Her technological fluency extends to multimedia production, incorporating Adobe Creative Suite, Final Cut Pro, and specialized programs like Final Draft for script writing.
This technological mastery reached new heights in 2024 with the world premiere of “The Dream Machine Experience” at Lincoln Center. This ambitious mixed reality installation combines augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and game-like features to create imaginative worlds rooted in Afro-Futurism where communities can identify, gather, grow, and heal. The groundbreaking project featured collaborations with luminaries including Mickalene Thomas, George Clinton, Laurie Anderson, humanoid robot Bina48, Vernon Reid of Living Colour, and Skin of Skunk Anansie. Dream Machine produced the Weeksville "Black Visionaries" AR project, an immersive mural that reinterprets the historical thematic tenants of Weeksville, upon which the Weeksville Heritage Center was established. This mural incorporates a collage that seamlessly integrates the past, present, and future through augmented reality, the creation of a physical mural merging animated images with music and sound design.
Hendryx’s commitment to education and mentorship remains strong through her ten-year role as Ambassador for Artistry in Music at Berklee College of Music, where she has developed experimental wearable technology including the “Audio Tutu” (created by Benoit Maubrey), W.A.V.E Glove, and Music Corset in collaboration with Electronic Production and Design students. Her course “Stage Craft and the Art of Performance” at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts Clive Davis Institute has influenced a new generation of artists. Currently the Roth Visiting Scholar at Dartmouth and a Royal Shakespeare Company Interdisciplinary Fellow researching, designing and developing her digital twin "Cyboracle" and its AI collaborative music creator, "Cyboracle Prime," arching knowledge of Afro Futurism and experimenting with performing "live" in VR as Cyboracle technical director and designer Sutu Campbell of Eyejack.io
Beyond performance and recording, Hendryx serves on the board of Black Pearl the Options Lab school in Chicago, continuing her dedication to supporting emerging artists and music education. Her work spans from traditional songwriting and production to cutting-edge explorations of how artificial intelligence and virtual reality can serve storytelling and community building.
As she prepares for the next chapter of her career, Nona Hendryx remains true to her core identity as an artist of perpetual transformation, consistently challenging herself and her audiences to imagine new possibilities at the intersection of music, technology, and human experience. Her career stands as a testament to the power of artistic evolution, proving that true innovation comes from fearlessly embracing change while remaining rooted in authentic creative expression.