Sign up for our mailing list Real artists creating records on their own terms
Close

Sign up for our mailing list

News

Mavis Staples Shares Prince-inspired New Song “Worthy”
Tuesday, June 18th, 2024

Mavis Staples Shares Prince-inspired New Song “Worthy”

A legendary performer who will turn 85 next month on July 10, Mavis Staples continues to be a tour-de-force in music and a voice for the voiceless in today’s divided society. Well known for her work in the gospel and Americana space, Staples is also an R&B icon who famously worked with the one and only Prince in his 80’s heyday. Reminiscent of those records, today she is sharing the new song “Worthy.”  
 
Written and produced by Mark Ronson protégé MNDR, the song came to fruition via an all-women team, while Ms. Staples makes it all her own. “It’s a pick-me-up song – it’s a celebration, and you can’t help but move,” she says. “Certain songs just cover you, and this song is just so sassy and fire. It’s got me fired up.” As a black woman who lent her voice to the civil rights movement, the song vibrates through Mavis’s unique perspective as both a call to action and an infectious, dance-worthy tune; check it out below.  

Listen to “Worthy”: https://youtu.be/9wYU_4xDn8Y 

"Working with the legendary Mavis Staples seems like a dream,” MNDR gushed. “Listening to her soulful voice, spending time in her grace, and watching her artistry in the studio as the trailblazing icon of music and culture was an experience too profound to put into words and one that I will never forget. As I listened to her breathe life into our song 'Worthy’ – a song of celebration through good times and hard times, a song to celebrate ourselves and others – I realized that there is no other artist who could give this song more spirit and soul than Mavis Staples, a legend, an icon. It was one of the most profound moments of my life, and I am forever grateful." 

The artwork for "Worthy” features the painting The Darker the Berry, The Sweeter the Juice (2015, acrylic on canvas) by distinguished American artist Henry Taylor. Much like Staples, Taylor’s pieces are driven and defined by empathy, engaging the dynamic subtleties of his eclectically sourced subjects and their environments, historical and personal, each work a holistic visual narrative. 
 
Hailed by NPR as “one of America’s defining voices of freedom and peace,” Staples is the kind of once-in-a-generation artist whose impact on music and culture would be difficult to overstate. She’s both a Blues and a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer; a civil rights icon; a GRAMMY Award-winner; a chart-topping soul/gospel/R&B pioneer; a National Arts Awards Lifetime Achievement recipient; and a Kennedy Center honoree. She marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., performed at John F. Kennedy’s inauguration, and sang in Barack Obama’s White House. 


At a time when most artists begin to wind down, Staples ramped things up, releasing a trio of critically acclaimed albums in her 70’s with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy that prompted Pitchfork to rave that “her voice has only gained texture and power over the years” and People to proclaim that she “provides the comfort of a higher power.” “I sing because I want to leave people feeling better than I found them,” Staples says. “I want them to walk away with a positive message in their hearts, feeling stronger than they felt before. I’m singing to myself for those same reasons, too.” 

On July 9, Staples and award-winning children’s poet Carol Boston Weatherford will release the new children’s book ‘Bridges Instead of Walls: The Story of Mavis Staples’, a vibrant and poetic new picture book that introduces young readers to Staples’ life story, who began singing at age 8 and ever since has used her voice as a rallying cry to the country at numerous civil rights protests and continues to sing and share her message of love, faith and justice in front of large audiences today. Pre-order it HERE

 

Staples recently celebrated her upcoming birthday early in stellar fashion at Los Angeles's YouTube Theater this past April, gracing the stage alongside a star-studded lineup including Hozier, Chris Stapleton, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Black Pumas, and more. Currently on tour in Europe, Staples will return to the US and perform at Willie Nelson’s 4th of July picnic on the nation’s birthday. The next day she begins a run of dates with Norah Jones, who she affectionally calls “my baby sister.” All upcoming dates are listed below. 

 

 

TOUR DATES 
June 18 – Paris, France @ Casino de Paris 
June 20 – Barcelona, Spain @ Parallel 62 – Sala Club 
June 22 – Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain @ Azkena Rock Festival  
June 24 – London, UK @ Union Chapel 
June 25 – London, UK @ Union Chapel 
July 4 – Camden, NJ @ Freedom Mortgage Pavilion 
July 5 – Canandaigua, NY @ CMAC # 
July 6 – Lewiston, NY @ Artpark Mainstage Theater # 
July 10 – Huber Heights, OH @ The Rose Music Center at The Heights # 
July 11 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center # 
July 13 – Interlochen, MI @ Kresge Auditorium # 
July 14 – Highland Park, IL @ Ravinia Festival # 
July 19 – Trumansburg, NY @ Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival  
Aug 4 – Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre # 
Aug 6 – San Diego, CA @ The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park # 
Aug 15 – Park City, UT @ Park City Song Summit  
Aug 17 – Three Oaks, MI @ Acorn Theater 
Aug 28 – Beverly, MA @ The Cabot 
Aug 29 – North Truro, MA @ Payomet Performing Arts Center 
Aug 31 – Orkney Springs, VA @ Shenandoah Valley Music Festival 
Sept 13 – Abiquiu, NM @ Blossoms & Bones Ghost Ranch Music Festival 
Sept 29 – Monterey, CA @ Monterey Jazz Festival 
 
# - with Norah Jones 
 

Browse by Artist

2102All Artists 100Tom Waits 74Mavis Staples 59Neko Case 51Lost In The Trees 50Sean Rowe 48Dr. Dog 45The Milk Carton Kids
41Jolie Holland 40Bettye LaVette 37Man Man 36Son Little 35Tinariwen 33DeVotchKa 33Tim Fite 31Islands 31Grinderman 29Glen Hansard 28Saintseneca 27Galactic 27Wilco 27Delicate Steve 26Andy Shauf 25The Drums 24Michael Franti and Spe... 24Xenia Rubinos 22William Elliott Whitmo... 22Doe Paoro 22Bob Mould 21The Frames 21Nick Cave & The Bad Se... 20Joe Henry 20Christopher Paul Stell... 19Yves Jarvis 19Cass McCombs 19Booker T. Jones 19Sage Francis 18Gary V 18Deafheaven 18Calexico 17Yann Tiersen 17John K. Samson 16Jason Lytle 16The Antlers 16Danny Elfman 16Ramblin Jack Elliott 14Daniel Lanois 14Madi Diaz 14Jeremy Ivey 13Half Waif 13The Dream Syndicate 13Billy Bragg 12Leyla McCalla 12Girlpool 12Combo Chimbita 12Xavier Rudd 12Peter Silberman 11Mose Allison 11Lyrics Born 11Rain Machine 11Ryan Pollie 11Japandroids 11Roky Erickson 11Purr 11The Weakerthans 11Glitterer 11Jade Jackson 10High Pulp 10The Swell Season 10Darrin Bradbury 10Moor Mother 10Christian Lee Hutson 10So Much Light 10The Melodic 10Alfa Mist 9Hey, King! 9Curtis Harding 9Marianne Faithfull 9Wynonna 9Josiah Johnson 9M. Ward 9Cameron Avery 9N.A.S.A. 9Lido Pimienta 8Katy Kirby 8Greg Graffin 8Kate Davis 8Slow Pulp 8The Coup 8Solillaquists of Sound 8Cadence Weapon 7Kelly Hogan 7Ben Harper 7Title Fight 7Dead Man's Bones 7Ben Harper and Charlie... 7Alec Ounsworth 7Richard Reed Parry 7Beth Orton 7Eddie Izzard 7Elliott Smith 6Broken Twin 6Rafiq Bhatia 6Busdriver 6Deradoorian 6A Girl Called Eddy 6MJ Lenderman 6Kate Bush 6Bonny Doon 6Os Mutantes 5Foxwarren 5Kristine Leschper 5One Day As A Lion 5Ezra Furman 5The Tallest Man On Ear... 5Scott McMicken and THE... 5Beat Connection 5James Brandon Lewis 5Jasmyn 5Keaton Henson 5Art Moore 5The Field 4Ersi Arvizu 4The Good Ones 4Sparklehorse 4Pops Staples 4Waxahatchee 4Marketa Irglova 4sunking 4Jackson+Sellers 3Walter Wolfman Washing... 3Plains 3Marc Ribot 3Mothers 3Danny Cohen 3Sam Akpro 3Petra Haden 3Sierra Leones Refugee... 3Mavis Staples & Levon... 2Fleet Foxes 2Various Artists: RANGO 2ANTI- Records 2Jeff Tweedy 1Various Artists: ROGUE... 1Rogue's Gallery 1Antibalas 1Simian Mobile Disco 1Porter Wagoner 1Blackalicious 1Lightman Jarvis Ecstat... 1Joe Strummer And The M... 1Solomon Burke 1Youth Group 1Merle Haggard 1case/lang/veirs 1The Locust 1Taylor Vick 1Tricky 1Kronos Quartet with Br...
See Full List+