Ari Lennox performs during the 43rd Annual BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival Opening Night at the Prospect Park Lena Horne Bandshell on July 31, 2021 in New York City.
Roy RochlinAri Lennox has been arrested in Amsterdam after she claims on social media to have been racially profiled in the airport Monday morning (Nov. 29).
Early Monday, Lennox sent out a flurry of tweets about her negative experience with airport security in Amsterdam, writing, “F— Amsterdam security. They hate black people.” In her final tweet, Lennox wrote, “I’m being arrested in Amsterdam for reacting to a woman racially profiling me.”
Dutch military police, who are in charge of security at Amsterdam Schipol airport, told Reuters that the singer (real name Courtney Shanade Salter) was arrested for disturbing public order after accusing airline personnel of racial discrimination. The police said Lennox was held for acting aggressively toward an airline official and for being drunk in public.
“Our unit found a woman full of emotions, that wouldn’t calm down,” spokesman Robert van Kapel told the publication. “That’s why she had to be taken into custody.” It remains unclear how long the “Shea Butter Baby” star will remain in custody since police are still investigating claims of possible threats Lennox made during the incident.
Billboard has reached out to Lennox’s reps for comment but did not hear back at press time.
The R&B singer performed her latest single “Pressure” and “Unloyal” with Summer Walker from the latter’s Billboard 200-topping album Still Over It at the 2021 Soul Train Awards, which was taped at New York’s Apollo Theater on Nov. 20 and was broadcast Sunday night on BET.
See Lennox’s tweets about her arrest below.
NEWS
Lola Young has joined forces with Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) to release a new T shirt for the charity’s Lifelines collection.
The shirt supports CALM’s suicide prevention work, with proceeds helping to fund vital resources such as its helpline and CALMzone mental health app.
CALM introduced the Lifelines range last year, with Fontaines D.C., Blossoms and Inhaler also contributing their own designs to the collection.
Young’s design includes the words, “There’s a flicker of light. There’s always morning after the night”, taken from her track ‘Flicker Of Light’.
“I wrote this song about realising there is hope. I have often felt like there isn’t, but there is always a reason to keep going,” Young said. “That’s even when you don’t want to get out of bed, you do, and that is amazing, and you’re still here, and you’re still alive, and if anything, that’s something to be proud of.”
CALM CEO Simon Gunning also shared his appreciation for the collaboration, saying: “We couldn’t be more grateful to Lola for supporting ‘Lifelines’ and showing just how powerful music can be as a force for good.”
Priced at £30, the T shirts come in both standard and boxy fits and are available to purchase here.
Young has regularly spoken about her experiences with mental health. She returned to performing earlier this year after calling off her 2025 tour because of exhaustion. The decision followed her collapse during a performance in New York City. During her time away, she later discussed receiving support for addiction and attending AA meetings as part of her recovery.
In an interview with NME in May, Young explained that she believes “all healing journeys are never ending”, although she is now “definitely in a much better place”. She also said she feels “excited and ready to perform and to release music”.
Reflecting on the encouragement she received after publicly discussing those challenges, Young said: “My fans inspire me in the same way I hope to inspire them. I feel like I’ve never tried to be especially honest… it just comes very naturally to me.”
“I don’t really have any other choice but to be honest, so if people connect to that, and that’s amazing.”
Several musicians have also applauded the ‘Messy’ singer for honestly addressing the pressure placed on touring performers. Lily Allen said she was “in awe” of the BRIT and Grammy winner, while Victoria Canal credited Young with bringing greater attention to the damaging impact demanding tour schedules can have on artists’ mental wellbeing.
When NME asked whether musicians were beginning to establish firmer boundaries around their health, Young replied: “I never intended it to start a movement, but I hope that it does in some way.”
