Anita Baker Promises New Music, Special Guests on Tour Celebrating ‘The Songstress’ 40-Year Anniversary 

ANITA BAKER’S DEBUT album, The Songstress, arrived nearly 40 years ago, marking the arrival of a deeply influential master of R&B ballads. In celebration of her success over the years, the singer has announced a new tour, scheduling 15 live shows for 2023. 

“Looking forward to some crazy, lovely, hang time with my fans,” Baker shared in a statement. “Gonna, bring some new music & some special guests, too.”

The tour begins on Feb. 11 with a kickoff show at Hollywood, Florida’s Hard Rock Live. Baker will make stops in Atlanta, New Orleans, Newark, Long Island, Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, Greensboro, Memphis, Atlantic City, Houston, Dallas, and Los Angeles. The tour will wrap on Dec. 23 in Oakland, with the complete tour being scattered through the year with weeks, and even months, in between cities.

Baker’s return to the stage marks the first since she successfully wrangled back the rights to her masters, a matter settled in 2021. The tour also marks her first official slate of live performances since the collection of farewell shows she performed beginning in 2018 and the An Evening with Anita Baker concerts she played a decade prior. Her last full tour was in 1995.