Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Anita Baker has decided to retire from her iconic singing career after three decades.
Last year , she defused rumors of a final project in the works with a tweet, saying, “Lotta rumours out there. No Tour. No CD. #Retired #BeachBum #ThankUJesus along with a gift emoji and pictures of the beach."
On New Year’s Day, though, Anita Baker announced the end of her soulful love songs.
Her unique, towering voice has remained an influence in contemporary soul music, mixing jazz traditions and picking up several Grammy Awards throughout her career. The legendary singer has four No. 1 Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums, including Rhythm of Love, Giving You the Best That I Got, My Everything and the platinum-selling Rapture.
“Sweet Love,” “Body & Soul,” and “Just Because” reached the top five of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and in 2012, she covered Tyrese’s 1999 hit “Lately,” which debuted in the top 10 of the Urban AC chart.
Baker will hold a Farewell Concert Series, set to begin in March. Although no tour dates have been released yet, Baker is set to headline New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival this spring.
Twitter felt her response was bittersweet. One user said, "We need to give Queen Anita Baker her flowers now!! She hasn’t been properly recognized for her contributions to us! And the perfect person to pay tribute is @tonibraxton cuz without Mother Baker, we may not have had a sound like Aunt Toni! #Legends."
Check out other responses to her tweets below:
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