Nona Hendryx

From her Hall of Fame worthy beginnings with Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles 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 is a founding member of 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 10 years of recording and touring the group spent a year in England guided by Vicki Wickham and reinvented themselves into the iconic funk-rock group Labelle recording with Elton John. In the 70s, Hendryx's empowering and socially conscious songwriting abilities and Labelle’s vocal power, separated Labelle from all previous female groups, earning Labelle, 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, Mavis Staples, Talking Heads, Boy George, Cameo, Africa Bambatta, 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 and quickly advancing to Mac Plus systems with early MOTU sequencing software, recording with instruments like the Kurzweil, Arp 2600, DMX system, the Prophet and the Fairlight.  She became a self-taught creator using Pro Tools, Cubase, Reason, Digidesign, Ableton and various sampling technologies. Her technological fluency extends to multimedia production, incorporating Adobe Creative Suite, Final Cut Pro, Final Draft, Arduino and Bela, Unity, Wwise and other specialized programs. 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. The groundbreaking project featured collaborations with luminaries including Mickalene Thomas, Lufti Janania, Sutu Campbell of Eyejack.io, George Clinton, Laurie Anderson, humanoid robot Bina48, Vernon Reid of The Living Color Band, and Skin of Skunk Anansie.

2025 marks an extraordinary year of recognition and new ventures for Hendryx. She the honoree for 2025 Creative Capital annual gala and selected as the Roth Visiting Scholar at Dartmouth College for 2025-2026. Additionally, she has been awarded a prestigious fellowship with the Royal Shakespeare Company for 2025-26 for research in AI, Digital Twins and the impact of AI on the arts, further expanding her interdisciplinary reach. The National Black Theater has commissioned her to create and premiere an installation version of Dr. Barbara Ann Teer's manifesto "Land of Vision" in the Temple of Liberation housed in their new building. Hendryx is collaborating with Carrie Mae Weems, Moor Mother, Carl H. Rux, Liza Jessie Peterson and Francesca Harper.