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. 

“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.”

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 4^th 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