Erykah Badu makes her way to Houston's Arena Theatre this weekend. It was 1997 some twelve years ago when she made her presence on 
the music stage, becoming a music celebrity.
Influenced by R&B, 1970s soul, and 1980s hip hop, Badu became associated with the neo soul subgenre of the 90s along with artists like D'Angelo. Badu has been called the queen of neo soul. Her voice has been compared to jazz singer Billie Holiday. Early in her career, Badu was recognizable for her eccentric style, which often included wearing very large and colorful headwraps. She was a core member of the Soulquarians. As an actress, she has played several supporting roles in movies including Blues Brothers 2000, The Cider House Rules and House of D. She also has appeared in the documentaries Before the Music Dies and The Black Power Mixtapes.
In 2017 Badu was interviews by Vogue.com's, Kate Branch. She told Branch, "Like lotion or oils or fragrances, crystals transmit mini doses of minerals into our pores when touched. “We are all connected, not only with one another, but with th
e matter around us,” she says. “We’re just vibrating at different rates.” It was her fascination with rocks that led her to create songs (some Grammy-winning) in certain keys that resonate with certain meridians and colors and principals: “Whenever there is a song in a key of C,” she says, “I am resonating with all those things that connect with that note’s frequency: the root chakra, the color red, the idea of tribe and community and grounding. . . . It’s not what I’m saying, it’s how I’m vibrating.”