Aloe Blacc Takes the Stage at Judson’s Live!

Photos courtesy of Aloe Blacc

The celebrated R+B artist, Aloe Blacc, launches his three-day residency at Judson’s Live, September 19-21.

Aloe Blacc has been creating music and giving folks something to believe in for almost 30 years.

This musician isn’t just a visionary songwriter with hits like “Wake Me Up” with Avicii. He’s one of those artists who throws his heart into everything, and people actually feel it. “The Man,” “I Need a Dollar”—those songs didn’t just chart; they stuck around because they meant something.

Fast forward to today, and Aloe continues to add more accolades to the shelf, receiving a shout-out from Worth Magazine as one of the Worthy 100, Grammy nominations, as well as a sold-out residency at New York’s Blue Note.

Photos courtesy of Aloe Blacc

Orlando, we have good news and even better news.

The good news: Aloe Blacc is still doing his thing, creating fresh music with real purpose, voice still on point, reminding us all that one song actually can shake things up.

The even better news: Aloe Blacc is performing a three-day residency at Judson’s Live at Dr. Phillips Center from September 19-21. He’s hauling in those massive sing-along tracks from “I Need a Dollar,” Avicii’s “Wake Me Up”—the whole package. This is real goosebump music, in person at Orlando’s premiere concert venue, Judson’s Live.

His latest album, “Stand Together,” might just be his most heartfelt work yet. Singles like “Don’t Go Alone” and “One Good Thing”? These tracks resonate on a deep level, especially when you realize he’s pulling from the stories of everyday legends: nonprofit founders, folks who sacrifice and work for a better world.

Nothing beats the thrill of live music, especially when you’re at Judson’s Live, a cozy spot that feels more like your wealthy buddy’s fancy living room than a stadium.

Central Florida has loads of club-like stages, but Judson’s Live? Total gem. Impeccable sound, a seriously cool vibe, munchies that make you forget dinner, and cocktails that are somehow both fancy and strong. You’ll find it at the Dr. Phillips Center, right in the thick of downtown. It’s an intimate stage with a huge personality. And the biggest thrill is hearing the music you love up close—like, see-the-singer’s-socks close—while snacking and sipping like royalty.

Florida Experience Magazine had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Aloe Blacc to discuss his years in the music industry, his commitment to social causes, the importance of his family and how he works on his music in between sitting in the carpool lane at school.

FE: Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us this morning. Have you performed in Orlando before?

AB: I’ve been to Orlando multiple times, but usually it’s for family or fun. This time it’s going to be for a show. I think I did a show years ago, but I can’t recall exactly where. I’m excited to come back.

FE: Are you going to be traveling with your family while performing this residency, or are they staying behind?

AB: No, my kids are in school, so my wife and the kids will be at home and I’ll be coming out and performing with my band. We had a lot of travel this summer, so we’re good. They want to be at home with their friends.

FE: How old are your children?

AB: I have a 12-year-old girl and a nine-year-old son.

FE: Those are the best ages. And your wife? I read Maya is from La Paz, Mexico.

AB: She was born in La Paz, and at one-year-old she moved with her parents to Australia, where she was raised.

FE: We’re thrilled to have you in residency at Judson’s Live. What are you looking forward to while visiting Orlando?

AB: I’m really looking forward to just engaging with the Orlando vibe. I haven’t really had a chance to be out and about in Orlando. Usually when I’m there, it’s Disney, right? This is an opportunity to get out and explore and learn.

FE: Your music is special and speaks to so many people. But the social impact of your music is just as important. Explain to our readers a bit more about your social causes and how this impacts your music.

AB: Yes, I have the amazing opportunity to speak to so many people at once, and I find that there’s a responsibility to use my voice for positive social transformation.

On my most recent album, “Stand Together,” I wrote songs inspired by nonprofit organizations or positive social missions. This is how I prefer to show up as an artist and I’m hoping that the music can inspire other artists to do the same, whether they make music or they’re visual artists or they’re in the film arts; to use their skills and talents to humanize the most vulnerable, to bring people together and to promote compassion.

We all have a role to play in how we engage society, and I think we should come with our very best skills to offer to make the world a better place.

Often, nonprofit organizations will ask me to sing at their events or promote their events online to my fan base, but I feel like a song is just as powerful; it could last longer and have a farther reach. So I’m hoping that I can inspire my fellow artists to use their talents in that way.

FE: You’ve received so many honors and accolades, including multiple Grammy nominations, Worth Magazine’s Worthy 100, a long and successful career in music. What are you most proud of when you reflect on the work that you have accomplished?

AB: AB: Well, there was a moment where we recorded one of my biggest hits, “Wake Me Up,” and I had the opportunity to make a music video for my version of the song. When we did, we partnered with a nonprofit organization called the National Day Laborers Organizing Network, which advocates for migrant workers. The folks who were in the music video and the story that was being told were extremely impactful. In some cases, some of the actors in the music video were they were able to petition the courts and receive a stay of deportation, so they didn’t have to leave the country.

It helped to share with an audience that was listening to my song a story that they may not have had proximity to, and have heard only vitriol and very narrow ideological views. But when you see the human element depicted on the screen, it can evoke empathy. I think it did, and we succeeded in that, and I’m very proud of it.

FE: That’s such a powerful video, Aloe. This leads me to ask your thoughts about the challenging times that we’re living in right now. Have you found that your work has been more difficult? Have you experienced roadblocks?

AB: I feel like at the moment I don’t have roadblocks. I’m an independent artist, so I’m not under the direction of a major label, and that’s mainly by design. I feel like the major labels promote a certain type of energy, and it’s not necessarily conducive to the health of the nation or the world. They’re just trying to sell music, and sometimes those messages aren’t the best messages.

But when we look across the media landscape, by far the content and the messages that we’re receiving are combative, violent, misogynistic, depressive, lots of anxiety.

Some might even ask, “What about sports?” But sports is combative. So, how do we get to a place where the media that we’re creating, the art that we’re creating, the stories that we’re telling are about togetherness and compassion?

The industry doesn’t necessarily promote or appreciate that because they know it’s easy to sell a train wreck. People are subject to their primal desires, so they will take the easy, low-hanging fruit.

The only challenge I see is trying to create art and deliver messages and competing with the stuff that is quick and easy for people to see.

I tell this anecdote all the time: you’re walking down the street and on one side of the street, you see two people fighting, fists up and throwing blows. Then, on the other side of the street, you see two people hugging. Which side of the street are you going to spend more time watching? And that is ultimately how the marketplace works. It knows that we’re going to probably spend more time watching the fight.

FE: Has it been a challenge for you to stay independent as an artist?

AB: I had my stints with independent labels and major labels, and I was able to navigate in a way that was still what I wanted to present and create. When I felt like it wasn’t serving me anymore, that’s when I left to go back to the independent.

You know, I’m lucky because I’ve had the benefit of a few hits, that I still have some visibility and some social and industry respect and capital, and I’ll continue to use it for the greater good.

FE: I heard you say that music was a hobby, and you never meant it to be a career. When did you realize you had crossed the threshold from hobby to career?

AB: The real point was when "I Need a Dollar” became a big hit in Europe and I was touring. All the concerts that I booked were sold out, and we were adding more shows. That felt very different from the way my hobby had been going previously.

FE: Tell me about your next album and what’s coming up for you.

AB: My last album “Stand Together” was inspired by nonprofit organizations. I’m hoping that my next album can be inspired by stories that fans tell me. So, if they visit my website aloeblacc.com and go to the contact section, you can share your story and maybe it will become a song.

FE: I love that concept. How long does it take you to write a song, and what is your process?

AB: Sometimes songs will take months or weeks, because an idea is just formulating, it’s growing. But then if I mark about four hours’ worth of time to just focus, I can get a song written and a demo recorded within about four hours.

FE: Do you prefer to work solo, or do you like to collaborate, or both?

AB: I’m happy to collaborate and I’m happy to work solo. The beginning of my career was all solo. I’ve been working more recently in a collaborative environment because it necessitates that the work gets done. And since I’ve had kids, there are so many other things to do as a parent, you have to organize your day. So I drop the kids off at school, I go to a studio session and write songs with collaborators, and then by the time we’re done it’s time to pick up the kids.

FE: How do your children feel about what you do for a living? Do they aspire to follow in their father’s footsteps?

AB: My kids are really interested in music and art, but the chance that they will ultimately make it a career, I think I’ll encourage them to just make it a hobby. And if it becomes a career, that’s great

I think you have to be having fun when you’re doing the arts. When you’re doing it to make a living, then you really mess with intention and integrity of the art. So just do it for fun. Have a job. That’s what I did, until you don’t need the job anymore.

Dr. Phillips Center Presents

Aloe Blacc

September 19-21, 2025/Judson’s Live/7 p.m., 9 p.m., 5 p.m., 7:30 p.m.

445 South Magnolia Avenue

Orlando, FL 32801

407.358.6603

For more information drphillipscenter.org

Photos courtsey of Aloe Blacc