Brittany Howard wows Jimmy Fallon, ‘Tonight Show’ crowd with funky new song

Brittany Howard wows Jimmy Fallon, ‘Tonight Show’ crowd with funky new song

Brittany Howard has nothing to prove with a handful of Grammys and worldwide acclaim to her name, but she still rocked her song “Prove It to You” from her new album “What Now” on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” on Thursday.

Wearing white sunglasses and a psychedelic caftan dress, the Athens native leaned even further into the funk to power through track No. 8 from the new record, flanked by a large band including backup dancers and bass player Zac Cockrell, a former hometown classmate and co-founding member of Alabama Shakes.

“Whoa!” Fallon exclaimed after Howard’s final note, as the host walked to the stage to thank her. “Come on now! That’s how you do it! Brittany Howard! That’s how you do it right there.”

Last October, Howard dropped the titular single from the new album, which AL.com’s Matt Wake called “funky as hell.” He described “What Now” as a “clever mix of organic and electronic, like some unearthed Chaka Khan/Fela Kuti/Prince Rogers Nelson collabo. Dancefloor beats, electro-gospel vox, raw guitar, nocturnal keyboards. Yeah, it’s sticky.”

Howard also premiered the music video that month.

In September, she announced the new album and its coinciding tour that included one date in her home state (Nov. 6, 2023, at Iron City in Birmingham). Howard also signed with New York-based Island Records. “Surprise!!!! I just finished my new album and felt the itch to play some shows!!!!” she posted on Instagram.

“The What Now Tour” continues tonight with a two-night run at Webster Hall in New York City. Howard will perform through August, including stops in Southern cities like Asheville (Feb. 23, 24), Austin (April 28) and Manchester, Tenn. (Bonnaroo, June 15).

“What Now” is available now. It has already received notable critical acclaim from outlets like NPR and Pitchfork.

Howard made entertainment news in January with Netflix announcing her as lead voice role for the upcoming original animated film “Thelma the Unicorn.”

Howard rose to fame in 2012 when the band Alabama Shakes skyrocketed out of Athens, releasing a debut album “Boys & Girls” before their 2015 sophomore effort “Sound & Color.” She went solo in 2019, when she released the album “Jaime,” which landed on best-of-the-year lists from Pitchfork, The New York Times and Rolling Stone, and was named NPR’s album of the year.

Rolling Stone named “Hold On,” from the Alabama Shakes’ first album, its No. 1 song of the year. It was also nominated for the Best Rock Performance Grammy Award. The band’s second album included songs like “Don’t Wanna Fight” and “Gimme All Your Love,” both of which they performed on on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.”

“Sound & Color” won the Grammy for Best Alternative Album in 2016. “Don’t Wanna Fight” won two Grammys, for Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song.

Howard’s solo debut album “Jaime,” scored seven Grammy nominations, winning Best Rock Song for “Stay High.”

“I couldn’t be happier to announce my new partnership with Island Records, a label with such an incredible legacy and team,” Howard said in a September 2023 statement. “I cannot wait for the world to hear my new music and to start touring again.”