Disney’s The Princess and the Frog celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, meaning there’s an entire generation whose first taste of New Orleans and jazz came from the turn-of-the-century twist on The Frog Prince. There’s no shortage of opportunities to engage with Tiana on the horizon, including the recently opened Tiana's Palace Restaurant at Disneyland, the opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, plus the upcoming Disney+ series Tiana. That series finds Tiana setting sail for adventures away from NOLA, and while attending SXSW, I met another New Orleans woman who is working hard to make her dreams come true around the world – Acantha Lang.
New Orleans-born, but London-based, Acantha Lang is truly on a quest to bring the blues and jazz sounds of her beloved home city to the masses. Stopping by Austin, TX, wearing her signature contemporary hair wrap headband, Acantha kicked off her set with “Sugar Woman,” which was the title track of her first EP and also happens to be the first song on her debut album, Beautiful Dreams. But the moment when I first made the Tiana connection was when she introduced a song about her “Mama.” In The Princess and the Frog, Tiana’s dreams are encouraged by her mother, Eudora (voiced by Oprah Winfrey), with the future restauranteur kicking off the song “Almost There” with the line “Mama! I don't have time for dancing! That's just gonna have to wait a while.” Well, Acantha Lang takes her mother’s story with her on the road through the song “Lois Lang,” drawing similarities to Superman’s main squeeze, Lois Lane.
Another highlight of the set for me was the sunny and optimistic “It’s Gonna Be Alright.” Acantha Lang got the increasingly growing crowd at Cooper's BBQ moving and swaying to her motivational jam, which she turned into a call-and-response by the end of the track. It’s no wonder the independent artist made a music video to promote the joyous tune, filmed in New Orleans and directed by this self-made artist.
Acantha Lang’s set also included a cover of Bill Withers’ “Grandma's Hands” and concluded with one of her most popular songs, “He Said/She Said,” which recently got a second life through the new “Lack of Afro Remix.” With live accompaniment on keys, drums, guitar, and horns, the song was the right choice to end on, leaving the SXSW crowd wanting more.
For music lovers inspired by Tiana’s story, Acantha Lang is a real-life dreamer who isn’t waiting for a wishing star to do all the work. She’s making music magic of her own, taking her story and the sounds of New Orleans with her wherever she goes. Just as Tiana is getting ready to set sail on new adventures through a sequel series to The Princess and the Frog, Acantha Lang is following the sounds of her dreams to wherever people’s soul’s need a little reujuvination.
Learn more about Acantha Lang by visiting AcanthaLang.com. Acantha Lang is managed by CTK Enterprises, whose roster of artists also includes Dolly Parton, Paula Abdul, Jessica Simpson, and Mýa.
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