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| Natalie "The Floacist" Stewart (left) and Marsha Ambrosius are the R&B duo Floetry. The group announced Thursday they will reunite for the 16-city "Say Yes" Tour beginning in April 2026, marking their first extensive national run in a decade. (Courtesy Photo) |
Floetry never fit neatly into the R&B machine the first time around.
When Marsha Ambrosius and Natalie “The Floacist” Stewart released “Floetic” in 2002, they brought spoken word to the center of contemporary soul at a moment when the genre leaned toward polish and radio gloss. The album went platinum in the United States, earned Grammy nominations and produced two of the era’s defining records, “Say Yes” and “Getting Late.” Then, four years later, the partnership dissolved.
Nearly two decades after their commercial peak — and almost 10 years since their last full national run — Floetry will return to the road.
The duo announced Thursday that they will reunite for the 2026 “Say Yes” Tour, a 16-city U.S. trek beginning April 9 in Newark, New Jersey, and concluding May 17 in Oakland, California. The run, produced by the Black Promoters Collective, marks their first extensive national tour together since 2016.
The announcement carries significance not because Floetry has been absent from playlists — their catalog has endured — but because the group’s history has been defined as much by fracture as influence.
After the success of “Floetic” and 2005’s “Flo’Ology,” tensions between Ambrosius and Stewart led to a split in 2006. Both artists later spoke publicly about creative and personal disagreements that shaped the breakup. Ambrosius went on to build a solo career that included Grammy nominations and high-profile songwriting credits, while Stewart continued performing and recording under The Floacist moniker, leaning further into spoken word and independent releases.
A brief reunion tour in 2015 and 2016 hinted at reconciliation, but sustained collaboration never followed.
This 2026 run appears more structured. The routing spans major R&B markets including Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, Washington, Atlanta and Houston — cities that supported neo-soul beyond its commercial peak. The bill also includes Raheem DeVaughn and Teedra Moses, two artists whose careers followed parallel arcs: critical respect, durable touring bases and limited reliance on mainstream radio cycles.
DeVaughn, a Grammy-nominated vocalist often referred to as “The Love King,” has maintained steady visibility through independent releases and touring. Moses’ 2004 debut “Complex Simplicity” has grown in stature among R&B listeners over time, frequently cited as one of the genre’s cult classics of the 2000s.
The lineup suggests a targeted audience — not casual nostalgia seekers, but listeners who came of age during the early-2000s neo-soul wave and have stayed with it.
Presales began Thursday through the Black Promoters Collective using code BPC, with general ticket sales scheduled for Friday at 10 a.m. local time.
2026 Tour Dates
- April 9: Newark, NJ — NJPAC
- April 11: Baltimore, MD — Lyric
- April 12: Philadelphia, PA — The Met
- April 15: Chicago, IL — Chicago Theatre
- April 18: Detroit, MI — Masonic
- April 22: Washington, DC — The Anthem
- April 24: Charlotte, NC — Ovens Auditorium
- April 26: Durham, NC — DPAC
- May 1: Atlanta, GA — The Arena at Southlake
- May 3: Jacksonville, FL — Florida Theatre
- May 6: New Orleans, LA — Saenger Theatre
- May 9: Houston, TX — Bayou Music Center
- May 10: Grand Prairie, TX — Texas Trust
- May 14: Phoenix, AZ — Celebrity Theatre
- May 15: Los Angeles, CA — The Novo
- May 17: Oakland, CA — Paramount Theatre
Floetry’s influence is measurable. “Floetic” was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and received Grammy nominations for Best Contemporary R&B Album and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. “Say Yes” reached the Top 10 on Billboard’s Adult R&B chart and crossed into the Hot 100. More broadly, the duo helped normalize poetry as a structural element within commercial R&B rather than a novelty interlude.
Still, a reunion does not automatically equal restoration. The intervening years — and public commentary from both artists — underscore that the partnership has not been seamless.
What this tour represents is less a sentimental return than a recalibration. Floetry’s catalog remains intact. The question has always been whether the dynamic that produced it could function again in real time.
In 2026, audiences will see whether that chemistry still holds.
