A month after Madonna brought her Celebration Tour to a close with a record-smashing performance in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, two of her most beloved collaborators continue to honor her legacy ― along with their own musical journey ― onstage.
On Friday, Niki Haris and Donna De Lory will return to New York’s Green Room 42 for an encore engagement of their concert, “Niki + Donna: Songs and Stories.” While their individual careers have encompassed jazz, New Age, and other musical genres, Haris and De Lory endeared themselves to legions of fans in the 1980s and ’90s when they provided Madonna’s backing vocals on records and tour and were featured in the seminal 1991 documentary, “Truth or Dare.”
The two women returned to the studio for the first time in 2016 to record a tender version of Madonna’s “Rain,” followed a year later by a five-song EP, “Two Friends.” Not surprisingly, “Rain” was a highlight of the New York engagement in January, as seen in the below video.
Watch Niki Haris and Donna De Lory perform “Rain.”
“I believe this song’s lyrics are indicative of the many years we have been together, alternating between sunshine and stormy,” Haris told HuffPost in an email. “We continue to weather it all, knowing that the sun shines when we focus on our love and the music we share. That’s what we stand for.”
She went on to note: “We feel blessed every time we sing that and remind people to stand for those words … rain down love whenever, and wherever, you can!”
Haris and De Lory’s recent shows have included other Madonna hits, such as the 1986 classic “Open Your Heart” and “Nothing Really Matters,” off 1998′s “Ray of Light” album. They’ve also featured songs by Bonnie Raitt and Frank Sinatra, among other artists.
“I know fans would love to see us sing with Madonna again, but I think what we have to give as artists is more powerful with our own collaboration,” De Lory said, noting that she and Haris have discussed the possibility of a second EP. “When we sing together, it unifies us in a place of mutual recognition and respect.”
Haris and De Lory first met during auditions for Madonna’s Who’s That Girl Tour in 1987, and went on to appear in the now-iconic music video for “Vogue” three years later. Haris continued to work with Madonna until the 2001 Drowned World Tour, while DeLory remained a part of the pop star’s touring entourage until 2006.
Given Madonna’s stature as a global icon, it’s no surprise that unsubstantiated rumors of behind-the-scenes drama have long persisted. Haris and DeLory, however, appeared jubilant when they were invited to attend one of their former employer’s performances at New York’s Madison Square Garden earlier this year.
Kevin.Mazur via Getty Images
“Singing jazz, I don’t regularly get to hear much of the music I performed with Madonna, [so] it was another affirmation of the years we poured into each other and the great fun we had along the way,” Haris said. “It filled my heart with joy to see people loving us up when we came into the stadium and knowing they still celebrate our connection.”
Added De Lory: “It was so exciting to be there in the audience with the fans with Niki by my side, and I turned to her at one point and said, ‘This may be the only time that you and I are together watching Madonna’s show.’ So it was a very
special moment.”
