Key Takeaways

• Imani Archer opens up about the pain of losing her father, D’Angelo, and how she’s processing it through music.
• She shares personal memories of their musical bond, including harmonizing in the car and learning guitar tricks from him.
• Her new single, “Surreal,” was written before D’Angelo’s passing but now carries a deeper emotional connection.

When your father is one of the most influential voices in soul music, the world’s grief can feel just as heavy as your own. But for Imani Archer, D’Angelo’s only daughter, healing has meant sharing — not hiding — her pain.

In her first sit-down since his death, the singer-songwriter opened up to BET about the heartbreak of losing her father and how she’s using music and memories to cope. “It’s just really hard… I just wish he was still here,” Imani said through tears. “This last week has been really, really hard.”

Imani learned early on that music was her family’s language. D’Angelo introduced her to soul and funk, while her mom played pop greats like Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. “I remember I was in the car, and I was singing something. Me and him both do this thing where we won't sing the song as it is. We'll sing it in the harmony,” she recalled with a laugh. “He was like, ‘What? You know how to do that? I didn’t know you could do that! That's what I do!’ and I was like, ‘Really? I didn't know you did that too!’”

Even as she built her own sound, her father remained her biggest teacher. “He would always try to give me pointers with this thing called bar chords because I struggle,” the 26-year-old said. “He would always try to hold my hand and be like, ‘You gotta do it like this.’ He would try to teach me how to do riffs and all these really cool guitar tricks. He inspired me in so many ways.”

Imani also revealed that they had plans to record together before his passing. “He had this song he wanted me to hop on. We just didn’t get the chance to, unfortunately,” she told the outlet. “He was really proud of [my high notes].”

Now, she’s channeling his legacy into her own work. Her new single, “Surreal,” arrives this Friday (Oct. 24), a song she wrote long before his death, but now feels spiritually connected to. “I know he wouldn’t want me to stop. He would be pissed, actually, if I did something like that,” she said with a laugh.

D’Angelo’s legacy and passing

As previously reported by REVOLT, D’Angelo — born Michael Eugene Archer — died Oct. 14 at 51 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. The Richmond, Virginia native helped define neo-soul with projects like Brown Sugar, Voodoo, and Black Messiah, and leaves behind a legacy that continues to inspire generations.