New Artist: India.Arie
Now that things are starting to slow down and settle at school, I’m gonna slow things down a bit and talk about a chill artist named India.Arie.
- Name of Artist: India.Arie
- Sound: Very calm, great meditative music while going nowhere near the scary realm that is Yanni.
- Location: Denver, Colorado
- Website: www.indiaarie.com
- You May Remember Her From Such Songs As…: “Video” was a really popular song way back in the day that got a lot of play on top-40 radio stations, but for India.Arie, radio play isn’t all that common. She’s one of those artists that other more mainstream artists really admire for the music that she’s writing and performing, but a lot of people outside of the music world don’t know anything about it.
- Next Performance: August 24th at the Pechango Casino in Temucula, CA
India.Arie is one of those artists that I fell in love with years ago, and she’s one of the few artists that leave me anxiously awaiting her new albums time after time. There aren’t many CDs I can play from start to finish, but India has always been that way for me. Her music is great to just lay around to, or do some serious thinking, writing, homework, or it’s also great on a walk. Her messages are powerful and her voice is soothing, like everything she sings is some sweet lullaby. India.Arie is one of those hidden gems that the general public doesn’t know much about but definitely should. So, take a read and find out more about her now so that she can be fully appreciated…
Like I mentioned above, India.Arie is located in Denver right now, and that’s where she was born as well. Where did she get those gorgeous pipes? It could probably be credited to her mother, Joyce. She was a singer with Motown and opened for artists like Al Green and Stevie Wonder. Her father wasn’t exactly of the musical persuasion, being more the athletic type by playing ABA and NBA basketball. His name is Ralph Simpson. She also has a brother named J’On. (Her parents were all about the punctuation, as you can see.
While Arie started and is currently in Denver, her mother moved to Georgia once her parents divorced. It wasn’t until she moved and enrolled in the Savannah College of Art and Design that she really got into the guitar and realized how important songwriting and performing was to her.
Arie is total grassroots, all the way. She co-founded the independent music collective GroovementEarthseed in Atlanta, Georgia. She recorded one song on a compilation that the label put out, and it actually scored her a spot at Lilith Fair, doing a second-stage gig for the grrl-rock show.
Not long after, India.Arie followed in her mom’s footsteps when a Universal/Motown music scout found her and introduced her to Kedar Massenberg, former CEO for Motown.
Arie has released three albums so far, and none of them err on the side of mainstream. Her songs have a message, tell a story, and dig right to the soul. India.Arie is an artist that will continue her legacy for years to come.
Related Stories
POSTED IN: New Artist Monday
0 opinions for New Artist: India.Arie
No one has left a comment yet. You know what this means, right? You could be first!
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: