India.Arieโs music is poetry. Her sound is eclectic: a fusion of R&B, gospel, soul and jazz. Her songs range from spiritual and introspective to playful and political. Her lyrics speak about the challenges of our society and the highs and lows of relationships.
India.Arie, 33, was born in Denver, Colo, but moved to Atlanta, Ga., at the age of 13. Her mother, Joyce, is a former singer and her father, Ralph Simpson, played in the NBA.
Arie has received 17 Grammy nominations, two Grammy Awards and four NAACP Image Awards. She plays both the guitar and flute. In February, Arie performed for the President and the First Lady at โIn Performance at the White House-Celebrating the Music of Steve Wonder.โ In honor of Wonderโs receipt of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize.
Her first single, โVideo,โ has become an anthem for girls and women as a celebration of the bodies God has given them. Early this year she released โTestimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics,โ her fourth studio album. On the heels of her spring and summer tour, she appeared on โVH1: Divas 2009โ which aired Sept. 17. She performed the song โVideoโ with British singer Adele.
Arie will perform on Thursday, October 1 at the MSU Riley Center in Meridian. She spoke to the JFP by phone last week.
Recently you performed on โVH1 Divas 2009.โ How does it feel to follow in the footsteps of Tina Turner, Patti Labelle, Diana Ross and other female legends?
I was thinking, โWhat am I doing here?โ I sang with Adele, and we complemented each other. My music is about living in the moment, and the experience was perfect for my music.
I know โVH1 Divasโ supports the Save the Music Foundation. What are your feelings on music education in schools and its impact on youth?
I can only speak for myself. When I first heard about (schools) shutting down music programs, I was like, โyou canโt do that.โ Children need that. It didnโt make sense to me. Because for me thatโs why I did well in my other subjects, so I would be able to participate in music class. Obviously, people have talked about how it helps to develop your brain, but I think some people are predisposed to music. And if you donโt have that outlet at school where you get it, it just didnโt make sense to me.
โTestimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politicsโ came out earlier this year. How is your sound and message different from previous albums?
I donโt touch on any subject I havenโt touched on before. There have been times in the past when I would say, โI canโt say that like that,โ or, โIโll keep this song for later.โ The message of the album is more boldึthe politics of relationships, things going on in the world, love, spiritual ideals like forgiveness and self-acceptance.
I think the biggest shift for me is the sound of the album. Itโs mostly live with programmed elements on top. I was always told that wouldnโt work in a commercial sense, so I didnโt (do it). This time I jumped out there and did it. โฆ It hurt too much not to do it. I had to listen to myself and do what I felt in my heart โฆ โRiver Rise,โ โLong Goodbyeโ and โHe Heals Meิโ(are) three of my favorite songs ever.
Tell me about the Fall Soulbird Tour? What can fans expect?
I always find that people are surprised by the improvisational nature of our show โฆ Sometimes people are surprised by the playful nature of my show. Some people, who donโt know my music as well, think Iโm very serious. But people who know my music really well, who live with it and relate to it โฆ know Iโm playful and I roll my neck, and I have my relationships. People come to my show and are surprised by that. They think Iโll be stoic and stiff, and Iโm not at all like that on stage. Iโm always trying something new.
In your song, โA Beautiful Day,โ you sing about life being a journey and that there are no mistakes, and to lay down regrets. How do you embrace that in your own life?
Iโm always thinking about whatever the current challenge is and how to fix it, how to be better, how to be a better person, how to go back and right any mistakes Iโve made with people. Sometimes you have arguments or things happen with people you donโt know or friends you do love, and you know you were wrong โฆ Iโm the type of person that will go and apologize to someone even when it makes me scared. โฆ My spiritual growth matters more than anything. It matters more than my careerึ more than anything. Thatโs my first priority. I donโt think that I always hit the mark with those things by any stretch of the imagination, but I try.
Several of your songs have talked about body image and acceptance. But how can girls and women of color embrace themselves amid the negative influences of other โscantily cladโ artists and โvideo girlsโ?
It doesnโt come up around my music because I have no desire to be that kind of artistึno desire. It used to come up during my first album cycle.
But, letโs be logical about how life works. No one likes the same thing. There are going to be some people who think I look beautiful and some people who are going to not think I look beautiful.
Iโm a citizen of the world. Iโve been all over the world, and some places people donโt wear deodorant, and some places people donโt shave their armpits. And some places itโs OK for women to be thick and wear their tight pants โฆ so Iโm going to do what I want to do. โฆ To me thatโs what a diva is โฆ someone who does what they want to do, and how they want to do it.
In 2002, you recorded the song โJust Another Paradeโ with Mississippi natives Cassandra Wilson and Rhonda Richmond. Tell me about that experience.
It was earlier in my career, and I was thinking, โCassandra Wilson knows who I am.โ Thatโs all I thought about: โShe knows who I am.โ And I remember the first thing I said to her after โhiโ was, โWhy did you want me to come do this?โ I couldnโt imagine why at all.
Her answer was she wanted to show the world that jazz is more than what they think it is. She said I had elements of that.
I didnโt understand at the time, but I get it now. And it was also cool because usually in urban music, which is the direction I got pushed, โฆ everything is overdubbed, overdubbed and layered and layered โฆ it could take a week. With Cassandra Wilson they did everything in the room, in the moment, including the vocals. Everything at the same time. Iโd seen it on TV, but Iโd never had that experience. That was cool, and I enjoyed (it).
What are you listening to these days?
Thatโs funny. I never remember when people ask me. I really like Chrisetteโs second recordึChrisette Michele. I was surprised by where she went, and I really like what she did. And (I like) Joni Mitchell a lot-ึโCourt and Spark,โ and the album โBlue.โ Itโs kind of like new to me. Iโm obsessed with her. Those are my two favorite things right now.
Previous Comments
I love her lyrics. The girl is deep!
#152260 | Author: Walt | Date: Sep 23 2009
India.Arie is awesome! Her lyrics mean something, and they’re not lewd or rude. “Video” is definitely one of my anthems, which I have on my Hypster playlist: http://hypster.com/profile/lwill74-249123.html
#152272 | Author: LatashaWillis | Date: Sep 24 2009