Skip to main content

On A Spiritual And Emotional Journey - India.Arie And Her Music

— by Samriddhi Tanti | Delhi
It isn’t always that one comes across a musician who manages to brilliantly take the listener on an introspective journey. India.Arie is a woman who simply radiates with a light... a light that emanates from her soul and reaches out to one through her music. A multi talented woman, who sings, writes, plays, arranges and produces music. India’s richly textured voice and the ability to commune directly with her listeners through impressive, soul stirring lyrics is overwhelming and truly inspiring.

Born in Denver, Colorado on October 3 1975, India Arie Simpson is a Grammy Award-winning American soul, R&B, and neo soul musician, songwriter, and producer. She absorbed musical skills early in life as she was encouraged by both parents. Her mother Joyce is a former singer (she was signed to Motown as a teenager and opened for Stevie Wonder and Al Green). Her father is former ABA and NBA basketball player Ralph Simpson.

After her parents divorced, Simpson's mother moved the family to Atlanta, Georgia when she was thirteen. Simpson had taken up a succession of musical instruments throughout her schooling in Denver, but her interest in the guitar while attending the Savannah College of Art and Design, in Savannah, led to a personal revelation about song writing and performing.

"When I started tapping into my own sensitivity, I started to understand people better. It was a direct result of writing songs", she said at the press release of her debut album, Acoustic Soul.

Her first single “Video” and her multi–platinum debut album Acoustic Soul were released in 2001. It was followed by the release of the platinum selling Voyage to India in 2002, an album acclaimed worldwide by critics. The New York Times called it “music that only further enhances her reputation as an artist of substance; centering on her acoustic guitar and confident but restrained vocals, it recalls such soul masters as Stevie Wonder and Roberta Flack.” In 2006 she released her No. 1 charting album Testimony: Vol.1, Love & Relationship. Next was the highly anticipated Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics, which was released in 2009. Besides these she has also collaborated with many musicians and her latest collaboration is with Israeli musician Idan Raichel – a driving force in contemporary world music. Together they created Open Door –a collection of soul stirring, poignant songs, the authentic East-meets-West experience.

Songs of love, of empowerment and emancipation, of inner emotions... there is a candid expression of feelings and emotions in her songs. India.Arie has the charismatic ability to absorb one and simply motivate to assert one’s true self and to love oneself and to love life.

“I feel my music is even more in accordance with where people are. Everybody’s looking for ways to feel better –– the world is so unpredictable, people are looking inside themselves to ask what’s meaningful in life. My music has always addressed this, and now it’s so much in vibrational accordance with what people are thinking.” -India.Arie

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

10 music fests in North East India you don't want to miss

— compiled by Debjani Hazarika Northeast India is known as the land of festivals and culture. From the beginning, people of this part of the world have been indulging in merriment and diversion. Hence, the music, dance and other forms of art are the integral parts of everyday life. Apart from traditional festivals, since the commencement of television and social media, many young enthusiasts came up with the idea of organising different music events and festivals where local and acclaimed musicians can showcase their talents. Some of the festivals are funded by the state governments while the rest organised with the help of private sponsorship. Here is a list of some of the music and cultural fests we thought you would love to attend if you are into music and adventure. Hornbill Festival (Nagaland) Hornbill Festival 2012, Nagaland (photo: Sudeepta Barua) WHAT? Hornbill Festival WHEN? December WHERE? Naga Heritage Village, Kohima, Nagaland The Hornbill Festival is a celebra

16 Rock Bands from North-East India you don't want to miss

North-East India is very rich in music, dance, tradition and culture. All the eight states of North-East India have something to offer for rock music lovers. Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya, is also known as 'Rock Capital of India'. Some of the festivals promoting rock music of the region like Hornbill Festival of Nagaland and Ziro Festival of Music in Arunachal Pradesh are quite famous among music lovers. The region gave birth to many well known and respected Rock bands since the 60's. We have compiled a list of 16 (sixteen) comparatively new bands we love listening to all the time. Of course, there are various other bands apart from these sixteen bands who have made their mark on the Rock music scenario of India. We will post about those bands in our next segment. The Vinyl Records (Arunachal Pradesh) | photo: Facebook The Vinyl Records (Arunachal Pradesh) - Formed in February 2010, The Vinyl Records is an All-girl Rock band. They have performed in well

Gaurav Choudhury | Assam | ChaiTunes Artist

Gaurav Choudhury | ChaiTunes Gaurav Choudhury is a guitarist and a versatile singer. He has been playing the guitar for many years and composed songs in English and Assamese. He joined the team at ChaiTunes Project in 2017 and has worked for different collaborative projects like Anuron and Niyoror Xur with musicians from around the globe. Gaurav is an Engineer by profession. Gaurav's ChaiTunes Videos Anuron (live & unplugged) is recorded & shot live at the Eastern Fare Studios in Guwahati. It is the first of ChaiTunes Series' unplugged numbers & fourth of ChaiTunes series of music videos. The song is written and composed by Jim Ankan Deka and features Rupam Bhuyan, Veda V Sarma, Prabal Gogoi, Gaurav Choudhury & Jenie. Marvin Gaye (live & unplugged) is recorded & shot live at the Music Malt Studios in Guwahati. It is the first of ChaiTunes Series' unplugged cover numbers. The song features Catherine Khiangte, Jim Ankan Deka, Veda V Sarma, Prab