RSS
Help
Cart
India.Arie Biography
SINGER/SONGWRITER: The world renowned award winning
singer/songwriter India.Arie debuted in 2001 with her
Motown release Acoustic Soul. She followed up in 2002
with her sophomore CD Voyage To India and then in 2006 released her third album, the more personally
expressive Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship.
She has sold over 7 million copies worldwide and has received numerous awards and nominations including 16 Grammy nominations, 2 Grammy awards, along with awards from BET, NAACP Billboard Music, Radio Music, MTV, VH1 Vogue Fashion, Essence Magazine and others. She has collaborated with Stevie Wonder, Elton John, John Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen, Ashley Judd, John
Legend and so many more.
PHILANTHROPIST: In between touring and writing music, India.Arie has served as an US Ambassador for UNICEF and has traveled to Africa several times addressing the AIDS crisis. She has used and shared her music to bring awareness to various causes; her single “I am Not My Hair” was the Centerpiece of Lifetime’s Award-Winning Public Awareness Campaign, “Stop Breast Cancer for Life” and her song “Beautiful Flower” was used to raise funds for the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls.
ENTREPRENEUR: In June 2008 she launched her own label imprint through Universal Republic called Soulbird Music with her first signing singer/songwriter Anthony David. India.Arie says “SoulBird (which is another name for a butterfly), is meant to evoke the Energy of the music rather than the Style and will represent; music with intelligence and heart, music that moves people in their souls AND their bodies. Music with wings.” The cathartic first single from David’s new album, “Words,” was nominated for a 2009 Grammy award.
PHILANTHROPIST: In between touring and writing music, India.Arie has served as an US Ambassador for UNICEF and has traveled to Africa several times addressing the AIDS crisis. She has used and shared her music to bring awareness to various causes; her single “I am Not My Hair” was the Centerpiece of Lifetime’s Award-Winning Public Awareness Campaign, “Stop Breast Cancer for Life” and her song “Beautiful Flower” was used to raise funds for the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls.
ENTREPRENEUR: In June 2008 she launched her own label imprint through Universal Republic called Soulbird Music with her first signing singer/songwriter Anthony David. India.Arie says “SoulBird (which is another name for a butterfly), is meant to evoke the Energy of the music rather than the Style and will represent; music with intelligence and heart, music that moves people in their souls AND their bodies. Music with wings.” The cathartic first single from David’s new album, “Words,” was nominated for a 2009 Grammy award.
India.Arie All Music Guide Biography
One of a handful of neo-classic soul artists to emerge following the late-'90s success of artists like D'Angelo and Lauryn Hill, Atlanta's India.Arie stood poised at the beginning of 2001 to make a major impact. A studied songwriter and guitar player rooted in the R&B, soul, Motown, and blues of the past, but grounded in the post-hip-hop urban world of today, Arie's debut, Acoustic Soul, was rich with textured songs, hooks, and impressively mature lyrics, considering the artist had only been writing songs for five years.
Born in Denver, CO, to parents from Memphis and Detroit, music was always in Arie's life. The family moved to Atlanta when India was 13 and after high school she began playing guitar at the encouragement of her mother. Involvement in the fertile Atlanta urban music scene led to the formation of an artist's collective called Groovement and an independent label, EarthShare, which released a compilation CD featuring Arie's first songs. A second-stage slot on the 1998 Lilith Fair tour garnered major-label interest, but Arie eventually signed with Motown after being assured of having full artistic control.
Work on Acoustic Soul dragged out over nearly two years, but Arie's relentless pursuit of perfection and musical integrity yielded very pleasing results: as successful a graft of classic soul and modern hip-hop-style productions yet attempted. The album's first single, "Video," received strong radio and club play early in the year, and the full-length followed in March. Just over a year later, Arie had completed her second record, Voyage to India, and it appeared in September 2002. Four years later the singer hit number one on the Billboard charts for the first time with Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship, which also netted her three Grammy nominations. Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics was released in February 2009. ~ John Duffy, All Music Guide
Born in Denver, CO, to parents from Memphis and Detroit, music was always in Arie's life. The family moved to Atlanta when India was 13 and after high school she began playing guitar at the encouragement of her mother. Involvement in the fertile Atlanta urban music scene led to the formation of an artist's collective called Groovement and an independent label, EarthShare, which released a compilation CD featuring Arie's first songs. A second-stage slot on the 1998 Lilith Fair tour garnered major-label interest, but Arie eventually signed with Motown after being assured of having full artistic control.
Work on Acoustic Soul dragged out over nearly two years, but Arie's relentless pursuit of perfection and musical integrity yielded very pleasing results: as successful a graft of classic soul and modern hip-hop-style productions yet attempted. The album's first single, "Video," received strong radio and club play early in the year, and the full-length followed in March. Just over a year later, Arie had completed her second record, Voyage to India, and it appeared in September 2002. Four years later the singer hit number one on the Billboard charts for the first time with Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship, which also netted her three Grammy nominations. Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics was released in February 2009. ~ John Duffy, All Music Guide
Buy
Log In