Singer/songwriter Ari B, a fresh voice in R&B, is making waves with her soul-stirring vocals and heartfelt lyricism. In this interview, she opens up about her artistic journey and her recent performance in the New York City.
Your music blends classic R&B with modern influences. How do you strike that balance while keeping your sound unique?
How do I strike that? Well, to be honest, my music is really inspired by whatever happens in my life. I believe that it’s the same with people that I listen to nowadays like SZA, Summer Walker, and Victoria Monet. I think most of the inspiration of how I come up with songs really comes from the people that I listen to and my life experiences.
Your lyrics often explore themes of love, empowerment, and self-discovery. What personal experiences have influenced your songwriting?
Well, my very first single that came out was really about a guy that I met after being in a six-year relationship with my baby’s father. It was pretty hard to get back into the dating scene. I was just not really wanting to; you know what I’m saying? After being in a six-year relationship, it’s just like, okay, how do we start over from here? I actually met someone that I really, really liked. And for me, it’s not like an easy thing to do because I’m real picky. I’m super picky and I don’t really like too many people. So, when I do, I just love love. I love the feeling of having butterflies that you get when you first meet a person, how you always want to see them, and you always want to talk to them. And that’s basically where that first single came from. It was inspired by my experience of just getting back into dating and that feeling you get when you first start dating someone.
Outstanding. As a rising artist, what was the biggest challenge you faced and how did you overcome it?
Okay, so one of the biggest challenges was just not knowing if people would really rock on my music because I’ve never actually made music before. It made me a little nervous about my song coming out because all my life I’ve loved music. I’ve always wanted to do it. I just never actually pursued it because of how life could be, and I had a kid. I was in a relationship not knowing that I could use those different experiences to make great music that people could relate to. So, I think that I overcame that by just doing it, just going for it because most of the time you never know until you actually do it. Once you actually go out there and just do what you love, somebody’s going to love it. I always say if it actually comes from you, if it comes from your heart, then somebody’s going to feel what you feel. If you feel something, somebody else is going to feel something too.
That’s very true. Your performances are known for their energy and emotion. How do you prepare for a show both mentally and physically?
I work for the post office, so it’s kind of a thing. I like to sing while I’m walking sometimes. You know, people might look at me kind of crazy for doing that but sometimes I sing and walk because that’s also kind of a thing that I had trouble with on stage at first. Simply walking around the stage singing, you can even get out of breath. First of all, I pray. I always pray that the people in the crowd feel something, that somebody feels some emotion from my voice. I pray that people resonate with the words that are coming out of my mouth. I always pray that the right notes come out and I think that really keeps me calm before I go on because I always get those jitters either way. That’s really what I do mentally most of the time. I always make sure that I pray because this is a God-given talent and I feel like without him, I wouldn’t be able to do any of this. I wouldn’t even have the voice to do it. I do work out, too. I just finished vocal training so that helps me a lot. It’s helped me learn how to breathe and do the things that I do on stage.
In an industry that can be tough on women, especially women of color, what message do you hope to send to your fans through your music and career?
The message I hope to send to them is to always be yourself because there’s nobody like you. And as long as you’re yourself, whether they like or dislike you shouldn’t really matter. You’re always going to have somebody who does not like you, but there will always be people who will. So, that’s not really important. What’s important is that you always remain yourself. That’s what I believe.
With the rapid changes in music, especially with social media and streaming platforms, how have you navigated connecting with your audience?
I’ve navigated that through really being consistent on my social media and also doing a lot of different shows. Recently, I’ve actually traveled for the first time to New York for a showcase. I’m actually out a lot. I go to a lot of different showcases and perform and immediately network after. I put myself in the right places with the right people to be able to network and get my music out there.
What has been the most memorable moment in your career so far, whether in studio or on stage?
I’m trying to really think because there’s been a lot of different moments. I would say one of my favorite moments was definitely New York because of the fact that I was in front of some big people that I’d never performed in front of. That was like an experience, like an American Idol experience. I’ve tried out for all of those different shows, and I never made it through. When I went to the show in New York, I didn’t even expect it to be judged immediately in front of everyone. I didn’t know it was going to go like that. I was very, very nervous, the critique and the feedback were really good, actually. It made me feel really good about the path I have chosen and that this is really meant for me. Although I didn’t win, the fact that they even acknowledged me and liked my singing voice will always be something I cherish. They basically told me I’m the whole package. That really made my year. I know what I’m doing. I got this.
