Music is one of my all time favorite things so I figure I could use one of my free blogs to talk about one of my favorite musical artists. While I love almost every kind of music, there are certain artists I favor more then others. One of my favorite singers is India.Arie. As I began to write this blog I googled her because while I know most lyrics to her songs, I didn't know much about her as a person. It is interesting to learn that her mother was a former singer who was signed to Motown as a teenager and opened for Stevie Wonder and Al Green, and her father was an ABA and NBA basketball player, Ralph Simpson. She comes from a pretty talented family, huh?? I guess it makes sense considering she's won two grammys along with many other awards.
India.Arie has had 3 studio albums, including Acoustic Soul, Voyage to India, and Testimony Volume 1: life and relationship. Her fourth album just came out on Tuesday and is called Testimony Volume 2: love and politics. I have only heard one song from this album but I really liked it. I find her lyrics to be inspiring and uplifting. They are the kind of lyrics that really make you think. You feel good when you listen to her music and it makes you want to listen to more. India.Arie is an example of a female artist who proves that you don't have to lose your integrity to have a successful career.
My favorite songs by India.Arie are Brown Skin and Beautiful Flower. Both of these songs have really good lyrics and the beat to brown skin is SO good! The message beautiful flower gives is that of power, especially to all women....
"Cause you're beautiful like a flower, more valuable than a diamond, you are powerful like a fire, you can heal the world with your mind and there is nothing in the world that you cannot do, when you believe in you (who are beautiful), yeah you (who are brilliant), yeah you (who are powerful), yeah you (who are resilient)"
...If you haven't heard a song by India.Arie I suggest you go youtube her and give her a chance.. you wont be disappointed! Also, the grammys are coming up on Sunday and she is nominated for "Best R&B Duo/Group" for the song Words ft. Anthony David. I have my fingers crossed that they will be taking home that award
India Arie is the modern Tracy Chapman.
ReplyDeleteI am excited to see that India Arie is one of your favorite artists. I myself was unaware of the accomplishments and long list of talent that she came from. In my opinion, India Arie, Lauren Hill, and Jill Scott all fall under the same category: they are soul performers. I gave them this title, because everything they create comes from within. Their music is moving, and usually addresses issues that are personal and meaningful to them, while keeping their audience in mind. Their music is different, and often misunderstood, but obtains many symbolic and powerful messages that if not closely watched it could be overlooked. For example, “I am not my hair”, is very symbolic. India Arie was the only artist courageous enough to address this issue: the length of African American women’s hair does and should not define who they are. In a sense, it was a reminder that being blinded by the “importance” of one’s physical attributes can only lead to failure, because there is more to a person than that. Moreover, I do agree, with you, she is a talented, confident and beautiful African American woman who is content with herself and her abilities. Nice choice!
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