Historical Figure
India Arie
b. 1975
American singer-songwriter (born 1975)
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Biography
India Arie Simpson is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence with her debut album, Acoustic Soul (2001), which was a commercial and critical success. She has since released the albums Voyage to India (2002), Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship (2006), Songversation (2013) and Worthy (2019). Her music blends elements of R&B, soul, and neo-soul, often incorporating themes of self-empowerment, spirituality, and social consciousness.
In Their Own Words (2)
I was sitting on the couch and I was just like, “I’m tired of this.” And by “this” I mean: Being quiet when there’s something I want to say. So I just said it, I wanted my music off. I honestly thought I would say it and then have to go into a legal situation that was more quiet. But when people started responding, that’s when I wanted them to understand what I was really saying. Social media is certainly not a place for nuance, so I did my best to explain everything, how it all interacts and how it all feels. For me it wasn’t even about exposing Joe Rogan. It was about exposing what it’s like to be an artist of color in the business. Our biggest streaming platform is allowing this. Now it’s become a conversation of me against him — that was never my intention, and that’s not how I feel. We’ll see how many more times I can say Joe Rogan’s name; I’m getting a little tired of it. This is about the way Spotify treats artists. I’ve been saying that on my Instagram for a while. People listened to it this time because [Rogan] is involved, which has its own element of race, too.
India.Arie Wants to Yank Her Music Off Spotify — But Her Label Won’t Let Her Elias Leight, Rolling Stone. Posted on February 12, 2022 , 2022
It’s really unfortunate. I feel like artists don’t realize that if we all really truly actually stood together, something could change. But we’re also all living day to day. People are just trying to make sure they’re ok. I get it. But it is a shame how much courage you have to muster to just tell the truth.
India.Arie Wants to Yank Her Music Off Spotify — But Her Label Won’t Let Her Elias Leight, Rolling Stone. Posted on February 12, 2022 , 2022
Timeline
The story of India Arie, told in moments.
Born India Arie Simpson in Denver, Colorado. Her mother was a former singer. The family moved to Atlanta. She learned guitar at 13 and started writing songs in her bedroom.
Acoustic Soul debuted at number 10 on the Billboard 200. "Video" was the lead single. She sang about self-acceptance over acoustic guitar. Seven Grammy nominations that year. Won none.
Lost all seven Grammy categories including Album of the Year and Best New Artist. The losses became a talking point about whether the industry valued her kind of music. She kept recording.
Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship went gold. She won her first Grammy for Best Urban/Alternative Performance. "I Am Not My Hair" became an anthem for natural beauty.
Removed her music from Spotify over the Joe Rogan controversy, supporting Neil Young's protest. She said the platform didn't value artists. It cost her streaming revenue. She did it anyway.
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