“I BELIEVE THAT SUCCESS FOLLOWS AUTHENTICITY.”
We had the absolute privilege to speak to AMAs ‘Album of the Year Winner’ Aria! Being a young artist in the music industry has flipped her whole world around. One minute she had her head in books, to now with millions of fans supporting her, popularity hitting the roof and finally winning album of the year.
15 minutes after striking her prominent poses, we sat down at Aria’s West Coast Residence situated in Beverly Hills. She whips out her phone and starts showing me images from the music video shoot for “Made it Go” including selfies with members of Fifth Harmony. Honestly, I’ve never seen a photo album filled with selfies with amazing artists! We then went onto the topic of her second album “Each of their Own” set to be released on February 18. “I’m really proud of this album, I put my heart and soul into each song and made sure that they all have a meaning of their own. Which is pretty much how I came up with the albums title as each song has a different meaning. This album is pretty much a reflection of me as a person and it started a new chapter for me.”
Being a young girl in the industry may seem intimidating, but for Aria, she’s got it all under the hat. So I ask her how she feels about being in the constant spotlight. “I think it’s a part of what we as artists do. If you’re known in any industry you’re bound to get all this attention. But for the duration of the time I’ve been in this industry and being in the media, I kind of know how everything works now, with the journalists, paparazzi, you know what I mean. There’s only so much you can do. At the end of the day, I enjoy what I’m doing and if this is part of the package, then so be it.” Aria smiled, content with her answer. “At least I kept a bit of my sanity!” Aria laughed, causing the whole room to erupt into laughters too.
Being real or being successful? To which she answered “Being real.” Why? “I believe that success follows authenticity. People can see through all of this, they can see through all this hoax. They want someone that’s real. Someone who speaks their mind and talks about real things that actually matter. Like Tupac did! In his album “All Eyez On Me” he is the first rapper to talk about his mother’s drug addiction and that takes a lot of guts. He spoke about this openly, with every little detail, all this without any shame.” These words truly struck me and made me as well as everyone else in the room perceive things differently. Seeing as though this album had a massive impact on Aria, it then proceeded to my next question on whether this album had an influence on her new album. “Most definitely. It helped me understand that it’s okay to be honest with yourself and with your art. So I decided to be real with this album because this is what people appreciate.”
As the interview progressed we noticed a stack of marvel comics on her bedside table, to which we asked whether she was a collector of comics as she went on to grab a few to show us. "Oh I love comics! I've been collecting them ever since my brother had introduced me to it because he always used to buy them, and would even trade some with friends at school! It's a shame comics aren't a big deal now as they were before." She pouted as she flicked through her favourite comic: Captain America.
Following her recent performance at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, it has made her feel on top of the world. “Oh man, that was crazy! A good crazy. It just makes you want to go on a strict diet and work out 24/7. To be honest, I felt pretty short being surrounded by all these tall models!” She laughed.
15 minutes after striking her prominent poses, we sat down at Aria’s West Coast Residence situated in Beverly Hills. She whips out her phone and starts showing me images from the music video shoot for “Made it Go” including selfies with members of Fifth Harmony. Honestly, I’ve never seen a photo album filled with selfies with amazing artists! We then went onto the topic of her second album “Each of their Own” set to be released on February 18. “I’m really proud of this album, I put my heart and soul into each song and made sure that they all have a meaning of their own. Which is pretty much how I came up with the albums title as each song has a different meaning. This album is pretty much a reflection of me as a person and it started a new chapter for me.”
Being a young girl in the industry may seem intimidating, but for Aria, she’s got it all under the hat. So I ask her how she feels about being in the constant spotlight. “I think it’s a part of what we as artists do. If you’re known in any industry you’re bound to get all this attention. But for the duration of the time I’ve been in this industry and being in the media, I kind of know how everything works now, with the journalists, paparazzi, you know what I mean. There’s only so much you can do. At the end of the day, I enjoy what I’m doing and if this is part of the package, then so be it.” Aria smiled, content with her answer. “At least I kept a bit of my sanity!” Aria laughed, causing the whole room to erupt into laughters too.
Being real or being successful? To which she answered “Being real.” Why? “I believe that success follows authenticity. People can see through all of this, they can see through all this hoax. They want someone that’s real. Someone who speaks their mind and talks about real things that actually matter. Like Tupac did! In his album “All Eyez On Me” he is the first rapper to talk about his mother’s drug addiction and that takes a lot of guts. He spoke about this openly, with every little detail, all this without any shame.” These words truly struck me and made me as well as everyone else in the room perceive things differently. Seeing as though this album had a massive impact on Aria, it then proceeded to my next question on whether this album had an influence on her new album. “Most definitely. It helped me understand that it’s okay to be honest with yourself and with your art. So I decided to be real with this album because this is what people appreciate.”
As the interview progressed we noticed a stack of marvel comics on her bedside table, to which we asked whether she was a collector of comics as she went on to grab a few to show us. "Oh I love comics! I've been collecting them ever since my brother had introduced me to it because he always used to buy them, and would even trade some with friends at school! It's a shame comics aren't a big deal now as they were before." She pouted as she flicked through her favourite comic: Captain America.
Following her recent performance at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, it has made her feel on top of the world. “Oh man, that was crazy! A good crazy. It just makes you want to go on a strict diet and work out 24/7. To be honest, I felt pretty short being surrounded by all these tall models!” She laughed.
Any advice to practising musicians out there? "Yeah, I guess just be true to yourself and to your music you know? You want your music to mean something. you want to leave a positive vibe on people and there are always going to be people who disagree with you and your music but that's just a part of it all and you gotta take it on the chin."
Words of advice from Aria as the interview comes to a close. A smile from the head full of silk black hair, and a hug from the most humble artist, we leave the beautiful residence in Beverly Hills.
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