Arie performed a duet with singer Anthony David for his song "Words" for his 2008 album Acey Duecy. In a 2007 episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show entitled "After Imus: Now What?" Arie was a guest panelist. "I Am Not My Hair" was the most successful release from Testimony: Vol. It gave Arie her first number-one spot on the Billboard 200 and was her second chart-topper on the R&B charts. She is also featured on Stevie Wonder's album A Time To Love.Īrie's third studio album was Testimony: Vol.
Arie followed the success of her debut in 2002 with the release of Voyage to India. The album eventually was certified double platinum. This recording acquainted listeners by drawing listeners from hip-hop, neo-soul, blues, folk, and classic troubadour-style singer/songwriting. It was a direct result of writing songs," she said at the press release of her debut album, Acoustic Soul. "When I started tapping into my own sensitivity, I started to understand people better.
She had taken up a succession of musical instruments throughout her schooling in Denver, Colorado, but her interest in the guitar while attending the Savannah College of Art and Design led to a personal eye-opener about songwriting and performing. Her mother made up the "Arie" part and her first name was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, whose birthday she shares. It was after picking up a guitar, however, that she was inspired to create her own music and write her own songs.Īccording to a DNA analysis, she descends from the Mende people of Sierra Leone, the Krio people of Liberia, and the Fula people of Guinea-Bissau. As a child, Arie sang in church on a regular basis and played almost every instrument she could get her hands on.
Arie’s mother Joyce was a former singer and clothing designer who once opened for Stevie Wonder and Al Green and her father Ralph was a professional basketball player. Both parents early in her life encouraged her musical skills. She is a Black singer, musician, and songwriter.įrom Denver, Colorado, India Arie Simpson was raised in Atlanta, where her mother moved India and her brother J'on after her divorce. *India Arie was born on this date in 1975.