Newfound Love for Art: An Interview with Ari
“When I sing it feels like I’m travelling to other worlds.”
Ari’s singing career began as only a hobby; an after school activity of musical theater. Still, she was drawn to it. That’s why she began writing songs professionally as a teenager.
She snagged her first deal at the age of 15 and began writing and co-writing pop songs. Artists like DJ Whiteshadow, Avi Kaplan and The Crystal Fighters used her material - she even wrote a song for Heidi Montag.
“Doing it so young, you don’t really have any concept of yourself as an artist at that point and what you’re trying to say so you’re just writing what you think you’re supposed to write,” she said. “A few years later I really started developing an idea of how I view the world.”
When she was 21, she vacationed to Tel Aviv and ended up living there. After being born and raised in Los Angeles, she said, someone can only spend so much time in one place where everybody sees them in a way that they want to see them and the only way to figure themselves out is to leave that place.
“You can’t really grow with all those projections onto you,” she said. “I really dove into myself and figured out who I was and came back here and that’s the trajectory that I’m on now. This newfound love for art is truly expressive and therapeutic for me.”
When she returned to Los Angeles, she was still writing songs for other people. In a span of six months, she conquered many personal demons and better understood herself as an artist and a person when a friend sent over a track. It was the track for her first single, “Baptize”.
“Baptize” quickly became her personal story about her journey to mental health. It was a different approach to songwriting than what she was used to, and it ended up being a song of deep catharsis for her. As she continues to follow her journey as a solo artist, her creation process is her ultimate cure.
“It’s really therapy for me and it gives me so much purpose to create something that’s truly personal,” Ari said. “It’s about transcending your pain into light and making something beautiful out of your darkness and that’s what music is for me. At such a young age I don’t know if I knew that. I definitely didn’t know that. When I was younger I just liked it. Your brain develops over time and that’s where I’m at. I’m creating truly from an honest place.”
She snagged her first deal at the age of 15 and began writing and co-writing pop songs. Artists like DJ Whiteshadow, Avi Kaplan and The Crystal Fighters used her material - she even wrote a song for Heidi Montag.
“Doing it so young, you don’t really have any concept of yourself as an artist at that point and what you’re trying to say so you’re just writing what you think you’re supposed to write,” she said. “A few years later I really started developing an idea of how I view the world.”
When she was 21, she vacationed to Tel Aviv and ended up living there. After being born and raised in Los Angeles, she said, someone can only spend so much time in one place where everybody sees them in a way that they want to see them and the only way to figure themselves out is to leave that place.
“You can’t really grow with all those projections onto you,” she said. “I really dove into myself and figured out who I was and came back here and that’s the trajectory that I’m on now. This newfound love for art is truly expressive and therapeutic for me.”
When she returned to Los Angeles, she was still writing songs for other people. In a span of six months, she conquered many personal demons and better understood herself as an artist and a person when a friend sent over a track. It was the track for her first single, “Baptize”.
“Baptize” quickly became her personal story about her journey to mental health. It was a different approach to songwriting than what she was used to, and it ended up being a song of deep catharsis for her. As she continues to follow her journey as a solo artist, her creation process is her ultimate cure.
“It’s really therapy for me and it gives me so much purpose to create something that’s truly personal,” Ari said. “It’s about transcending your pain into light and making something beautiful out of your darkness and that’s what music is for me. At such a young age I don’t know if I knew that. I definitely didn’t know that. When I was younger I just liked it. Your brain develops over time and that’s where I’m at. I’m creating truly from an honest place.”
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