india arie
I remember India Arie coming to the studio. We started our shoot like I normally would with any artist. I noticed immediately that her style was different. The culture at the time almost required you to be flashy and here was India Aire, so down to Earth and personable. I asked her if she’d play her music while we shot and was amazed by the sound and message. I went on to shoot the cover for her album “Acoustic Soul”. She has been a trendsetter and pioneer for a message that became necessary and even more popular today. She has such beautiful messages about love, self care and awareness, and mental health.
India Arie is an American singer-songwriter, actress, musician, and record producer. She has sold over 3.3 million records in the US and 10 million worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards from her 21 nominations, including Best R&B Album.
She was born in Denver, Colorado, the daughter of Joyce and Ralph Simpson. Her musical skills were encouraged by both parents in her younger years. Her mother is a former singer (she was signed to Motown as a teenager and opened for Stevie Wonder and Al Green) and is now her stylist. Her father is a former NBA basketball player. She has an older brother named J'On. According to a DNA analysis, she descends from the Mende people of Sierra Leone, the Kru people of Liberia and the Fula people of Guinea-Bissau