Today we’d like to introduce you to Aries Kae.
Hi Aries, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Well, it all started when I was about 8 or 9 years old. I was in the car with some family friends and it was Christmas time so we were singing Christmas songs. I started singing Oh Holy Night and everyone got really quiet. I thought it was because it was bad but then one friend said, “that was amazing! You are going to be a singer.” And that was the first time I ever thought that maybe I should start singing more. I always loved music and growing up spending a lot of time on the east coast where my family is from I loved the popular east coast artists of the late 90s and early 2000s especially Faith Evans, Notorious B.I.G., Mos Def, and A Tribe Called Quest but I was also very inspired by Erykah Badu, Mariah Carey, OutKast, Whitney Houston, and India Arie. As I got older, I widened my musical horizons to listen to everything from jazz to metal and so much more. In high school, I entered a singing competition for the entire county of San Diego, where I was living at the time. I had a lot less experience than the people I was up against so I didn’t have high expectations but I ended up winning the whole thing.
After that, I started to take music more seriously as a career path. I auditioned for American Idol and got on the show but did not make it past Hollywood week. I decided not to let that stop me and after years of planning to move back to the east coast, I pivoted and decided to enroll at the Musician’s Institute in Hollywood. There I met so many awesome folks and after a lifelong struggle of feeling like I never fit in anywhere (like most artists), I felt like I had finally found my people. I had the opportunity to work with some music industry legends and record at Capitol Studios. I was well on my way but I really missed home and the life I had left behind in San Diego. I grew up in a rural setting around horses and wild nature and the city environment started to feel suffocating to me. Not only that but I had started to feel like the music industry people wanted me to fit into a persona of a pop star to be more marketable and that just was not who I was. I moved back home and then life hit and I stopped making music altogether. I had become so discouraged that for an entire year I didn’t even listen to music let alone sing or write. I decided to take a different life direction altogether and moved to Pomona to go to school at Cal Poly and work with the horses there.
But music always seemed to be nagging at the back of my mind and one night I went to an open mic in downtown Pomona. There I met some amazing artists and poets and was introduced to the beautiful music scene in Pomona and the Inland Empire. I had always been a hip-hop head and was influenced by hip-hop not just in my music but in life- the message and the movement inspired me and helped me get through some really hard times. I always wrote raps but never thought I could share them because I never thought anyone would want to hear me rapping. But something about this community made me feel so at home and accepted for who I was so I started writing rap verses into my songs. I needed a new energy and life force to go with the new artist and person that I was being birthed into and that is when Aries Kae was born- and the rest is history and history in the making! 🙂 I have been making music and performing all over California for the past three years now. I released my first EP “Sunshine” during the pandemic and released my sophomore EP “Taurus Moon” this past summer.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Oh helll no absolutely not haha! My entire life has been one big identity crisis and music was no exception to that. And all of that is on top of the very real struggles of being a woman in the music industry. I have been hated, mocked, manipulated, betrayed, abused… I have contemplated ending my life, I have fought depression, anxiety, and PTSD, I have almost given up many times. Surviving abuse is one of the hardest things I have ever done and surviving the music industry is a close second. But none of that outweighs the incredible blessings that come my way every day through this crazy path I have chosen!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a singer, rapper, and songwriter. I’m known for my powerful vocals, lyrical prowess, intricate harmonies, and live performances. I think I’m also known for being a nice person lol! I really love my community and I do my best to be present with the people in my life, including the people who enjoy my music. I consider it an honor to be able to be a blessing to someone else, even if it is in a small way. I’m most proud of my tenacity in being a warrior for the light, for all that is good and kind. I aim for my music to always be nutritious to the spirit.
How do you think about happiness?
Being in nature makes me happy because it is the place that I feel closest to God. Being around animals makes me happy because they love you for exactly who you are. Being in the community makes me happy because I love people so deeply. Music makes me happy because it never stops amazing me to be able to have this language to express my soul.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ffm.bio/arieskae
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aries.kae/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arieskaemusic/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@aries_kae
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/arieskae?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/47xZm9so15HGS4JE6Ma1gY?si=2Y3nHvrbSFGbaO-ijxiYAw
Image Credits
Tony Naylor, Claudia Lux, Edward Quibal
