Meet Ari Chi

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ari Chi.

Ari, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’m a singer, songwriter, instrumentalist & producer currently based in Florida. Throughout middle school & high school, I majored in Performing Arts and singing was my passion. I always wanted to learn guitar but the ones I had were too big to travel with. In December of 2010, I got my first ukulele & that gave me the ability to practice & play everyday because I could take it everywhere. After I graduated high school, I really started getting into writing music & lyrics together, and In January of 2015, I got booked for my first original music/ukulele performance. After a year of playing shows, I was able to turn my passion into a full-time career.

My eclectic discography ranges from folk, soul, r&b, indie, and chillwave making easy for almost anyone to enjoy. I’m inspired by visual art and the way colors can change everything. In 2017 I released my debut Album ‘Color Fool’, that’s when I started getting booked for bigger shows and festivals. Since then I’ve released a few singles and an EP called “Lost In The Hues”. I’m currently traveling between Florida, Nyc, and Atlanta performing and making new music to release soon.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My musical journey definitely has had a lot of bumps in the road. The main obstacle for me was recording my music in the studio. I was constantly trying to emulate the same sound and energy that I had on stage. Translating that into my recordings was a huge obstacle I had to overcome. I actually recorded a ten song EP called ‘Made In Music’ in 2013, and after I released it, I realized it didn’t match my expectations and where I wanted my sound to be. I ended up removing it from all platforms and starting fresh. I tried recording with a bunch of different people and in 2015, I finally found the first engineer/producer (Troy Cedeño) that made me feel like I could really do this. Something about the vibe in his studio and the live instrumentation we created together really brought out the best in me.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I’m known for my ability to defy categorization, and If you listen to my current catalog you’ll see that I’ve done just that. Now I’m focusing on taking the best part of everything I’ve done in the past and merging them to create this sound that has always been in my head. I finally have the resources, experience, and a circle of friends (who are amazing producers and instrumentalists) to help me create the ultimate production around my ukulele. My next releases will be songs I can call my signature sound.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
This is a hard one, but I would have to say one of my proudest moments thus far was being featured on MTV‘s critique my cover. I got to Skype Designer and we listened to the cover I did of his song “Timmy Turner”. He loved it and that made me feel like I’m on the right path.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.AriChiMusic.com
• Email: arichibooking@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsarichi/
• Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/itsarichi

Image Credit:
Gabriella Santos, Ari Mairena-Dannon, Stephanie Agudelo, Cameron Watson, Amara Norman

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