The world renowned award winning singer/songwriter India.Arie came onto the national music scene in 2001 with her Universal Records debut Acoustic Soul. She followed up in 2002 with her sophomore CD Voyage To India and then in 2006 released her third album, the more personally expressive Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship. All three releases have received critical acclaim nationwide and made her a respectable and noted artist in a very short amount of time. She has sold over 8 million copies worldwide and received numerous awards and nominations including 16 Grammy nominations, 2 Grammy awards, 3 NAACP Image Awards, along with awards from BET, Billboard Music, Radio Music, MTV, VH1 Vogue Fashion, Essence Magazine and others. She has received critical acclaim from USA Today to VIBE Magazine, Entertainment Weekly to People Magazine. A voice initially heard by women around the world has developed into a voice heard by people around the world. Oprah Winfrey initially acknowledged her popularity on national television by thanking her for writing the first single “Video” saying – “We (women) needed this song – thank you for writing this song” and then recently praised her again on national television for her most recent single “There’s Hope.” New York Times says “Ms. Arie’s music only further enhances her reputation as an artist of substance; centering on her acoustic guitar and confident but restrained vocals, it recalls such soul masters as Stevie Wonder and Roberta Flack.” In between touring and writing music, India.Arie finds the time to help promote things close to her heart. As a US Ambassador for UNICEF she has traveled to Africa several times addressing the AIDS crisis there and was featured in a VH1 documentary entitled Tracking The Monster: Ashley Judd & India.Arie Confront AIDS In Africa. She has played alongside Stevie Wonder, Sting, Elton John, Better Midler, Michael McDonald and others just to name a few. She has written with Stevie Wonder (“A Time For Love,” the title track for his last album) and has been featured on various songs including John Mellencamp’s “Peaceful World.” She has performed on such prestigious TV specials as The Kennedy Center Honors, The NAACP Awards and The Grammy Awards. An animated India.Arie has even appeared on Blues Clues BluesStock and she danced with Elmo on Sesame Street’s home DVD Healthy Happy Monsters. She has had several songs featured in motion pictures, including “Good Man” in A Soldier’s Story, “Get It Together” in A Shark’s Tale, “Eyes of The Heart (Radio’s Song)” from the motion picture RADIO and “Purify Me” from Diary Of A Mad Black Woman. Between appearances she has been working on her fourth album scheduled for release later this year.
Biography