Hear Our VSN: Ari Camille Talks New Releases, Honesty, and True Authenticity
Ari Camille photographed by Official VSN (2022)
With a voice of gold & a heart full of love, there is no other artist doing it quite like Ari Camille at the moment. Whether she’s appearing in music video’s for Smino or healing minds with her own dazzling music, Ari is a once in a lifetime kind of talent. Official VSN had the great honor of getting to talk to Ari Camille and learn more about her life as a musician and how she has been surrounded by it since the day she was born.
Introduction:
What’s good! My name is Ari Camille, and I’m from Chicago, Illinois.
Ari via Instagram (2022)
What genre of music do you create:
I’d classify myself as an R&B artist, but the way I take my music is more so in the direction of modern Hip Hop crossed with R&B and Soul. The music I produce encompasses an eclectic mix of drum sounds and synths, piano, guitar, etc… sometimes crossing into the acoustic sounds of these instruments and my own vocals as well. Most of the music I create is not only with authentic experiences presented in my lyrics, but the feeling of the actual music itself and how those sounds feel in the heart, mind and soul. It’s a full experience.
Biggest inspiration(s) for your sound/art:
The biggest inspirations I have as an artist are definitely just my everyday experiences, but some artists that I truly look up to are Teyana Taylor, Ty Dolla, PartyNextDoor, Beyonce, and H.E.R. (with Tems being an honorable mention because her voice is ethereal and really resonates through her music). These artists are my biggest inspirations for many reasons; Teyana’s voice is rich with some of the most honest writing I’ve ever heard and she inspires me as a lower-range singer which I don’t hear very often, and on the flip side of that PND’s sounds have a lot of synths and bass which adds a vibrational quality, and the right levels of that can make you feel good without even worrying about the words. These are elements that I feel are kind of lost in the music today that’s considered mainstream, and it’s important that music is not just created to trend, but to transcend with feeling and authenticity.
Dream Collaboration:
A dream of mine is to collaborate with Kanye West, because the way his mind works in terms of music and production is absolutely insane. He creates unheard of sounds, rearranges and mixes samples with crazy intention, and I would love to pick his brain about how he digests and produces music because it’s truly an art that is becoming lost in the fads and fast paced nature of social media.
Ari Camille via Instagram (2022)
Goals for the end of 2022:
My main goal is to get at least one project out before the end of the year, which might be coming sometime this month (around November 22… hint hint). Along with that, I just want to become proficient in my skills in production, becoming more musically inclined with acoustic and electric guitar, and piano. I can already play a little but I know with more practice and the ear that I have for music I could really be the best ever. Putting out music is something I strive to do, but only when the time is right and if I feel that it’s something that needs to be shared. The main goal is just to create something that I would love to listen to myself, and bring the element of instrumentation back to music since it’s so electronically based now. There’s nothing wrong with that, but the energy behind the vibration of actual instruments and a full live band is unmatched to this day.
How would you describe your work:
I would describe my work as resonant. That’s it.
What makes your VSN unique:
I think the uniqueness in my VSN comes from the way I see music. It’s not just something that exists, but literally comes from inside of you. You literally take thoughts and sounds put together in your mind and bring them to life, which is why I admire the arts so much in general. The art of creativity and the mental strength it takes to create is something that gets undermined a lot and that doesn’t just have to be in the creative arts, but things that were invented that are practical such as modern day technology also came from innovative minds that went against the standards or structure of something to create something new. Music has the power to change your life. The music you listen to can dictate your mindset, your mood, your day to day interactions with people, which is why it’s so important to not only be honest with yourself when creating music, but be intentional. People are listening. Children are listening.
Favorite music you’ve made so far:
My favorite thing I’ve made so far is definitely one of my songs on my upcoming EP. I’ve been really diving into production lately, and I think the main part of music that moves people is the actual sounds that you hear within the music. One of the songs I’ll be releasing soon is just a smooth listen, and it covers your heart and body in a blanket of warmth. It’s also a love song, which we haven’t been hearing a lot of in music lately because of the toxic nature of the world. It’s hard to create light hearted songs filled with love, so it’s refreshing to make music that makes you happy and feel love. Not just in the lyrics, but in the music.
Ari via Instagram (2022)
What’s next for you in the music world:
I honestly don’t know what’s next for me in music. I’m just here to create and love the music that I make. I know I’m destined for great things, I can feel it. I’m leaning more into production though, and not to say I won’t make my own music in the longevity of my career, but I think I’m falling in love more with the engineering aspects of music
Walk us through your creative process:
My creative process is so chaotic. Sometimes I hear words in my head like a poem with no music to them, and sometimes I hear melodies with no words, and sometimes I come up with a whole verse and chorus randomly on the way to class and nothing else. It all depends on what I’m feeling and how I’m choosing to express myself in the moment. I don’t think there’s a set process for anyone though. You can’t really force music, because you begin to overthink and take too many opinions into account of what things should sound like, what they need to present as, and other things, at least in my opinion. So I really just let my mind and my heart line up when the time is right and try to get my ideas out as fast as I can before I lose them.
How do you merge your identity and art together:
When identity and art come together with music, I think the only thing to take into play is being honest about who you are in your music. It doesn’t matter what type of person you are, or who you think you want to be, the beauty in it is the honesty even if it’s messy. The music I make tends to be about how I feel about myself or others based on my experiences, and the music will speak for itself.
What’s been your biggest accomplishment in music so far:
My biggest accomplishment has been recently producing my own songs. I think that’s the hardest part of creating music with a lot of different elements and sounds, and mixing vocals, the whole nine. It’s a lot and very tedious work, so being able to do that and do it well has been a huge step I’ve taken, and I’m very proud of how far I’ve come in that aspect.
What’s one album or song you wish you made yourself:
I honestly don’t wish there was any album or song that I made myself. I think the reason why I love the music I do is because I couldn’t have made it the way that it is. I don’t have the experiences or mind of said artists to be able to compose something in that specific way that they did, so there is some music that I think I would love to be able to recreate in a similar way, but as far as the existence of a song or album, it perfectly exists the way it is for a reason, and that reason is because its unique to its designated creator.
Ari Camille via Instagram (2022)
What are your goals for now & the future:
Keep working, keep bettering myself, and don’t let anyone get in the way of my goals or dreams with distractions. My former cheer coach, Coach Marq, used to make us say this phrase at every practice: “Focus is what? Essential. Hard work? Pays. There is no substitute for? Hard work.” To this day, I live by that, because with my drive, effort, and god, I will always be able to succeed regardless of what anyone else is doing.Also to remain peaceful in myself, and be a genuine person. Through that, good things will come to me in everything I do. The energy you put out is what you get. The way you treat people is how they will treat you. The things you say will come to manifest themselves, so speak good things over your life. That’s my last two cents.
Who would you love to do a joint tour with:
I would love to do a joint tour with YEBBA. She has such soul and depth in her music and voice, and I truly feel everything when she sings or performs. I would love to do something very intimate and close with an audience, and be able to do duets with pure vocals. I think she’s one of the best artists of our generation right now.
What inspires your lyrics:
The inspiration for my lyrics just comes from how I feel, but also being strategic in the way I place certain words or phrases to clearly communicate my point. The power of speech and your literal voice is more important than you think. Your voice carries energy, the things you say carry energy, and your spirit is felt through the way you communicate with others, so I try to make sure to be very literal and honest in what I write. I also love poetry and the symbolism that it holds, so I try to incorporate that too, as long as it’s not forced.
Ari Camille photographed by Leo Harris (2021)
If it weren’t for music, who would you be & what would you be doing:
If it wasn’t for music, I’m not sure who I’d be. My entire family is musically inclined and I literally came out of the womb singing (maybe I’ll show that video one day at a concert or something). Music is a driving force in my life and has kept me going since I was born, and it’s led me to being a part of such amazing things like the Chicago Children’s Opera when I was 7, to singing the national anthem at a USC basketball game. It’s the one consistent thing in my life that I truly love and am passionate about, so I don’t think I’d have the compassion or drive I have now for anyone or anything else without music in my life. If I had gone a different route, I probably would have been an engineer or a teacher which is like the opposite of the arts. I think those are just as important though: as far as being an engineer I’d probably focus on sustainability practices and try to figure out something to combat global warming cause I feel like that’s not a main goal right now, and teachers are so important because they literally raise the world. It’s important to have teachers that are not only willing and wanting to teach, but have empathy for the basic needs of human beings and understanding that every individual has their own set of experiences and ways of life that make them who that are that need to be nurtured in a way best for them and how they absorb information.
Ari Camile on the cover of Cherry, photographed by Official VSN (2022)