Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Aria Rai of Phoenix

Aria Rai shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi Aria , thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
I think writing poetry or journaling really helps me find myself. Knowing that what I’m writing is for my eyes only, really helps me open up and be vulnerable in times when I need it. I love writing down my goals and any experiences I had that brought me joy. It really helps to ground me whenever I’m feeling stressed out.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Aria Rai and I am a singer/songwriter. I’ve been writing music my whole life but didn’t start recording and releasing it until 2020. My music is unique because I try to write in a way that everyone will be able to relate to what I am singing about. I work to make it really personable and a reflection of what myself and other people may be experiencing in life. I write my lyrics in a way that makes people feel seen. Currently I am working on finishing up a few songs that have been in the works for a while. I would love to release some new singles soon.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
When I was a kid I was really expressive and proud of who I was, my talents and my goals. Everyone knew what I wanted to do with my life and I had no doubts about getting there. But as I got older, and experienced life a little more, I started to feel like it was better to be more reserved about what I wanted and who I was. The more people I encountered who didn’t take me seriously, and wouldn’t give me a place to be heard, the less confident I was in myself and what I had to offer. For the longest time I had felt like it was better and easier to be silent about my goals, and it takes work everyday to realize that I don’t need permission to speak and I can be loud about what I want.

When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
I don’t know if I’ve ever fully stopped hiding my pain, but I’ve definitely made a lot of progress in learning how to not be ashamed of my emotions and experiences. I think a defining moment for me was when I released my first single, “Numb’. This song reflected a lot of pain for me and it was really scary to let myself be that vulnerable in a song that I was releasing. After I released that song, I had so many people messaging me or approaching me about how much they related to what I was singing about. They talked about how seen they felt in my lyrics and how much it had helped them process their emotions. Hearing people tell me that my words made an impact in their life was a changing point in how I viewed my pain. Now it wasn’t something that held me down, but something that gave me the power to lift other people up.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
That it’s okay to sacrifice yourself and your values to achieve success. I hear a lot that changing this one thing will help streamline you to your goals, and a lot of times this ‘one thing’ will be adjusting who you are at your core. It’s important to be secure in who you are as a person and what you believe, so that you don’t lose yourself along the way to your dreams.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: When do you feel most at peace?
I feel most at peace when I’m in Sedona and I’m sitting near the creek when its raining. Sedona holds so many childhood memories for me, and to this day there is no where else I’ve ever been that brings me that level of peace.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ariarai.com
• Instagram: ariaxrai
• Twitter: ariaxrai
• Facebook: Aria Rai Music
• Youtube: Aria Rai
• Soundcloud: Aria Rai