India.Arie
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India.Arie is an American Grammy-award winner, R&B/soul singer, songwriter and guitar player.
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[edit] About
Born India Arie Simpson on the 3rd day of October, 1975 to parents Joyce (a singer turned stylist) and Ralph Simpson (a professional basketball player) in Denver, Colorado. At the age of 13, the family moved to Atlanta where she began her journey in music.
India.Arie's love for music was inherited from her mother who became her mentor, encouraged her to be involved in music activities such as church choir and learning various music instruments. One of the instrument she became more interested in is the guitar, which she learned to play while at the Savannah College of Art and Design. It was the first instrument that she could sing with. After learning to play the guitar, she discovered that she has a talent in songwriting. She then decided to give up her studies to pursue her love for music. India.Arie performed around the urban scene in Atlanta before she co-founded the independent collective group Groovement/Earthseed who released a compilation along with her song which resulted to a second-gig slot at the Lilith Fair. While on tour, talent scout for Universal Music, Reen Nalli spotted her who later on introduced her to President of the said label, Kedar Massenburg. In 1999, India.Arie decided to seal the deal and two years later her debut album was released. Acoustic Soul was a hit, debuting at the 10th place on the US Billboard 200 and ranking third on the R&B/HIP-HOP Albums. The first single off the album, Video received heavy club and radio plays and boost her popularity when her album went platinum. The album garnered 7 nominations in the Grammys where her nomination as the Record of the Year catapulted her to fame.
After the success of her debut album comes Voyage to India which was released on September 2002. The album received stronger reviews, much greater than its predecessor. The album ranked 6th on the US Billboard 200 while it peaked the top spot of the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album also won an award in the Grammy for Best R&B Album while the single Little Things won for Best Urban/Alternative Performance. The album, again, went certified Platinum.
Despite her success and accomplishments, India.Arie took a two-year break before returning with come-back single, I'm Not My Hair. On June 2006, she released her third effort Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship where it sold for more than a hundred sixty thousand copies in its first week of release. Aside from its huge amount of sales, the album also topped the Billboard 200 for the first time in India.Arie's career while it also ranked first on the R&B/Hip-Hop albums for the second time. Two months later, the album was a certified Gold.
[edit] Awards & Certifications
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Song for I Am Not My Hair | Won |
| 2007 | Soul Train Music Award | Best R&B/Soul Album, Female for Testimony: Vol. I, Life & Relationship | Nominated |
| 2007 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Music Video for ‘’’I Am Not My Hair’’’ | Nominated |
| 2007 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Female Artist | Nominated |
| 2007 | Grammy Award | Best R&B Album for Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship | Nominated |
| 2007 | Grammy Award | Best R&B Song for ‘’’I Am Not My Hair’’’ shared with Drew Ramsey; Shannon Sanders | Nominated |
| 2007 | Grammy Award | Best R&B Vocal Performance - Female for ‘’’I Am Not My Hair’’’ | Nominated |
| 2006 | BET Award | Best Female R&B Artist | Nominated |
| 2006 | Grammy Award | Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for ‘’’A Time To Love’’’ shared with Stevie Wonder | Nominated |
| 2003 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Song for "Little Things" | Nominated |
| 2003 | Soul Train Lady of Soul Award | Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year - Solo for Voyage to India | Nominated |
| 2003 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Album for Voyage to India | Nominated |
| 2003 | Grammy Award | Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for ‘’’The Christmas Song’’’ shared with Stevie Wonder | Nominated |
| 2003 | Soul Train Music Award | Female R&B/Soul Single for ‘’’Little Things’’’ | Nominated |
| 2003 | Grammy Award | Best Urban/Alternative Performance for Little Things | Won |
| 2003 | Grammy Award | Best R&B Album for Voyage to India | Won |
| 2003 | BET Award | Best Female R&B | Won |
| 2003 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Female Artist | Won |
| 2003 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Music Video for Little Things | Won |
| 2002 | BET Award | Best Female R&B | Won |
| 2002 | Orville H. Gibson Guitar Award | Best Acoustic Guitarist (Female) | Won |
| 2002 | Grammy Award | Album of the Year for Acoustic Soul | Nominated |
| 2002 | Grammy Award | Record of the Year for "Video" | Nominated |
| 2002 | Grammy Award | Song of the Year for "Video" shared with Carlos Broady & Shannon Sanders | Nominated |
| 2002 | Grammy Award | Best R&B Vocal Performance - Female for "Video" | Nominated |
| 2002 | Soul Train Music Award | Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist for "Video" | Nominated |
| 2002 | Soul Train Music Award | Best R&B/Soul Album - Female for Acoustic Soul | Nominated |
| 2002 | Soul Train Music Award | Best R&B/Soul Single - Female for "Video" | Nominated |
| 2002 | Grammy Award | Best New Artist | Nominated |
| 2002 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding New Artist for "Video" | Nominated |
| 2002 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Album for Acoustic Soul | Nominated |
| 2002 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Female Artist for "Video" | Nominated |
| 2002 | Grammy Award | Best R&B Album for "Acoustic Soul" | Nominated |
| 2002 | Grammy Award | Best R&B Song for "Video" shared with Carlos Broady & Shannon Sanders | Nominated |
| 2002 | Soul Train Lady of Soul Award | Best R&B/Soul Single - Solo for "Brown Skin" | Nominated |
| 2001 | Soul Train Lady of Soul Award | Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year - Solo for "Acoustic Soul" | Nominated |
| 2001 | MTV2 Award | for "Video" | Nominated |
| 2001 | Soul Train Lady of Soul Award | Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist - Solo for "Video" | Nominated |
| Year | Certification | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 2x PLatinum | Acoustic Soul |
| 2002 | Platinum | Voyage to India |
| 2006 | Gold | Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship |
[edit] Chart Toppers
| Year | Title | U.S. | U.S. R&B | U.S. dance | UK | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Video | 47 | 45 | ~ | 32 | Acoustic Soul |
| 2001 | Brown Skin | ~ | 39 | ~ | 29 | Acoustic Soul |
| 2001 | Strength, Courage & Wisdom | ~ | 76 | ~ | ~ | Acoustic Soul |
| 2002 | Little Things | 89 | 33 | ~ | 62 | Voyage to India |
| 2005 | Purify Me | ~ | 53 | ~ | ~ | ’’’Diary of a Mad Black Woman’’’ soundtrack |
| 2006 | I Am Not My Hair (featuring Akon) | 97 | 47 | 14 | 65 | Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship |
| 2006 | There's Hope | ~ | 33 | ~ | ~ | Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship |
[edit] News
[edit] Tours & Concerts
'No tours to date
[edit] Announcements
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
 March 27, 2001 Motown |
 September 24, 2002 Motown |
 June 27, 2006 Motown |
[edit] Singles
| Date | Title | Label | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Video | Motown | Acoustic Soul |
| 2001 | Brown Skin | Motown | Acoustic Soul |
| 2001 | Strength, Courage & Wisdom | Motown | Acoustic Soul |
| 2001 | Ready for Love | Motown | Acoustic Soul |
| 2002 | Little Things | Motown | Voyage to India |
| 2003 | Can I Walk with You | Motown | Voyage to India |
| 2003 | The Truth | Motown | Voyage to India |
| 2003 | Get It Together | Motown | Voyage to India |
| 2006 | I Am Not My Hair (featuring Akon) | Motown | Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship |
| 2006 | The Heart of the Matter | Motown | Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship |
| 2006 | There's Hope | Motown | Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship |
[edit] Compilations & Live Releases
[edit] Other artists
[edit] Similar artists
[edit] Influences
[edit] Contemporaries
[edit] Trivia
- Was named India by her parents in tribute to Mahatma Gandhi with whom she shared a birthday.
- Once had performed in coffee shops during the beginning of her singing career.
- Placed a dot in the middle of her name so that it became more recognizable.
- Has collaborated with other noted music artists like John Mellencamp, Cassandra Wilson, Stevie Wonder, and Sergio Mendes.
- Wrote "Just 4 2day" especially for "The Tyra Banks Show."
- Created "What About The Child" as an available download worth $1 on Internet in her support for child victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
- Her song titled "Good Man" told about what it means to lose a loved one, the effect it can have on children and the person who's left behind.
- "Good Man" became the soundtrack of "We Were Soldiers" (2002).
- Appeared as Nina Simone on the NBC series "American Dreams" in 2003.
- Sang "Get It Together" for the soundtrack of "Shark Tale" (2004) and "Purify Me" for that of "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" (2005).
- Had her previously unreleased version of "I Am Not My Hair", a duet with Pink, featured in a new Lifetime Television movie, "Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy" (October 2006).
