Interview: Singer Aruba Red
If you are looking for something very different than the livestreamed concerts during COVID-19 or replaying your old classic playlists, singer Aruba Red has released a new single. Titled “Wild Woman,” the song is available across all streaming platforms!
We focus on the positives, but what are the disadvantages coming from a family of musicians on an artist?
Everyone's experience is unique I'm sure, but in my case, I have struggled with the notion that musically I will never live up to my father's incredible talents. I listen to his compositions and they literally blow me away. Of course, it's not a comparison or competition but I know how high his standards were and, on some level, I think we all want to make our parents proud. My dad isn't here anymore but I sometimes wonder what he thinks about the music I'm making. We did get to sing live together a couple of times and I sang backing vocals on his final album which was released the year that he passed. I'm very thankful for those moments. It would have been wonderful to have collaborated on writing something new together.
We always hear how being a mother influences an album or screenplay. How does it change a person’s music?
Becoming a mother was the biggest transformation I have ever experienced and it has greatly impacted and influenced my music in a positive way. I feel like my heart has expanded as well as my capacity to sing about love and connection and to be so much more vulnerable with what I am documenting and creating. I think I used to be a lot more abstract in my lyrics and the subjects I would write about. Now I am fully exploring pregnancy, the sacredness of birth, motherhood and healing in my songs in a very real and honest way. I love the strength and resilience that motherhood has brought to my music and my life as a whole.
With the attention towards mainstream songs like Cardi B’s “WAP,” do you feel pressured to conform either to a prudish or overly out there image, or in your music?
No, I've never felt any pressure to conform to any particular image. I can only be myself. I think Cardi is being true to who she is and there is a time and place for lots of different music and forms of expression. There might be things that I express that are even more "out there" for some people than WAP in different ways, it's all relative... in my most recent single 'Wild Woman' I danced naked around a fire on a beach in Dominican Republic with 24 women and recorded them howling at the full moon! I sing about giving birth at home wild and free, I sing about the fall of the patriarchy, it's out there, just in a very different way.
Recently, I read the millionth article about the death of record labels. How do you feel about the whole indie vs labels vs indie labels argument?
I think it's a challenging yet exciting time to be an independent artist. My distribution company DITTO are making waves and are able to be really outspoken on their opinions of the music industry which feels really refreshing. We have the ability to create incredible music at home and reach people ourselves. On the flip side, I know a lot of artists who have really benefited from the infrastructure that working with a label can offer. I think the key is for artists to understand what they are signing and to always get good advice. I've been burned a few times by independent organisations and I've seen people really hurt by majors too. The notion that all majors are bad and indies are inherently good is flawed in my eyes. There are people who genuinely love music and are working from a place of integrity and then there are individuals who are taking advantage of vulnerable artists and both exist in all spaces. I've always been independent but I like to keep my options open. It's also been interesting watching the #brokenrecord and #fixstreaming campaigns and I'm curious to see how artists, especially indie artists will continue to innovate in order to thrive during these times. There are a lot of important conversations happening and who knows what the future will bring for us. I'm being mindful of staying thankful for the opportunities whilst keeping all my eyes open!
We have lost quite a number of musicians to COVID-19, and in 2019 to 2020 in general. Of those who died, which person is an influence on you?
Many incredibly talented people have sadly passed on over the last couple of years, as they do every year. My relationship to death has changed a lot since my dad died and I'm much more able to celebrate life now rather than feel so dragged down by things I cannot control. During 2019 and 2020 there have been losses that were felt very deeply. When I heard the news about Keith Flint from Prodigy I was really shocked. I grew up in Essex near where he lived and was a huge fan when I was a kid. Nipsey Hussle's death rocked so many people in my community as did Black The Ripper's, that still feels really surreal, watching his Insta stories one day and then the next he was gone. Also when Ginger Baker died it brought up a lot of emotions as I've known him since I was small. I attended his funeral with my three-year old son who was playing percussion along with Ginger's band during the service. Seeing photos of Ginger with my dad and listening to my dad's voice singing on those old records really moved me. Most recently Ty's death really touched so many people close to me in London. I'd shared the stage with him a couple of times and really thought he was going to pull through when I read the accounts of close friends on Facebook. It's evident how many people were affected by his death and my heart goes out to everyone who is dealing with grief. I truly don't believe that this life is the end.
Do you ever find your music played in new formats or places, such as on TikTok? What works for you?
It's always great to hear my songs being played in new formats and it's interesting to see what new platforms are emerging. I remember when I was at uni there was a guy who had graduated a few years before me who had apparently invented the mobile phone ringtone service that played the melody of your favourite song, he was seen as a legend! TikTok is fun but it's not a platform I spend much time on personally, I was sent a really great Insta reel yesterday featuring Wild Woman. It always makes me smile when I know my songs are reaching new places in new ways. Wild Woman has been selected as the theme song for my favorite podcast 'The Free Birth Society Podcast' which feels like such an honour!
Country music is famous for the storytelling you also seem to love. Which other genres’ artists do you love most lyrically?
In terms of story telling... Hip Hop, Reggae, Neo-Soul and Folk Music are untouchable in my eyes and I guess in a broad sense Country falls under Folk. I don't know much about Country music but maybe I should check some out! When I was growing up I listened to a lot of 60s music and I adored the stories Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam) would tell, I also love Buffy Sainte-Marie and Joni Mitchell. I listened to a lot of reggae and learned so much about history and culture from artists like Sizzla, Capelton, Anthony B and of course the legendary Bob Marley. My favourite storytellers in Hip Hop growing up were 2Pac, Bone Thugs & Harmony, The Fugees and Lauryn Hill in particular. Erykah Badu, Jill Scott and D'Angelo were and are some of my most influential story tellers... I could go on for a long time!
With your merch, how do you pick and choose designs and products that appeal to your fans?
I launched my slow fashion eco-edit Aruba Red Treasured with ethical stylist Ashlyn Gibson last year. We are inspired by creating and selecting products that have timeless appeal and can be loved for more than just a season. The focus is on beautiful and sustainable offerings that provide an alternative to traditional band merch and are good for you as well as the planet. From hand-poured essential oil candles, to locally sourced jewellery, natural incense, hand printed jackets, upcycled T-shirts and purification burning bundles I create lovingly myself from sage and lavender grown in my garden, we put a lot of love into the items we have on offer and the feedback has been wonderful.
