India Arie

India Arie

Singer, Songwriter, Actress, Producer & Music Producer

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Among the neo-classic soul artists to emerge in the early 2000s, following the success of artists like D’Angelo and Lauryn Hill, Atlanta’s India.Arie was poised to make a major impact. A studied songwriter and guitar player rooted in the soul and blues of the past, as well as in positive-minded contemporary hip-hop, Arie debuted with Acoustic Soul. Rich with with resonant hooks and mature lyrics — impressive, considering she been writing songs for only five years — the album established a remarkable career that has entailed four Grammy Awards and five consecutive placements in the Top Ten of the Billboard 200.

Born in Denver to parents from Memphis and Detroit, Arie always had music in her life. The family moved to Atlanta when she was 13, and after high school she began playing guitar at the encouragement of her mother. Involvement in the fertile Atlanta music scene led to the formation of an artist’s collective called Groovement and an independent label, EarthShare, which released a compilation CD featuring Arie’s first songs. A second-stage slot on the 1998 Lilith Fair tour garnered major-label interest. Arie signed with Motown after she was guaranteed full artistic control.

Voyage to India
Work on Acoustic Soul dragged out over nearly two years, but Arie’s pursuit of perfection and musical integrity yielded pleasing results. The album’s first single, “Video,” received strong radio and club play early in 2001, and the full-length followed that March. Just over a year later, Arie completed her follow-up, Voyage to India, and it appeared in September 2002. Four years later, the singer hit number one on the all-genre Billboard 200 for the first time with Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship, which also netted her three Grammy nominations. The more outward-looking Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics was released through Universal Republic in February 2009 and debuted at number three on the Billboard 200. After a hiatus from the industry, she returned to Motown, where she released Songversation in June 2013. It was her fifth consecutive Top Ten album. She performed with Stevie Wonder during the Songs in the Key of Life tour and, in 2015, teamed up with Joe Sample for Christmas with Friends.

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“I want to extend my heartfelt “thank you” for all you did in helping us host Ms. April Ryan as our 2018 MLK, Jr. keynote speaker. Ms. Ryan was absolutely amazing last night!! She was captiva ...
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~ Marion Sanford, Director, University of Mary Washington
~ Marion Sanford, Director, University of Mary Washington

“I want to extend my heartfelt “thank you” for all you did in helping us host Ms. April Ryan as our 2018 MLK, Jr. keynote speaker. Ms. Ryan was absolutely amazing last night!! She was captivating, insightful, and delivered a powerful message with words of hope, love, and a call to action to the audience. They were utterly enthralled by her presence and presentation.

I would like to also add that I thoroughly enjoyed the pleasure of meeting Ms. Ryan. She was so personable, pleasant, down-to-earth and very gracious and accommodating with the guests. She was patient with each question and stayed until every person had their book signed or picture taken. I would not hesitate to have her visit our campus again. I was so impressed and grateful for her contributions to our campus community in this role, but even more so for the work and accomplishments she is making in journalism, politics, and keeping integrity in the profession.

Lastly, I would like to acknowledge the wonderful and professional work of Ms. Kim Lowery in her role in ensuring a positive and successful program. She was thorough in providing the details of the travel itinerary and ensured that we had all the information necessary in preparation for Ms. Ryan’s visit. It was a pleasure working with her on this engagement.

Thank you again for the work you do and the rewarding collaborations we enjoy with your agency. I look forward to future interactions.”

“Meeting you both today was a great experience for me and my career development! I learned so much and truly valued your expertise, insight and probing questions. You really got my wheels turning an ...
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~ A. Gordon, Corporate Executive
~ A. Gordon, Corporate Executive

“Meeting you both today was a great experience for me and my career development! I learned so much and truly valued your expertise, insight and probing questions. You really got my wheels turning and focused solely on the success of building my brand. As I mentioned, this was a new experience for me and it was a great opportunity to be ultra successful in 2015! As I recap my notes, I just wanted to send you a note of sincere thanks.”

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