Today we’d like to introduce you to Aryana Jackson.
Aryana, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up watching videos of myself dancing in my high chair to the Rush Hour soundtrack and the way the music moved me was like a flame. That flame has been engraved in me ever since. Growing up, my oldest brother was into music as well as my other brother being into break dancing so I was heavily influenced by the art culture within my own family. Eventually, I started to reflect that energy by singing in a choir and playing instruments such as the violin, saxophone and most prominently, my voice.
As my affinity for music grew, my family was always very supportive. I vividly remember performing at almost every family gathering and not wanting to initially but definitely being bribed with money so I REALLY put on a show (such a Taurus). I was involved in almost every choir throughout grade school and took a dance class as often as I had the opportunity to. I did a competition with my friend Dee one summer, we were always dancing so we figured we’d create a routine and compete. We won, I like winning, haha. In high school, I got involved with a competition dance team which allowed me to travel and perform at different football games and even on TV once. That was such a lifting experience that taught me the power of teamwork. Then, the summer before I went to college, my friend invited me to make my first song at the studio. It’s pretty cringy to listen to now but that sparked a whole other passion for recording music. I spent one semester at Clark Atlanta University as a music major before I felt compelled to create the life I wanted as an artist.
So, for the next two years, I spent a lot of time moving through depression, going through an extremely difficult life-altering family situation. In that time, I was writing, singing, dancing and creating for therapy. I feel like everything I was experiencing in life, was like my own form of school and artist development. That triggered a wanting to know myself on a deeper level as well as my self-love journey. It was not until recently that I made the conscious decision to pursue artistry as a career.
Currently, I work with an artist development company as a writer, along with the startup up of a business with my birth mother which intersects jewelry, music, and technology. I also have a pretend job at Studio Movie Grill which I’m already excited to quit because of the success of my entrepreneurship and artistry.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It was definitely not easy for me to get to this place of being confident in my craft. It took a lot of ancestral and self-healing work to get to a place of valuing myself and having confidence in what I do. I always had a knowing, that I was important and my words and actions are a reflection of the person I was born to be. Keeping that in mind, I was able to create opportunities for myself that would change not only my life but generations of young people in my family and in the world. The advice I have for the youth is to keep being yourself and don’t be afraid to challenge the ideas and stereotypes of people stuck in their box. For young women especially, I’d say don’t get distracted and deviate from your purpose by the fantasized image of love and beauty. Being unique and grounded in what makes you, you mixed with any of your passions is a recipe for success.
Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
So, I am an independent recording artist, which means I’m not signed to any labels and all my work is collaborative. I do contract work with artists, labels, and studios as a vocal trainer, songwriter, and feature work. I’m also a performer, I work at events locally and worldwide and provide live entertainment.
I created the first car studio which I produce and engineer working with artists.
The vocal training program I have is called the Aryee Approach, where I spend an hour with a singer and we find the sweet spots of the voice and practice techniques that minimize straining and vocal discomfort while singing.
I also work such as bracelet making and clothing alterations and styling for performances.
Do you feel like there was something about the experiences you had growing up that played an outsized role in setting you up for success later in life?
I definitely feel like the way I was raised played a major impact on how I grew up. I wasn’t raised by my birth mother but I was raised in my family by my cousin (I call her mom). Having such a loving and supportive family, I was given a different perspective of life to imagine and create beautiful experiences. It allowed me the option to take control of the things I wanted to learn and see without feeling obligated to fit a mold or a character I couldn’t relate to. I was able to thrive off of having a unique household, it opened my mind to the different walks of life.
Pricing:
- $35 Vocal Training
- $15 Styling for Performances
- $50 Studio Sessions
Contact Info:
- Phone: 2514902253
- Email: aryeethegem@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsjustaryee/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aryana.jackson.524?ref=bookmarks
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/itsjustaryee
- Other: https://soundcloud.com/itsjustaryee
Image Credit:
Joshua Mollete, AllNightCo
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