Interview: Arye Harmony

What initially sparked your interest in pursuing a career in the arts for those who may
not be familiar with your background?
I started off in elementary school singing in the choir. After that I took an interest in rapping and initially wanted to become a rapper and songwriter. Rapping was going strong and being favored around school and church until around the age of 13, when I decided to perfect my singing voice. Singing and songwriting since.

Can you tell us about the inspiration behind your latest single?
The inspiration was self reflection on my life and letting go of certain bottled in emotions from how I felt about it.

What themes or emotions are explored in this song?
Shame, regretfulness, disappointment, accountability and acceptance

How does this single fit into the larger narrative of your music career or your upcoming
projects?
It gives me the motivation to go hard with what’s to come. I want to make sure that the decisions I make from here on are coming from that place in the back of my head and trusting God in the direction He wants me to go. I’ve tried to make choices on my own and it did not get me far.

Could you describe the creative process behind this single, from concept to production?
At this point I was ready to put out another project but was in a self disappointing state. Thinking of how my life turned out, I was in the bathroom getting ready for the day and I played this instrumental that really pulled my spirit and tugged at my heart strings. The emotions just started coming then the lyrics followed. Of course I couldn’t release this demo because of copyright so it had to be remade. My ad for musicians was posted in a Facebook group and Julia Aponte, guitarist on the track, reached out and we instantly connected. Hearing her sincerity and vulnerability to relate to the song and overall genuine spirit made me choose her without a question. Also grabbed a piano player, AJ from there as well who helped me get through a lot of key tuning through the recording of the song. I won a contest with Grammy Award Winner Audio engineer and producer Ray Ray Scavo to record at The Penthouse Recording Studios in Manhattan, NY. He helped me tremendously to bring something extra vocally to the song that wasn’t initially going to be there. After that, finished the song in 2 sessions and that was all she wrote!

What can listeners expect to experience or feel when they listen to this track?
They can expect to feel vulnerable and related to.

Are there any interesting stories or anecdotes from the recording or writing of this song
that you’d like to share?
No interesting stories per se. What I can say is that some fascinating conversations have happened from listeners on this song. We share each other’s thoughts and experiences and it leads to insightful theories and ideas. One conversation in particular was with my uber driver in Nashville, TN. I really appreciated that guy.

As an artist, can you identify three key traits that define you?
Honest, diverse and firm

What can we anticipate in terms of your upcoming projects?
90’s retro feel. This is what I wanted to convey in this EP because that era of music did so much and held the ground for my future musical projects and the way I go through life.

Where can our readers find additional information about you and your work?
My instagram shows a lot of behind the scenes: www.instagram.com/aryeharmonyofficial (@aryeharmonyofficial) or to keep it on the surface, www.aryeharmony.com.