Aruba Red hat sich für Oleejah.de die Zeit für ein ausführliches Interview genommen. Wer des Englischen nicht mächtig ist, hat die Möglichkeit das Interview auch in deutscher Sprache zu lesen. Vielen Dank an Raoul für die Übersetzung!
Oleejah.de (Oleejah): Hi Aruba Red! Thank your very much for spending some time for this interview. Please introduce yourself to the readers of Oleejah.de.
Aruba Red (Aruba Red): Hi, my name is Aruba Red, I describe myself as a singer-songwriter, poet and activist. I am based in London but was born in Stuttgart and am heavily influenced by Reggae music.
Oleejah: Why did you choose Aruba Red as your artist name?
Aruba Red: My artist name was chosen for me by my sister Kyla. Aruba Red was a legendary female pirate who sailed the Caribbean seas. I was attracted by the idea of this strong and rebellious woman and obviously the part of the world where she lived has been very influential on my music. Also piracy has played an important part in influencing the change in the music industry over the last few years; some for good and some for bad, the name is a kind of social commentary on this. As well as this, I feel that pirates are often misrepresented and the idea of fusing piracy with a positive message is something that I am inspired by… I am not afraid to make my own path and rebellion flows through my veins so I want to keep the spirit of Miss Red alive.
Oleejah: When did you start making music and why?
Aruba Red: Music has always been a part of my life, my grandmother played beautiful violin and played in the Stuttgart Orchestra in the early 50s and my father is a professional musician and composer. Coming from a musical legacy has been a big influence on me. Although I always enjoyed singing I didn’t feel confident singing in front of people at a young age, I was shy and much preferred writing short stories and poetry. Performing in front of an audience is something that came much later, I was asked to sing on some demos for a friend who was trying to get a publishing deal, this gave me experience in the studio and built my confidence up. I then started performing at open mic nights in London which gave me a real buzz and a drive to take things to the next level. I began to work with different producers and then formed my own band and began being asked to play at gigs and festivals. Things just spiralled from there really and when I got asked to work with the inspiring Nitin Sawhney I felt it was the right time to take the music more seriously and make it my full-time profession. This is when I left my job working with children.
I think my decision to do music full-time was based on a need to process certain emotions and frustrations, I sing and write as a kind of therapy, it’s something that I think chose me rather than the other way round. I always wanted to be a political writer and I studied Philosophy and Ethics at university but the music has been something that’s hard to leave alone!
Oleejah: What kind of music influences you most?
Aruba Red: I love many different styles of music and many songs and artists influence me; from Bob Dylan to Bob Marley, Erykah Badu to Immortal Technique. I love music that tells a story or makes you feel something real. Whether it’s a political Hip Hop song that speaks about injustices or a Folk song that tells a tale of loss, music is about expression. That’s why I love reggae so much; it often provides a platform that allows artists to sing about political injustices and the turmoil of the voiceless. Some of the most beautiful love songs are expressed through reggae music as well as songs of strength and hope.
Oleejah: You describe your actual sound as “Roots vs. Dubstep”. Could you tell us something about that?
Aruba Red: That description is quite a recent one and describes my current new material. To be honest I change my descriptions all the time! I don’t like to be defined by one genre or to be put in a box, music is music. The Roots vs. Dubstep definition is about old meets new, my sound is influenced by reggae and roots but at the same time I fuse this with newer more contemporary sounds and technologies, I always try to keep things fresh and different.
Oleejah: The lyrics of your songs represent important issues in a conscious way. What kind of issues are these and what does consciousness mean to you? How important is the message of a song?
Aruba Red: I sing about many different things, things that need to come out. I sing and write about the frustrations that we feel when governments do things in our name but against our will, I sing about feeling helpless but standing strong in the face of injustice. We live in turbulent times but I think it is important to stay hopeful and to unite the peaceful and the positive people. Consciousness to me is about always striving to achieve a higher level of understanding. To look deeper than the obvious and to not allow yourself to be overly influenced by the powers that be. It’s about searching for the truth. The message within a song is very important to me, it’s at the heart of it.
Oleejah: You published your self-titled debut album “Aruba Red” last year. Could you tell us something about your first album? What kind of responses and reactions have you received yet?
Aruba Red: Working on my first album was an important journey for me. It merges all of the styles of music that I love and that influence me and expresses how I feel about the world. It was an independent project that I wanted to put out to make the music available for the people who had supported me from the beginning and also to spread my message further. I wanted to release it on a grass-roots level, without any hype or a marketing campaign… just to see what would happen and how people would respond. It was a good feeling to put something raw and underground out there. The response I have had has been great and really encouraging. My album was featured on the front page of the iTunes reggae section twice as well as in their “Best of” category, two of the songs from the album where also chosen as “Hottest Homegrown Track” on BBC Radio 1 and “Best Alternative” on BBC 1Xtra. After the album was released I was asked to perform an acoustic set inside the iTunes offices in London which was a cool experience. But to be honest the best thing about putting the record out there is the messages I get from people who enjoy the songs and who tell me what the album means to them… that’s what makes everything worth it and gives me the best feeling, that I am connecting with people all over the world through music.
Oleejah: You collaborate with a lot of different musicians, for example the internationally known Reggae stars Jah Cure and Jah Mason you featured in two of your songs. Did you enjoy the collaboration? How did you get to know them?
Aruba Red: These collaborations were both great. Mason and Cure are both big artists whose music I love. Jah Mason and I got to record “Struggling” through a family friend, I had written the song with English Folk artist, Sam Carter. Jah Mason agreed to add his vocals onto the song and with that we reached the top 10 playlist on Irie fm which was amazing for me. When Jah Mason was last in the UK we got to perform the track live at the Love Music Hate Racism afterparty which was really cool.
I had been following Jah Cure’s career for a long time and getting to collaborate with him has been a huge highlight in my career so far. We met for the first time at the legendary King Jammy’s Studio in Kingston and recorded the song “Light Up Light Up”. A couple of months after recording the track I got to fly back out to Jamaica to film the music video which my sister Kyla directed and which is up on youtube now, there’s also a behind the scenes video up which my friend Brittany shot for me.
Collaborations are an important part of my growth as an artist, whether it’s with other singers or musicians or producers, it’s about coming together, learning new things, experimenting and being unafraid of taking risks.
Oleejah: You travelled to Jamaica for recording and filming sessions. What does the
motherland of Reggae music mean to you?
Aruba Red: Jamaica is a beautiful island with a rich history, the people and music has hugely influenced what I do. I grew up around musicians from all around the world because of my fathers career; musicians from places as diverse as Cuba, America and Puerto-Rico and I was lucky enough to get to travel to the Caribbean from a young age and that is where I got my taste for reggae music. Jamaica is somewhere that I hope to spend much more time in the future, I am planning on making another trip this Summer to promote the release of “Light Up Light Up”.
Oleejah: May we reckon on new projects of Aruba Red in 2010?
Aruba Red: I am currently working on new material as well as planning the release of my collaboration with Jah Cure. I am keen for the music to reach more people and am enjoying the journey. I am excited to be working with new producers and on new sounds. I am looking forward to performing at the BBC Maida Vale sessions over here in London soon as well as playing at some summer festivals including ‘One Love’ in August alongside Luciano and Rodigan. I can’t wait to feel the sun on my skin again, it’s been a long cold winter! Another exciting project is working with Mad Professor, which is an honour, we’ve recorded a track called Warrior which I’m hoping to get out there soon.
Oleejah: You are planning to play a couple of shows abroad for example in Germany. Could you tell us something about your plan?
Aruba Red: I love travelling and want to do much more of it and it would be great to perform in Germany, as I was born there and lived there till I was three years old. I would love to play some shows and get back to my roots! I am hoping to get to Germany soon, performing in the UK has been wonderful but it’s always great playing in new places, meeting new people and spreading the sound. I hear that Germany has a really vibrant reggae scene and some great festivals which it would be amazing to be a part of.
Oleejah: Are there any German Reggae artists or bands you like?
Aruba Red: Gentleman is a massive artist, I love his song Intoxication. I am definitely eager to discover more German artists and sound-systems, it would be great to come over to check the scene out. It’s always wonderful to be able to discover new bands and new music.
Oleejah: A final statement for the readers of Oleejah.de:
Aruba Red: I want to thank Oleejah for supporting my music and for this interview and I hope that your readers will take some time out to check my sound. You can find my new video “Light Up Light Up” on youtube as well as my debut album on iTunes, there are also a few limited edition physical CDs available from my myspace.
If you like what you hear please request Light Up Light Up featuring Jah Cure from your local radio stations!
I hope to be in a town somewhere near you soon!
Much love & power to the peaceful x
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