ACCLAIMED SINGER/SONGWRITER INDIA.ARIE
JOINS OPRAH WINFREY FOR SUPER SOUL SESSION SERIES
Grammy Winning Artist Works For
Wellness, Purpose, And Positive Change In The Social Consciousness Movement
(New York, New York, May 08, 2016) The captivating sessions that Oprah Winfrey heralds as “Life-Transforming Talks from Spiritual Thought Leaders, Change Makers and Wisdom Teachers” will feature award winning artist India.Arie alongside Oprah, Kerry Washington, and others Sunday, Mother’s Day, May 8, in a provocative two-part conversation covering diverse inspirational ground . The show will be airing on OWN at 11amEST/ 10amCT & again at 7pmEST/6c, featuring a segment from India’s conversation. Her full episode will be also available for viewing on www.SuperSoul.tv
Super Soul Sessions is a natural fit for India.Arie, whose music helped usher in a new sound that combined folk, R&B and soul with an unwavering social conscious. India has expanded her creative pursuits to further express her true authentic self and engage wellness seekers, helping others to achieve personal empowerment through a mindful expansion of spiritual ideals, self-love, and a more purposeful life.
India.Arie has long played a leadership role for women in regard to the issue of self-love, ever since her 2001 song “Video,” became a self-acceptance anthem. Her personal philosophy and music has influenced an entirely new generation of artists, including Jonathan McReynolds, Tori Kelly and Ariana Grande, who frequently covers Arie songs and posts them online.
India started her own company, SoulBird, in 2011, as a lifestyle brand built to expand the ways she accomplishes her personal mission to spread love, healing, peace and joy to include music, books, merchandise, jewelry, apparel and live events. Bursting on the music scene at Lilith Fair in 1998, Arie was quickly signed and made her Motown debut with “Acoustic Soul” in 2001. In the 15 years that has followed, Arie has transitioned into one of the worlds’ highly acclaimed songwriters and sought after inspirational speakers, gracing the covers of Entertainment Weekly, Essence, Yoga Journal and Ebony to name a few. She has performed for 3 US Presidents, with President Clinton calling her ‘a great communicator’ and President Obama most recently commenting “One of my favorites is India.Arie. I love India.” She has had the privilege of working alongside her mentor Stevie Wonder, including sharing the stage in his history-making Songs In The Key Of Life Tour in 2015, as well as meeting with the Dalai Lama and touring the National Civil Rights Museum with him in Memphis, TN. In 2009 she was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and the list goes on…
After 10 world tours, millions of records sold, numerous Image Awards, BET Awards, MTV Awards and Grammy Awards, Arie stepped away from the business to explore how to have a sustainable music career that she would enjoy. “I was open to the idea of music not being my path, says India, “but I learned it is my path IF I do it in a way aligned with my nature. Sometimes you have to step back to move forward. Coming to that realization – let alone taking that crucial first step—can be a daunting endeavor.”
With the willingness to let it all go, she returned after a 5 year hiatus with the 2013 album, SongVersation, expressing a more authentic self. She released a 5 part Essay/Book SongVersation – I Am Light, a vehicle launched to grow her message and mission, appearing on multiple television shows including a 2 part in depth interview with Oprah on her OWN’s Super Soul Sunday televising show.
She has also worked closely with Deepak Chopra, Oprah Winfrey and Gabriel Bernstein to help develop a global narrative for peace and healing through the Global Meditation for Peace event in 2014. Dr. Wayne Dyer, the internationally renowned NY Times bestselling author and speaker in the fields of self-development and spiritual growth who recently passed, had created a lecture series and was writing a book called I AM LIGHT – telling audiences he was inspired by Arie’s song of the same name. His daughter sang the song at his events and he told audiences that after hearing the song in Hawaii he realized this was his next body of work.
India.Arie has continued to expand her SongVersation format, a unique performance paradigm designed as a combination of song and conversation that she shares with her audiences worldwide through her live SongVersation performances. Arie also created an online SongVersation, which is a combination of 6 part essay series, acoustic performance videos and dialogue with her “soulbirds” through her newsletter, her website www.soulbird.com and her app Soulbird.
India’s mission “to spread love, healing, peace and joy through the power of words and music” continues to motivate and inspire, and Super Soul Sessions is a perfect vehicle to elevate that message! Be sure to watch as India.Arie shares never before-heard stories, including the inspiring story of how she turned the pain of her “traumatic childhood” into a WORTHY life – her talk is titled SongVersation: WORTHY.
For more information contact:
Tracey Miller, TMA, tracey@tmapubilcity.com , 609-383-2323