It's been nice getting to know Ari Chi.
Last March, we previewed her performance at the Gasparilla Music Festival, talked about her start as a Youtube cover artist and her songwriting process for her upcoming album Color Fool.
Last week, we got a taste of what that new album will sound like with the release of the single "Seafoam" and its accompanying video.
Since then, we've previewed Ari's new album Color Fool and man, is it good. Don't worry, you won't have to wait much longer to hear it, the album is due June 6. Ahead of its physical release and album release show on June 9 at the Attic Café in downtown Tampa, we got to, once again, chat with Ari and ask her about what we heard on her debut record.
Read: Tampa songwriter Ari Chi talks 'Sea Foam', upcoming Color Fool album release
Check out our Q&A, listen to the album and listen to a great interview with our friends at Cigar City Radio, below.
On the title track/intro, you sing about being a “color fool for you.” Is the theme of colors on the album strictly about love or emotions in general?
I'd say it's about emotions in general, even though every emotions stems from love.
On “Pages” we get our first taste of the album. While some of your fans know you for your ukulele covers on YouTube, this is a departure from that. What was it like working with a more comprehensive sound and band?
I wrote this song on my ukulele so it came naturally. The song was built around what I gave Cedeño, he added everything except for the guitar which was played by Scott Miller.
We previously covered the release of your “Sea Foam” video, a song we liked very much. You talked about how this song came from the ‘first and last’ time experiencing psychedelics. Did that experience birth the whole ‘Color Fool’ idea? How did it affect your outlook on music?
Now that you mention it, I guess it did. "Seafoam" was the first song I had written with colors involved. I couldn't play my ukulele while I was going through the motions, but the next day everything cane together and made sense. It was about three months later that Color Fool became a reality.
“Let It Be Known” is my favorite track on the album. It seems more ukulele centered and upbeat compared to some of the other tracks. Still, you have more than just a ukulele playing in the background. Will it just be you playing the album release party or will it be a full band?
This song will always be special to me. It's the first song of my own that Cedeño produced.. he made me believe that a studio track could sound just as live as a performance. At The Color Fool Experience I'll be playing solo !
On the track “The Blues” you talk about “looking for a color but [you] can’t find it.” Could you explain that?
Colors are what you make them. In this song I was looking for a certain color to act as my comfort zone. This song is about self doubt and being uncomfortable.
“Didn’t Know” contains the emotional skit/interlude with you crying on the phone. You previously talked with us about how your music contains “mixed" pieces of your reality. How much of the love story on the album is true and how much did it shape this album?
"Intro," "Seafoam," and "Let It Be Known" are the only songs that reflect what I've gone through in my current relationship. "The Blues" is where my imagination kicked in. When you get to "Alive, "you'll see that I mixed reality with fantasy. I felt like the last song should really touch whoever was still listening.
As we just talked about, this album is a major departure from your YouTube covers, with other instruments and fantastic production. Who produced the album and what was that process like?
Troy Cedeño produced the album and I co-produced the album (with the exception of "Colors" produced by Vern Sr.) – I had every one of these songs written (lyrics and ukulele) before I gave them to troy to play with. Troy would build a base around what I had given him, and then we would bounce ideas back and forth. I bought in some of my friends in to play on the tracks and he did the same. Together we've created something that will open doors for all of us.
On songs like “All” your voice is reminiscent of Jhene Aiko, who’s song “Stay Ready” you covered on your YouTube channel. Is she a major influence on your music? if not, what musicians would you say influence your music the most?
She's not an influence of mine but I do get compared to her a lot when it comes to our voice tones. Hiatus Kaiyote, Lauryn Hill, Digable Planets, Ella Jet, Cosmo Pyke, Sampha. These are some people I'm influenced by.
“Alive” is one of the deeper tracks on the album in respect to storytelling. What inspired this song?
I really don't know what made me start this song but it sounded like it could be on a soundtrack of an amazing movie. I changed out words and replaced them with some goals that Brodie and I have to make it feel more real. It worked out well!
This article appears in Jun 8-15, 2017.