Arie described the eclecticism of her family ’s record collection in a September of 2002 profile in the Washington Post, “Soul music isn ’t a color or a place. In addition to listening to albums by family friend Stevie Wonder, music by Donny Hathaway, Roberta Flack, and James Taylor were also favorites in the Simpson house. ” Both parents were deeply interested in all kinds of music. She decided to turn down both offers after marrying, she started a career as a fashion designer and worked under the one-name title “Simpson. Her talent was promising enough that the young singer was offered a spot in the group Martha and the Vandellas and, later on, a contract of her own on Motown Records. Arie ’s mother, Joyce Simpson, also grew up in Detroit, where she pursued a career as a singer during her teenage years. Simpson also played with the National Basketball Association ’s Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers, and New Jersey Nets before ending his athletic career in 1980. Drafted by the Denver Rockets (later the Denver Nuggets), he became one of the now-defunct league ’s top scorers. Simpson spent a year at Michigan State University before getting a hardship exemption to enter the draft of the American Basketball Association as a 19-year-old. Her parents ’ roots were in Detroit, where her father, Ralph Simpson, was a standout basketball player at Pershing High School. Her middle name, meaning “lion ” in Hebrew, was chosen simply because it blended well with her first and last names. Her first name was chosen in honor of the birthday of Indian leader Mahatma Mohandas Gandhi, which coincided with her expected arrival date. India Arie Simpson was born on October 3, 1975, in Denver, Colorado. Arie did walk away with Grammy Awards in 2003, one for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for “Little Things ” and another for Best R&B Album for Voyage to India.
I made a conscious decision when I was recording Acoustic Soul to -and this is one of my mantras -follow the music and let the chips fall where they may … It would have been way too much to try to live up to some expectations when I don ’t even know what they are. Arie told Billboard in September of 2002 about her second release, Voyage to India, “but I don ’t know what would alienate them or bring them in, so I decided not to think about it. “The thought crossed my mind about not wanting to alienate my fan base, ” India. Arie returned to the studio to make her follow-up album to Acoustic Soul. Arie did not walk away with any Grammy Awards that year, the publicity catapulted her into the front ranks of contemporary female R&B performers, a roster that included Jill Scott, Alicia Keys, Lauryn Hill, and Macy Gray. A critical and commercial hit, the album sold 1.6 million copies in its first year of release and earned the musician seven Grammy Award nominations. Arie made one of the most notable debuts in music history with her 2001 album Acoustic Soul.
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