Artist in Focus: Q & A with Arielle

Music has been engrained into singer and songwriter Arielle from a young age. At just 5-years-old she was singing with the Peninsula Girls Chorus, learning piano, trumpet, and inevitably guitar. After dedicating her youth to music, she eventually gained notoriety by some of music’s biggest names. Peri has graced the stage playing guitar for Cee Lo Green, and even earned the imprimatur of Queen guitarist Brian May.

We had the opportunity to speak with Arielle about how she expresses herself through music, inspirations, and even an upcoming guitar line.

Q & A with Arielle

EB: How did you get your start in the music industry?

A: I realized that I was going to have to get a ‘real job,’ and made a commitment I was going to take a leap into the music business and see what happened. I had graduated Musicians Institute when I was pretty young, and just after that, I got a gig playing with Cee Lo Green.

EB: Who has been your biggest inspiration in music?

A: Brian May from Queen, hands down.

EB: Which artist’s guitar tones inspire you?

A: Brian May, Jeff Beck, and Vince Gill.

EB: This career isn’t an easy one.  What inspires you to wake up every morning to write, record, and perform?

A: I think it’s the need to express. Whenever I feel something so intensely, I know it can’t be expressed through anything else other than music. I guess it’s as natural as the desire is to be seen or heard.

EB: What is your best memory on stage?

A: Seeing a venue that was full after I headlined one for the first time. It meant the world to me that people would actually spend money, take the time to come out and fill the room, and actually enjoy it.

EB: What’s the most abnormal thing you can’t do without on tour?

A: Probably baby wipes.

EB: What was that pivotal moment in your career when you realized you knew this is what you wanted to do?

A: I don’t think there ever was one. It was more just, it became such a staple in my life, it was something I couldn’t be without.

EB: How does playing music make you feel?  How do you want people to feel when listening to your music?

A: Playing music makes me feel like I can relate with other people. It makes me feel less alone. When people are listening to my music, I try to be as in the moment as possible, so they can feel too. All those emotions in the ‘song-bottles.’ Music and concerts are a safe place to feel, I believe, where people can truly be themselves, I try to give them that.

EB: What is one piece of advice that you would give someone trying to jumpstart their career in music?

A: To make sure to hold onto their why. And stick to it. To know there is a place for you, regardless of how strange or niche-y your music is. To always be true to that, and to hopefully find balance. Because there is also a lot more to life than just music.

EB: What’s next for you?  

A: I just finished a 20 date UK tour, and I am about to embark on a US tour in April and May. I also have a line of guitars coming out in 2020, based on my homemade guitar, Two-Tone. I have a new album out in April, as well as a few festival dates in there so I’m excited!

Strings

Arielle plays the Ernie Ball Super Slinky and Hybrid Slinky guitar strings.

Listen to Arielle