Ariel: R&B and Revitalization
Image courtesy of Charly Hustle
“You can transport anywhere when you hear your favorite song. I’ve always found so much comfort in music; I love being able to make music that makes people feel the same way music makes me feel.” Canadian R&B artist Ariel is a time machine, her music, a drug like no other. Close friends describe her soulful pop music as catchy – always stuck in your head. Press play, and you’ll be immersed in that incredibly addictive neo-nostalgia.
Ariel is no stranger to the world of music. She has an insane arsenal of knowledge about a combination of genres, having grown up on Motown legends like Marvin Gaye and The Supremes and songwriter-pop icons, Carole King and Joni Mitchell. As an only child, the Internet was her best friend and another source for finding, obsessing over and analyzing music. Destiny’s Child and Beyoncé continue to be fundamental inspirations, and as she got older, everyone from Erykah Badu to A Tribe Called Quest stays on that rotation.
Image courtesy of Devon Kerney Hanofski
Professionally, Ariel was on track to become a star earlier on than most. In high school, she was going to New York and meeting with labels, but knew in her heart of hearts that she wasn’t yet ready for the music industry to whisk her away. “I didn’t have a voice yet, artistically. I didn’t know what my sound was. I felt like I could predict the future, that if I would have gone that path, someone would have decided [my sound] for me. And so, I was like: no,” she says. As long as Ariel went back to school, her mom was prepared to let her quit music, so she did. Ariel took a break, went to university, enjoyed her early twenties and got her master’s in marketing. But, soon enough, music came calling again.
“When the pandemic hit, I was like: what am I doing?” Ariel met most of her current collaborators around this time, as everything was shut down, leaving room for online connections. “It wasn’t a detriment that I was from a small city. Everyone was at home on their computers anyway,” says the artist. She casually collabed with a few small producers and then one fateful day, on a music Twitch stream, she met a producer named John Masina. The first thing they worked on together was Ariel’s 2022 single “Layaway Luv,” which earned a spot on popular Spotify playlist, Fresh Finds R&B. Ariel sings about the act of being on layaway in a quasi-relationship: when two people like each other but are waiting to date until the timing is right, and hence end up friendzoning each other.
Of course, the song is much too smooth and sexy for a listener to drown themselves in the sorrow of being put on hold. If anything, “Layaway Luv” makes you want to dance. It’s easy to bop to with its expertly composed harmonies. If you were cruising down the street with your windows down and “Layaway Luv” came on, it would be nearly impossible not to turn the volume all the way up. “[‘Layaway Luv’] just felt so right. It was exactly what I’ve been wanting to do this whole time – even back in high school, this is the kind of sound I wanted,” Ariel says. Masina understood her influences, so the two were on the same wavelength and had a lot of confidence putting “Layaway Luv” out. The success the song garnered was a sign for Ariel that she was on the right track and that she should keep going. Naturally, the ball has been rolling ever since.
Masina produced and composed her summer 2023 EP Symfonia as well, which consists of four songs including “Layaway Luv” and the viral, titular track “Symfonia.” After the first single’s success, Masina began sending Ariel a collection of skeletal instrumentals and Ariel began writing and recording to them. Since Ariel has a studio setup in her own house, creating is both convenient and comfortable. There’s no paying to record in a separate studio or flying out somewhere to work on music. Once demos for Symfonia were recorded, Ariel would simply send them to Masina, who mixed and mastered everything. It was just the two of them working in tandem to create this funk-R&B masterpiece. “I think ‘Symfonia’ has a special place in my heart because that’s the song that did the best and it was really cool to see that happen. I was not expecting to also really love ‘Wishing Well.’ I feel like it’s kind of slept on,” she says.
Aesthetically, Ariel maintains a colorful, vibrant brand that is incredibly intentional and shows in all her work, from her promotional marketing to her music videos. Everything about her artistry screams synesthesia (you can almost taste the colors of her songs), which only aids in bringing the stories she tells to life. The music comes first, but a close second is the visual elements of her music; all the colors. “I have a million Libra placements in my chart, so I just like for things to fit together. It drives me crazy! I was [up all] last night updating my Spotify because I have new music dropping, and the profile picture wasn’t cropped right. I’m very much a control freak,” Ariel jokes.
Her long-term boyfriend Devon Kerney Hanofski helps Ariel accomplish her unique and fierce perspective with his technical skills and artistic abilities. “He has like a million cool cameras and knows how to run all of it. We’re kind of a team; he really helps me execute the vision, which is such a blessing.” A Libra power couple, if you will!
Ariel’s music is certainly familiar but it's also new, she doesn’t want to just be known as the “nostalgia girl.” It’s a balancing act, because when you’re a smaller artist, there must be something for people to grab onto on social media platforms like TikTok. Often, Ariel will connect with her target audience by utilizing key words revolving around nostalgia, or reaching out to fans of artists like Amerie, Destiny’s Child and Ashanti. “It’s worked so far, so I guess I can’t knock it,” she says with a laugh.
Though it’s staying hush-hush for now, Ariel’s just signed with a record label, has music dropping in April and another EP coming later this year. “I just want to keep topping myself. I’m only going to compete with myself.” Big things are coming, and they’re well-deserved!