Meet Aries Kae | Singer, Rapper, and Songwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Aries Kae and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Aries, why did you pursue a creative career?
I actually kind of fell into this creative career choice. I have always sung and when I was younger I was on American Idol and I pursued music really heavily. But things just weren’t aligning so I actually decided to quit music and go back to school. I got my major in Biology (Zoology) from Cal Poly Pomona and I worked with horses. I missed music a lot so I decided to get involved in the local scene in Pomona, but it just started as a hobby. Then when the pandemic started my job changed a lot and I decided that now was the time for me to go all in for music again. I never thought I would go back to pursuing music as a full-time career but here I am! It’s so amazing how things work out, and it makes me know that this was meant to be for me because my soul couldn’t stay away from making music.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I sing, I rap, and I write songs- which a lot of people do but what sets me apart is the power and depth behind everything that I do musically. There is only one me and I am a person who likes to go deep and be unapologetically authentic- so whenever you hear something from me, you are hearing the realest version of me and something that is coming directly from my soul. There is a lot of pain and heartache behind this musical journey for me but there is an equal amount of joy. I’m excited to share more of myself and my story with more people and hope that I can continue to provide inspiration and encouragement to everyone but especially people like myself- sensitive, empathetic, out of the box individuals who need to know that they aren’t alone in this world.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Ooo wow I have had many occasions to actually do this and it’s always hard because I have so many favorites in LA, the OC, and the IE! So there is a lot of ground to cover. I would say start the day in OC at The Donuttery in Huntington for some delicious donuts (vegan ones too!), and then beach day at Thousand Steps in Laguna (which would also be our workout for the day :-P), then off to Fairfax for some incredible Indian food at Electric Karma and then catch a show and some drinks at Gold Diggers. The next day we would do a hike in the mountains near Pasadena and then head to Pomona for some crazy good vegan Mexican food at Borreguitas. We could stay in Pomona all day and explore the Arts Colony and Antique row (amazing thrifting!!) and stop in at The Shop x 3-Bit Games to explore their amazing collection of video games and comics. Then we could hit up Pomona Loud open mic to hear the best up and coming artists and hop on the mic in a friendly and fun environment. The next day we would have to head out to San Bernardino and get some delicious drinks and snacks at Viva la Boba and hit up an event at Creative Grounds art studio.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Oh wow there are so many people that have helped and supported me on this path it would be impossible to name them all! But a few really key people have been my mom who is such a steady rock of support for this wild life path I have chosen and who has helped me creatively by creating beautiful cover art and visuals and helping me brainstorm new ways to approach what I’m doing; my whole family and in particular my cousins Lizzie and Claudia for always gassing me up and making me feel like I deserve success; My best friends and roommates Alene and Nestor for being there from day 1, shooting my first music video, and being a constant source of love, support, and collaboration; The amazing Paulette McWilliams who has been an incredible vocal coach and mentor and like a second mom to me; Lesa J and Noa James for seeing the spark in me, encouraging me, and sharing their wisdom about independent artistry; my producer JMKM for being a reliable and steady source of support and creative inspiration and my producer Dom V for being so freakishly gifted and being on the same wavelength as me musically- the songs you hear would not be possible without the talents and hard work put in by these two guys; Who I am as an artist would not be possible without all of these people and I am so incredibly grateful for them and all of the other people who have played and do play a part in my musical journey

Website: https://ffm.bio/arieskae

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aries.kae/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/arieskaemusic

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arieskaemusic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@aries_kae

Image Credits
Tony Naylor, Edward Quibal, Claudia Lux, Takeovr