For Ayana and Ayinke, growing up in the Baptist church meant beginning to sing at an early age, and before the pursuit of a musical career even entered their minds, the two were already no strangers to gospel or classical music. Throughout their teens and early twenties, they worked steadily on Philadelphia’s “new jack” circuit, finding themselves becoming fast musical soulmates with the likes of fellow Philly artists Jill Scott, The Roots and, of course, Musiq. “We started at Blue Funk and we participated in all the Philly venues,” says Ayana. “Everyone was just giving off what they had to give, so we were a part of that same class, continuing the tradition of soul music.”
In 1998, the duo’s management team, Mike McArthur and Jerome Hipps (aka/Mama’s Boys), began a more intense working relationship with Musiq — so much so that, by the time Musiq released his debut album Aijuswanaseing, AAries had already been touring with him as back-up singers. With their distinctive songbird vocals, AAries were subsequently featured on Musiq’s hit, “Girl Next Door” — a twist of fate that further led to Ayana’s stunning, on-screen cameo appearance in the video version of the song.
“Working with Musiq was just kinda natural,” offers younger sister Ayinke, ”and, doing ‘Girl Next Door’ was a blessing in disguise, because it opened the door for people to inquire about who we were.”
That open door not only led to both the start of work on the duo's official debut album "Always Remember," but also, the subsequent inking of a deal for the album with Atlantic Records. In-house, co-executive "Always Remember" Producers CarMuI — (an acronym for the team of Carvin Haggins, Musiq and Ivan Barias), who are also managed by Mama’s Boys — have been an integral force in the overall creation of AAries as well. As Ayinke herself tells it, "Mama's Boys is a production label and management company where everything is very home grown — we even have our own production studio called Home Cooking.”
As for the album Always Remember itself, the smooth grooves offer any RnB buff his/her own personal musical memoir. For the first official single from the album, the ladies have chosen Strangers to Lovers to debut their work to the world. The track is a veritable walk down Lovers Lane, with AAries vocally sashaying their way through the jazzy track, complete with warm background vocals. "Strangers to Lovers,” seems guaranteed to glide its way across the airwaves to listeners’ ears everywhere.
Similarly appealing, with its focus on each sister’s individual vocal part, is the ballad, “So Nice.” AAries preaches their message over blissfully-layered harmonies, moving melodically toward the climactic crescendo of the last verse… But, this is only just the beginning...
Filled with only the most spirited and calming, soulful crooning, the title-track to the album, the song “Always Remember,” touches a plethora of deeply felt emotions in which listeners will undoubtedly recognize their own. “Always Remember" is about never forgetting where you came from; keeping the important things in life alive,” declares Ayana. “I love the song, because it’s a personal testimony,” adds Ayinke. “It’s about your first love, and the way you dream of always being together… but, how it doesn’t always work out like that.”
Of course, AAries can mix it up too: There’s the up-tempo “Waiting,” as well as the powerhouse “Eventhough” — a track bursting with enough edgy, funk-ridden vocals, and hip-swaying bass to prove, if there were any doubt, that this duo is anything but a typical pre-fab act.
Rounding things out, the sisters also offer up a wonderful rendition of the late Minnie Ripperton classic “Baby, This Love”, featuring some beautiful vocal stylings that can only be described as hauntingly akin to the late Ms. Ripperton’s own. Produced by Ahmir Thompson (?uestlove of The Roots) “Baby, This Love” was a track that was a particular favorite of Ayana’s to record. “I really enjoyed recording “Baby, This Love” with Ahmir,” she says gleefully. “He’s such a great producer, and working with him was a complete delight… the energy he brought — it was so much fun!”
Needless to say, AAries are extremely proud of “Always Remember,” and with what they’ve already accomplished with their powerful presence, from here it’s all in the stars…
AAries is the new sign of the times.
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Strangers To Lovers
Aaries Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To best friends
To women
To lovers
It hurts to know we may never speak to each other
Our late night calls, yeah they are all gone
Cause you lost the hope and you chose to gave up
I′m trying remember what it was like to
My eyes are red, my vision's blur
It hurt not thinking of you and her
But that her ain′t me
Maybe that's reality
I can't help but think of how you touch my skin
You made me forget how fucked up the world is
Laying in your arms
Singing flee with my ex song.
The lyrics of Aaries's song "Strangers to Lovers" narrate the transition of a relationship from the starting point of being just strangers to reaching the ultimate level of intimacy as lovers. The first few lines describe how the relationship progressed from being strangers to best friends and eventually grew into a romantic relationship. However, the good times had an abrupt end, and the relationship had to come to an eventual conclusion. The lines "It hurts to know we may never speak to each other, our late-night calls, yeah, they are all gone" portray the pain of separation that the singer is going through.
In the following lines, the singer seems to be in a state of distress, trying to recollect and cherish the moments that they spent with their lover, all while trying not to succumb to their sadness as they reflect upon the memories. The lyrics "My eyes are red, my vision's blur, it hurt not thinking of you and her, but that her ain′t me. Maybe that's reality," describe how the singer is trying to come to terms with the loss but isn't quite ready to let go. In the final lines, the singer reminisces the moments they spent with their lover and how it helped them forget about the cruel reality of the world while singing a song they shared with their ex.
Line by Line Meaning
We went from strangers
Our relationship began with us being unfamiliar with each other
To best friends
Gradually, we became each other's closest confidant
To women
Our bond progressed from friendship to a deeper romantic attraction
To lovers
Eventually, we became intimately involved with each other
It hurts to know we may never speak to each other
The thought of losing touch with you causes me emotional pain
Our late night calls, yeah they are all gone
We used to talk for hours at night, but now those conversations have stopped
Cause you lost the hope and you chose to gave up
Your lack of faith in us led you to give up on our relationship
I′m trying remember what it was like to
I am struggling to recall how I used to feel before all this heartache
Fall asleep at night without crying ten times
I am unable to sleep soundly at night due to the pain of our separation
My eyes are red, my vision's blur
My constant crying has led to red and blurry eyesight
It hurt not thinking of you and her
The realization that you are now with someone else has caused me immense heartbreak
But that her ain′t me
I am different from the person you have moved on with
Maybe that's reality
Perhaps this is the harsh truth of our situation
I can't help but think of how you touch my skin
The memory of your touch on my body lingers in my mind
You made me forget how fucked up the world is
Being with you made all my problems seem insignificant and the world feel less cruel
Laying in your arms
Feeling your embrace and being close to you was the happiest moment of my life
Singing flee with my ex song.
We used to sing this song together, but now it only reminds me of what we had lost
Contributed by Natalie C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@chads6837
Please release this on Spotify, its 🔥🔥🔥!!
@alandoharris8967
Took me a long a$$ time to find this song
@teamgraviti1170
Love this joint! I wish it was on streaming.
@LarissaSouza-su7db
♥️♥️♥️
@TheRobynwilson612
Still bangin in 2021!!!
@setapartmindset8859
2023 - ♾️❤
@markchonajr8938
I used to play this, like there's no tomorrow.
@lindabenton1276
I remember.. 😎🌍🌴🔥👀..
@royalsquad5717
I love this song I haven’t heard this song since I was in job crops
@michaelireri6399
Still sounds great