India.Arie, born India Arie Simpson on October 3, 1975, in Denver, Colorado… Read Full Bio ↴India.Arie, born India Arie Simpson on October 3, 1975, in Denver, Colorado.
She absorbed musical skill early in life, encouraged by both parents: her mother, Joyce, herself a former singer, and now India Arie's stylist; and her father, former ABA and NBA basketball player Ralph Simpson (not former NBA star player Ralph Sampson, as has been mistakenly reported in some media). She had taken up a succession of musical instruments throughout her schooling in Denver, Colorado, but her interest in the guitar while attending the Savannah College of Art and Design led to a personal revelation about songwriting and performing. "When I started tapping into my own sensitivity, I started to understand people better. It was a direct result of writing songs," she said at the press release of her debut album, Acoustic Soul.

Co-founding the Atlanta-based independent music collective GroovmentEarthseed (Groovement was the collective artists' name and Earthshare was their independent label name), her one-song turn on a locally released compilation led to a second-stage gig at the Lilith Fair. Their Universal Records/Motown music scout spotted her and made an introduction to Motown CEO Kedar Massenburg. Sidestepping all the devices of flavor-of-the-month record-making, Acoustic Soul acquainted listeners with a brave and eloquent new voice, drawing an uncommonly broad swath of listeners from hip-hop, the so called neo-soul, blues, folk, and classic troubadour-style singer/songwriting, all at once. The album, released in 2001, debuted at number ten on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart and number three on the R&B album chart. Within months, without the concentrated radio play that typically powers pop and rap albums, Acoustic Soul was certified double-platinum.

India.Arie also features on Stevie Wonder's album A Time To Love which was released on October 18, 2005. India.Arie and Stevie Wonder duet on the title track "A Time To Love" that India wrote, which was nominated in the 2006 forty-eighth Grammy Awards, for Best Pop Vocal Collaboration with Vocals.

On the September 2005 premiere of The Tyra Banks Show, Arie performed "Just 4 2day". She wrote this song especially for Tyra's show. Arie also wrote "What About the Child", a song that did not air but was made available as a $1 internet download to support child victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Voyage to India

India.Arie followed the success of her debut in 2002 with the release of Voyage to India. Debuting at number six on the Billboard 200 and number one on the R&B chart, the album eventually earned a 2003 Grammy for Best R&B Album. The single "Little Things" also won a 2003 Grammy for Best Urban/Alternative Performance. Soon after its release, Voyage to India was certified gold; and it was certified platinum on Friday 4 August 2006.

Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship

India.Arie's third studio album, Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship, was released on June 27, 2006. Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship gave India.Arie her first number-one on the Billboard 200 and was her second chart-topper on the U.S. R&B album chart. This album was also the first #1 album for the Motown record label in 33 years since Diana Ross's #1 Lady Sings the Blues Its first week sales of 161,000 copies is Arie's best sales week to date and was certified gold on Friday, August 4, 2006.

Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics was released on Tuesday, February 10, 2009.

Songversation (2013)
Christmas with Friends (2015)
Worthy (2019)

I Am Not My Hair
India.Arie Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

See, I can kinda recall a lil' ways back
Small, tryin' to ball, always been black
And my hair, I tried it all I even went flat
Had a lumpy curly top and all that crap, now
Just tryin' to be appreciated
Nappy headed brothers never had no ladies
And I hit the barber shop real quick
Had 'em give me lil' twist and it drove 'em crazy (crazy)

Then I couldn't get no job
'Cause corporate wouldn't hire no dreadlocks
Then I thought about my dogs from the block
Kinda understand why they chose to steal and rob
Was it the hair that got me this far
All these girls these cribs these cars?
I hate to say it but it seem so flawed
'Cause success didn't come till I cut it all off

Little girl with the press and curl
Age eight, I got a Jheri curl
Thirteen, and I got a relaxer
I was a source of so much laughter
At fifteen when it all broke off
Eighteen and went all natural
February, 2002
I went on and did what I had to do
Because it was time to change my life
To become the woman that I am inside
Ninety-seven dreadlocks all gone
I looked in the mirror for the first time and saw that

Hey (hey)
I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am not your expectations, no (hey)
I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am the soul that lives within

Good hair means curls and waves (no)
Bad hair means you look like a slave (no)
At the turn of the century
It's time for us to redefine who we be
You can shave it off like a South African beauty
Or get in on lock like Bob Marley
You can rock it straight like Oprah Winfrey
If it's not what's on your head, it's what's underneath, and say

Hey (hey)
I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am not your expectations, no (hey)
I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am the soul that lives within

Who cares if you don't like that?
With nothin' to lose, postin' with the wave cap
And the cops wanna harass 'cause I got waves
Ain't see nothin' like that in all my days
Man, you gotta change all these feelings
Steady judging one another by their appearance
Yes, India, I feel ya, girl
Now go ahead, talk to the rest of the world 'cause

(Whoa, whoa, whoa)
Does the way I wear my hair make me a better person?
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)
Does the way I wear my hair make me a better friend? Oh
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)
Does the way I wear my hair determine my integrity?
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)
I am expressing my creativity
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)

Breast cancer and chemotherapy
Took away her crownin' glory
She promised God if she was to survive
She would enjoy every day of her life, oh
On national television
Her diamond eyes are sparkling
Bald-headed like a full moon shining
Singing out to the whole wide world like, hey

Hey (hey)
I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am not your expectations, no (hey)
I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am the soul that lives within

Hey (hey)
I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am not your expectations, no (hey)
I am not my hair

I am not this skin
I am the soul that lives within

Overall Meaning

The song "I Am Not My Hair" by India.Arie Feat. Akon is a powerful and uplifting anthem that celebrates individuality and self-expression. The song explores the relationship between hair and identity, and how societal expectations and beauty standards can impact a person's sense of self-worth. Throughout the song, India.Arie encourages listeners to embrace their natural beauty, reject harmful stereotypes, and celebrate their uniqueness.

The first verse of the song tells the story of India.Arie's personal journey with her hair. As a young girl, she struggled to find acceptance and attention from others because of her "nappy" hair. She eventually decided to cut it all off, and discovered that her success and happiness were not dependent on her appearance. The second verse shifts focus to the broader cultural significance of hair. India.Arie sings about the ways in which hair has been used to discriminate against people of color- either by forcing them to conform to white beauty standards or by ostracizing them for embracing their natural hair texture. The chorus, which is repeated throughout the song, serves as a reminder that a person's identity is not defined by their external appearance or the way they choose to wear their hair.

Overall, "I Am Not My Hair" is a powerful and empowering song that encourages listeners to embrace their true selves, reject harmful stereotypes, and celebrate diversity.

Line by Line Meaning

See, I can kinda recall a lil' ways back
I remember when I was younger

Small, tryin' to ball, always been black
I was always a black person trying to do well

And my hair, I tried it all I even went flat
I tried many different hairstyles, including straightening my hair

Had a lumpy curly top and all that crap, now
I had a bad curly haircut at one point

Just tryin' to be appreciated
I am just trying to be respected

Nappy headed brothers never had no ladies
Men with kinky hair are often not considered attractive

And I hit the barber shop real quick
I went to the barber shop very quickly

Had 'em give me lil' twist and it drove 'em crazy (crazy)
I got a twisted hairstyle that people found attractive

Then I couldn't get no job
I was unable to get a job

'Cause corporate wouldn't hire no dreadlocks
Employers did not want to hire someone with dreadlocks

Then I thought about my dogs from the block
I thought about my friends from the street

Kinda understand why they chose to steal and rob
I can see why they turned to crime

Was it the hair that got me this far
Did my hair help me succeed?

All these girls these cribs these cars?
Did I get all these things because of my looks?

I hate to say it but it seem so flawed
I hate to admit it, but it seems unfair

'Cause success didn't come till I cut it all off
I didn't find success until I cut my hair

Little girl with the press and curl
As a child, I had a hairstyle called a press and curl

Age eight, I got a Jheri curl
At age eight, I got a Jheri curl hairstyle

Thirteen, and I got a relaxer
At age thirteen, I got my hair chemically straightened

I was a source of so much laughter
People made fun of me because of my hair

At fifteen when it all broke off
At age fifteen, my hair broke off from all the damage

Eighteen and went all natural
At age eighteen, I stopped chemically straightening my hair

February, 2002
In February 2002

I went on and did what I had to do
I did what I needed to do

Because it was time to change my life
It was time for me to make a change in my life

To become the woman that I am inside
To become the person that I truly am

Ninety-seven dreadlocks all gone
I got rid of my dreadlocks in 1997

I looked in the mirror for the first time and saw that
When I looked in the mirror, I realized that

Hey (hey)
Hey

I am not my hair
My hair does not define me

I am not this skin
My skin does not define me

I am not your expectations, no (hey)
I am not what others want me to be

I am the soul that lives within
I am who I am on the inside

Good hair means curls and waves (no)
People consider curly and wavy hair good, but I disagree

Bad hair means you look like a slave (no)
Some people believe that kinky hair looks like a slave's hair, but I disagree

At the turn of the century
At the beginning of the 21st century

It's time for us to redefine who we be
It's time for us to redefine ourselves

You can shave it off like a South African beauty
You can shave your hair like South African women

Or get in on lock like Bob Marley
Or you can get dreadlocks like Bob Marley

You can rock it straight like Oprah Winfrey
Or you can wear your hair straight like Oprah Winfrey

If it's not what's on your head, it's what's underneath, and say
It's not just what's on the surface that matters

Who cares if you don't like that?
Why should you care if someone doesn't like your hair?

With nothin' to lose, postin' with the wave cap
If you have nothing to lose, wear a wave cap

And the cops wanna harass 'cause I got waves
Police officers harass me because of my hairstyle

Ain't see nothin' like that in all my days
I have never seen anything like it before

Man, you gotta change all these feelings
We need to change the way we feel about hair and appearance

Steady judging one another by their appearance
We are constantly judging each other based on looks

Yes, India, I feel ya, girl
I understand what you are saying, India

Now go ahead, talk to the rest of the world 'cause
Now tell the world your message