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)
Private Party
India.Arie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm having a private party
Ain't nobody here but me, my angels, and my guitar, singin'
"Baby, look how far we've come, yeah"
I'm havin' a private party
Learning how to love me
Celebrating the woman I've become, yeah
She didn't get where I was going
I called my boyfriend, and he said
"Call me back a little later, baby."
I hung up the phone, I felt so alone
Started to feel a little pity
That's when I realized that I
Gotta find the joy inside of me
[Chorus]
I'm gonna take off all my clothes
Look at myself in the mirror
We're gonna have a conversation
We're gonna heal the disconnection
I don't remember when it started
But this is where it's gonna end
My body is beautiful and sacred
And I'm gonna celebrate it
[Chorus]
All my life (all my life)
I've been looking for (I've been looking for)
Somebody else (else)
To make me whole (oh)
But I had to learn the hard way (oh)
True love began with me (oh)
This is not ego or vanity (oh)
I'm just celebrating me
[Chorus]
Sometimes I'm alone, but never lonely
That's what I've come to realize
I've learned to love the quiet moments
The Sunday mornings of life
Where I can reach deep down inside
Or out into the universe
I can laugh until I cry
Or I can cry away the hurt
[Chorus]
Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday
Happy birthday to me (Happy birthday to me, ooo)
Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday
[Chorus x 2]
The song Private Party by India.Arie sings about celebrating oneself and learning how to love oneself. The song starts off with the singer having a private party with only her angels and guitar, acknowledging how far she has come. However, she tries to contact her loved ones, but they are either busy or cannot understand what she is going through. Feeling lonely and pitiful, she realizes that she needs to find the joy within herself.
This realization leads the singer to have a conversation with herself while looking at her naked body in the mirror, healing the disconnection that she has with herself. She celebrates her body, acknowledging its beauty and sacredness. In the second part of the song, the singer accepts that she has been looking for someone else to make her whole, but learns that true love begins with oneself. She proclaims that she is not egoistic or vain, but is merely celebrating herself. The song ends with the singer enjoying the quiet moments of life, both the happy and the sad ones, and wishing herself a happy birthday.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm having a private party
I'm reveling in the joy of life and loving who I have become.
Ain't nobody here but me, my angels, and my guitar, singin'
I'm not in need of anyone else's approval or company to celebrate my own existence.
"Baby, look how far we've come, yeah"
I acknowledge my journey thus far and can see the progress I have made in life.
I'm havin' a private party
I'm embracing and appreciating myself for who I am.
Learning how to love me
I'm taking the time to truly love and accept myself.
Celebrating the woman I've become, yeah
I'm acknowledging and honoring the person I have grown to be.
I tried to call my mother, but
I hoped to share my joy with my mother.
She didn't get where I was going
My mother didn't understand the depth of my happiness and personal growth.
I called my boyfriend, and he said
I thought my partner would appreciate and rejoice in my newfound self-love.
"Call me back a little later, baby."
My partner couldn't fully understand or share in my elation and needed some space.
I hung up the phone, I felt so alone
After reaching out to my loved ones and not being understood, I felt isolated and disconnected.
Started to feel a little pity
I began to feel sorry for myself and my inability to share my happiness.
That's when I realized that I
I came to the realization that it's up to me to seek and find joy within myself.
Gotta find the joy inside of me
I need to tap into my own inner happiness and not rely on others to validate my worth.
I'm gonna take off all my clothes
I'm going to embrace my body, flaws and all.
Look at myself in the mirror
I'm going to confront my insecurities and see the beauty in myself.
We're gonna have a conversation
I'm going to have an honest and open dialogue with myself.
We're gonna heal the disconnection
I'm going to bridge the gap and heal the divide within myself.
I don't remember when it started
I can't pinpoint when or how my self-doubt began.
But this is where it's gonna end
I will no longer allow my insecurities to hold me back.
My body is beautiful and sacred
I recognize the beauty and worth in my own body.
And I'm gonna celebrate it
I'm choosing to honor and appreciate my own physical vessel.
All my life (all my life)
Throughout my entire existence thus far,
I've been looking for (I've been looking for)
I have sought out external validation
Somebody else (else)
From someone else
To make me whole (oh)
In an attempt to feel complete
But I had to learn the hard way (oh)
I had to face hardships and heartbreaks to realize
True love began with me (oh)
That true love and acceptance starts internally with myself.
This is not ego or vanity (oh)
I'm not being vain or selfish in loving myself, but rather practicing self-care.
I'm just celebrating me
I'm cherishing and honoring my own existence.
Sometimes I'm alone, but never lonely
I'm comfortable being by myself, but not disconnected from the world.
That's what I've come to realize
I understand and embrace the concept of self-sufficiency.
I've learned to love the quiet moments
I appreciate and find value in the moments of calm amidst the chaos.
The Sunday mornings of life
Those slow, cozy moments of Sunday mornings that represent warmth and solitude in life.
Where I can reach deep down inside
Where I can connect with my inner self.
Or out into the universe
Where I can connect with the wider world and all that it holds.
I can laugh until I cry
I can find joy in life and laugh to the point of tears.
Or I can cry away the hurt
I can acknowledge and process pain and sadness, allowing myself to feel and heal.
Happy birthday to me
I'm rejoicing in my own birthday and taking the time to celebrate my own life.
Happy birthday
I am marking the occasion of my own birth, something worth celebrating.
Happy birthday to me (Happy birthday to me, ooo)
I'm recognizing the worth and value of my own existence, embodying a positive sense of self.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: INDIA ARIE, BRANDEN BURCH, RICHARD JOHNSON JR., JOHN HOWARD III
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind