Aruba Red is back with her beautifully dramatic work. For those of us who already know Aruba Red and all she's about artistically, you'd know that music has always been an extreme fascination of hers, which is very evident if you listen to her work. Frequent listeners would also know that Aruba Red has suffered through a great deal of trauma, in which she now uses to flourish and influence the very soundings she creates today. Aruba Red's recent EP release of "Shadow Work" delves far into the exact hardships the artist has undergone and especially offering the sense of cleansing one's self and becoming pure. "Shadow Work" undoubtedly felt curative to us as listeners, as it offered an array of perspectives that transformed the way we viewed certain aspects of life. With a ton of inspiration to give, and much more to extract from her sound, Aruba Red manifested "Shadow Work" with the best intentions at hand, and it's now on BuzzMusic to be showcased to the masses.
Aruba Red's soulful technique within her R&B style is what allows her music to slowly and naturally glide across your senses with ease. Aruba Red begins off her EP with "Blue", which features that exact silky and smooth vocal performance that characterizes her as an artist. "Blue" offers a sensual and alluring tone from Aruba Red, and it's this exact type of design that allows the song to feel incredibly intimate and personalized. Content-wise, "Blue" brings you through a vivid and expressive journey with Aruba Red--such a journey that you'll have to experience for yourself to methodically understand.
The journey with Aruba Red continues with "Release Me", where we can guarantee the chorus will stimulate a variety of your senses. Aruba Red takes "Release Me" to truly showcase her diversified vocal approach to her sound, which is very glossy and delicate in so many ways. Delving further into the actual significance of "Release Me", Aruba Red goes on an emotional exploration with the track, where we're told the essence of a story of one wanting to be released from a strong bond with another. Aruba Red's vocals come off as very soft and warming at some points, and robust and melodramatic at others, which is what primarily makes the track and its overall environment eccentrically dynamic.
The softness of Aruba Red remains consistent with "Change", a track that focuses on a very slow and drawn-out execution. Aruba Red gives off an emotionally distinct persona in "Change", and the overall track feels very freeing to us. Again, we're being taken on that storyline of wanting to break free and flourish. Aruba Red consistently shares these explorative perspectives regarding life and growth, which draws us very close to her and her sound. We want to hear what Aruba Red has to say, and that's the root of our desire to listen to her music. "Trust" has this same kind of cooling energy that "Change" had, where we feel emotionally freed from any obligation while listening to the content on this track. Once we arrive at the midway point of "Trust", we find ourselves immersed with the sensuous vocals of Aruba Red, bringing us into an entirely varying atmosphere. "Trust" was probably the most atmospheric track on this EP, where Aruba Red seems to seek out an explosive, yet mellow personality.
We arrive at the end of Aruba Red's EP with the final track "Butterfly", where Aruba Red brings back that eclectic production to simulate an eccentric atmosphere. We get a great display of instrumental sounds that offer up a feeling of tranquillity and allow us to feel at peace. We feel that "Butterfly" had curative elements embedded into its production, as the track genuinely makes us feel like we're floating on a meditative cloud. In essence, that's the feeling that Aruba Red's EP "Shadow Work" made us feel. We felt at ease, we felt at peace, and we ultimately felt better connected with ourselves at the end of it. If you require an emotionally changing journey, Aruba Red's "Shadow Work" is the EP for you.
You can discover "Shadow Work" by Aruba Red here.
Welcome again, Aruba Red! We're happy to have you and your work back here on BuzzMusic! Your EP "Shadow Work" has recently debuted, and it features a collection of soothing and immersive expressions. As you were creating this particular EP, were there any curative effects you wanted it to have on your listeners?
Hey, it's so nice to be back, thank you for having me! The motivation behind Shadow Work was to help me explore some really deep-rooted issues that were still affecting my daily experience and to release a lot of pain I was holding on to. I had to delve into those shadows to get to the light. I see the songs as my stepping stones to freedom. I hope that this comes across to the people who listen to the music, I would love for these songs to provide the soundtrack for healing and transformation, letting go of those old patterns that no longer serve us, moving out of victim consciousness and taking responsibility for our own happiness even if we've been through tough times and ultimately accepting ourselves for who we are and understanding that there will always be shadows and there will always be light. Duality is part of our experience and there is always more work to do.
We know how incredibly personal "Shadow Work" is for you, and the great deal of vulnerability that went into creating this EP. How did you find it to personally write and record such private emotions and thoughts? Did you find it difficult to rehash a lot of those feelings required to create such an EP?
In short, yes! It was really difficult to unearth and really delve into a lot of this pain, specifically the first three songs, but it was necessary. The whole process of Shadow Work was about going back, allowing my body to feel the adrenaline and the pain again and to really acknowledge it, get to know it, express it through these songs and then set it free. For a long time, I was quite scared about certain possible repercussions from being so honest, I was worried about upsetting certain people or causing anger and any backlash. I also considered whether if it was the right thing for my son to put this out there into the world. I meditated on it a lot and came to the conclusion that it is my truth and I have the right to tell my story as long as I am being honest and sincere and if I'm coming from a position of love rather than hate or revenge. These songs aren't about making anyone else look bad, they are not about bitterness, they are about honoring my own personal journey and the transformation it has led me on. These songs are an unpacking of the past so that I can experience the present without all the triggers dragging me back.
It's an understatement to say that "Shadow Work" contains your very heart and soul. Can you describe to us how exactly it feels to now have "Shadow Work" on full display for your listeners? What kind of feedback have you been getting thus far?
I feel a sense of calm and relief! It feels great to have been able to complete this project and set it free, it's very symbolic for me. The response has been really positive, I think a lot of what I am singing about is very relatable to a lot of people who have been through certain challenges. I make music for ADOAs, for people recovering from narcissistic abuse, for single mamas, for recovering codependents, for people interested in healing intergenerational trauma, people dealing with anxiety, panic attacks, and PTSD, I make music that is soothing and hopeful. My songs act as a campfire for anyone who needs to feel the warmth. I receive messages from people who truly understand what my motivations are and it feels so special to be able to connect with people in this way. That's the power of music. It's quite evident that you experiment with your productional stylings, and offer a varied amount of techniques within your sound.
Where do you typically find your inspiration to create such expressive soundings to match the lyrical content of the song?
I've never limited myself to set genres or sounds, the genre is truly fluid! I am also fortunate enough to have some incredible people that I work with in terms of production. I co-wrote Shadow Work with my longterm musical brother Renell Shaw as well as having some great producers working on the songs including Marrik Shearer who produced my last EP Holy Waters and Camilo Tirado who produced my EP before that Demos In Disguise. We are really close and I am able to describe the sounds I am hearing in my head and these guys can make those ideas a reality. In terms of inspiration... the soulful folktronica of James Blake, the reverb of Phil Collins, the poeticism of Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), the mysticism of Erykah Badu and the passion of Prince have all been influences on my sound.
Now that "Shadow Work" is out and available for listeners, where do you think you'll take yourself artistically from here on out?
I'm currently preparing for my debut headline show in London which takes place at St. Pancras Old Church on 11th March. I'm so excited about this, my band is incredible and we're in rehearsals bringing these songs to life! I'm creating mood boards for the music videos for Shadow Work and the visuals for Butterfly will land in April. I'm working on a new theatre show and my new album which I'm in love with! I have also been commissioned to create meditation music for a brilliant new app. Alongside my music, I am a women's circle facilitator and I have my online slow-fashion / lifestyle store arubaredtreasured.com offering gorgeous sustainable items to be treasured.