Ariel Rose decided to drop a new song and an EP at the perfect moment because we need some absolute bangers on our playlists for this Summer! The singer/songwriter will be dropping her new EP, In Paraíso, on May 20th, and her new single indicates that it’s gonna be fire!
‘Let me Go’ features breakthrough Dominican rapper LORS, two-time Latin Grammy-winning/Grammy-nominated producer Tony Succar, and acclaimed musician Kenyi, and that alone tells us how incredible the song is before we even hear it. But it it blew our minds and expectations out of the water upon the first listen, and now, it’s all we can listen to! Check it out below and stream it here!
[apple_music_ad artist=”Ariel Rose”]Gosh, that song is such a vibe, and we cannot get enough of it! We can’t get enough of Ariel Rose in general so getting to interview her about the new song and EP was incredible! Check out what she had to say about it all, and prepare to get hyped!
You grew up in Miami and have always had a love of Latin music! How has that shaped you and your music into the artist you are today?
Growing up in Miami, I was constantly exposed to all different genres of music, particularly Latin music, as it is very prevalent here. My cousins are also part Cuban and Colombian, and from a very early age, I had a great love and respect for Latin culture and Latin music. My favorite album as a six-year-old kid was Ricky Martin’s self-titled album and I would listen to it on repeat for hours. Ricky Martin was also the very first concert I ever went to. My first album I ever made was called Rhythms of Life and I collaborated on it with the Latin GRAMMY-nominated producer Juan Vicente Zambrano when I was just 15 years old. It had a lot of Latin influence and I also sang in English and Spanish, so I was always influenced by the multicultural sounds of growing up in Miami. Miami is a place with a lot of events, culture, diversity, and opportunity, and I feel very lucky to have been able to grow up in such an amazing and beautiful city.
What was your favorite thing about growing up in Miami? What is one of your favorite memories from childhood?
One of my favorite things about growing up in Miami was probably most people’s favorite thing (and still is) – the weather!! It’s usually very sunny and it’s always a great day to go to the beach! I happen to love the peacefulness of the ocean and go quite often. One of my favorite memories from my childhood was when I was in elementary school and was a part of the choir. We went to perform in the state choral competition, which was held in Universal Studios in Orlando, and I was in fifth grade. My parents were chaperoning on that trip. I had a solo in the choir and didn’t realize that there was a solo competition as well and that all soloists in the choirs were being judged in their own competition separately from the choirs. There were thousands of kids from schools all over the state and when we went to the trophy ceremony, not only did my choir win first in the state, but I also heard my name called and won first place in the soloist competition! I was shocked because I didn’t even know I was enrolled in a separate competition. It was a lot of fun to say the least because afterward, we got to go on rides and have a great time in the park!
How old were you when you first got into songwriting? Do you remember the first song you ever wrote?
I was around 8 years old when I first got into songwriting and I definitely remember my very first song! This is so embarrassing but it was called ‘My World’ and I used to sing it all the time! I had a lot of journals where I would write all of my lyrics and I always really enjoyed expressing myself in that way.
Who are some of your favorite Latin artists that you feel have inspired you the most?
Gloria Estefan was a huge inspiration for me. After all, she is based in Miami and performed with the Miami Sound Machine! Of course, Ricky Martin was a big inspiration as well, as he was my first concert ever. I also really loved Shakira’s music!
Your new single definitely has that Latin influence in it, what inspired the creation of ‘Let Me Go,’ and how did it come to fruition?
I love music that does things that are unexpected. I had written these lyrics for ‘Let Me Go’ which was influenced by a friend’s situation, who was conflicted about whether she should move on from a relationship. I realized that I could also relate to that situation, as well as many other people. I wanted to create a fun play on words so I wrote “If I left, would you go right? Would you chase me through the night? Or would you let me go?” I sent the lyrics to the producer I was working with, the incredibly talented Latin GRAMMY-winning producer Tony Succar, and sent him examples of the style of music I like. It was there that it evolved into a salsa trap and pop fusion song. We brought his brother Kenyi on board to also add his influence to the track and when we were recording vocals, the three of us decided that we had to have a rapper! When we heard the Dominican rapper LORS we knew right away that he would be the perfect fit!
What was it like working with Tony Succar, LORS, and Kenyi on ‘Let Me Go?’
Working with Tony, in general, is an amazing experience. His energy is so much fun. His ideas are great and we had such a fabulous time creating this track. His brother is such a cool guy and together it was a blast! It was funny because at one point, Tony and Kenyi went inside the booth to record vocals and at that moment I was in the producer seat, which was a cool change! And right away, LORS was so easy to work with and we were extremely impressed with his rapping skills. We all had a great time together filming the music video and making our vision come to life!
If you could work with one artist or songwriter on future projects, who would you say is at the top of your list?
I would love to work with Camila Cabello. Coming from Miami, I have to support Miami talent and it would be awesome to work with another Miami girl!
’Let Me Go’ has an accompanying music video. Did you go into the video shoot with a clear idea of what you wanted to create or was it more of a glimmer of an idea that you fully figured out along the way?
I worked with Jose Alejandro Gonzalez, who directed this music video and we definitely thought through the music video concept in a very clear way. Jose was incredible to work with and really took my vision and made it come to life. We had a pretty limited amount of time so we had to have a clear idea of what we were filming and when. Tony and Kenyi’s time was limited, as well as LORS, who flew in from the New York/New Jersey area to be able to be in the video. I think Tony even had an interview to do in between the filming so it was a very hectic day, but we managed to get it all done! The concept of the video is a female contemplating moving on from her relationship. She is in her bedroom looking at polaroid photos of herself with her boyfriend and decides to get ready and go out to get her mind off of him. It is at the bar where she meets another guy who is trying to get her attention but she’s not interested, as she just wants time to herself. At the bar, she meets up with Tony, Kenyi, and LORS, and they perform together having a great time!
You have a new EP, In Paraíso, dropping May 20th, what can we expect from it? Which track are you most excited for fans to hear?
In Paraíso is a tropical Spanglish Visual EP that truly embodies who I am not only as an artist but as a person. It pushes genre boundaries and is a really unique project that takes influence from many Latin genres including reggaeton, bolero, pop, salsa, and trap. The EP was written as a story, and each song is another chapter that reveals another part of the story.
The first track, ‘Let Me Go,’ is about deciding whether to stay or leave a relationship.
The second song, ‘En el Paraíso‘ is about finally making the difficult decision to move on and do what’s best for you.
The third track is the one I am most excited to share with everyone and it’s a salsa song called ‘Atrapada.’ I wrote this one with two salsa masters, the Latin GRAMMY-winning producers Tony Succar and Jorge Luis Piloto. ‘Atrapada’ is a fun flirty song that will definitely make you want to dance! It’s about meeting someone new and just having a good time.
The last song, ‘Your Lovin’’ is a beautiful romantic guitar ballad that I felt was the perfect end to the story. It’s about finding a new love and finding your own version of happiness, which I refer to as “paradise” or “paraíso.”
What is the most surreal part of being a singer/songwriter and having your music out in the world for everyone to hear? Any advice for other up-and-coming artists?
To be honest, I was pretty nervous to start releasing this project because it really is “me” from start to finish. It embodies who I am and I feel extremely connected to my music. Obviously, when you release music you open yourself up to a lot of support, but also a lot of criticism. So I think accepting that was the most difficult part. But now that I have two singles out from my upcoming EP, I am very much looking forward to releasing the entire project!
The advice I would give to upcoming artists is to just go for it! Don’t think too much about insecurities and “what if’s” and just put your all into what you love to do. Also, begin with the end in mind. Have an overall vision from the beginning of where you want to be and stick with it. And lastly, I would say make sure to surround yourself with only those who support you and believe in you. This is a very tough industry and while you will have moments of success, you will also have obstacles to overcome. And it’s in those moments where your team and support system can really help guide you.
What can we expect from Ariel Rose in 2022?
I have more music coming in the Fall of 2022 after the release of my EP in May as well as live performances coming up, so please make sure to follow me on social media to stay up to date on everything!!
What do you think of Ariel Rose and her new song ‘Let Me Go?’ Are you as excited about the Spanglish visual EP, In Paraíso, coming out on May 20th as we are? Let us know in the comments below or by tweeting us @TheHoneyPop! You can also hit us up on Facebook and Instagram!
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