EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: ‘HUSH’ Ari Abdul Has Something To Say

Hailing from New York, Ari Abdul is coming in fierce, ferocious, and ready to take the world by storm. As an artist, Ari takes inspiration from artists such as The Neighborhood and Lana Del Rey and, in doing so, has transformed her artistry by using visual and musical influences to bring her artistry to life.

Included in her discography is her new EP Fallen Angel, which has swept us away and blown our minds from start to finish. We were not ready for such a hypnotic body of work as this! Fallen Angel is a dark pop masterpiece with captivating melodies, warm, haunting vocals, and indulgent rhythms that weave around every fiber of our being and lift us into a transcendental experience.

For example, ‘HUSH’ is one of our favorite tracks featured on the EP. It sums up the EP’s theme perfectly and captures the story Ari is trying to tell with this EP. Check out the track below!

We got the chance to ask Ari about ‘HUSH’ and the EP as a whole in this exclusive interview, and to say that we are in awe of her is an understatement! Let’s dive into it!

You grew up in Catholic School and became enamored with the story of Lucifer. What about the fallen Angel narrative drew you to the story? Has that narrative been inspirational to your life & music?
Something I always found fascinating about the story is how Lucifer was once a beautiful angel, who ultimately loses himself and falls from heaven. The narrative definitely inspired the story throughout my EP. I knew I wanted to create a character who shares those same characteristics and ultimately falls from grace. It’s also a fun nod towards my childhood raised around the Catholic Church.

Your new EP Fallen Angel features some of the most haunting tracks we have ever heard! ‘HUSH’ specifically spoke to us! How did this song come to be? What was the inspiration behind such a hypnotic track and what made you decide it was the perfect fit for this EP?
Funny enough, “HUSH” wasn’t originally intended to be apart of the EP. I had a general idea of the tracklist and story months before its release. ‘HUSH’ was created on my first trip ever to LA. I knew I wanted to make a song that revolves around violent, intrusive thoughts over lively upbeat instrumentals. However, I fell in love with the song instantly and it just worked with the story being told in the EP. It comes in the middle of the EP and indicts something is not right with our character.

We also found ourselves gravitating towards ‘Stay’ and ‘Cursed,’ both of which felt so transcendental and chilling (in a good way!). We have to ask what your mindset was like going into writing those songs. Did you find them difficult to write or did they flow more naturally out of your beautifully creative brain?
Those two were somewhat difficult to write. They both come from a point of view of someone who’s not okay and I had to enter that headspace to be able to convey that.

We’ve talked about our favorite tracks from the EP but which one is your favorite? Which track feels the most personal to you/which one do you feel the most connected to? Why?
Asking for my favorite track is like asking a parent who their favorite child is. All the songs are like my little babies, and I love all of them. However, I tend to hyper fixate on different songs at different times. This week, I’m really feeling ‘Taste.’

Your sound is very Billie Eilish meets Lana Del Rey meets The Neighborhood, it’s a very unique sound full of alluring melodies and captivating lyrics! How did you decide on the sound you wanted to use as an artist? How did you find the sound that felt the most like you as an artist?
It came naturally, I grew up a fan girl and my favorite artists have definitely influenced my sound. Lana Del Rey and The Neighbourhood are my big two. Through lots of trial and error, I figured out what works with me.

You are from New York, what was it like living in such a big city? How would you say city life has influenced not only your career path but also your musical sound?
Honestly, always pure chaos. There’s always something going on and I feel like most city kids just want to stand out. Growing up in the city definitely exposed me to so many different genres of music which I have no doubt subconsciously impact my sound.

TikTok has become one of the biggest platforms for new artists to share their art with a wider audience. As one of those artists, you have garnered 400M views on the platform! What is the best part about having the platform readily available for trading releases? What have you learned from using the platform as a newer artist?
The best part for sure is being able to expose your music to the world through the for you page and reaching people who would’ve been harder to reach without a platform. I also love the community I built over on my accounts.

In a previous interview, you stated that with the Fallen Angel EP, you were building characters and telling a story to create your own world. If we were to think of the EP as the first of many characters in the world you’re building, what overall story would it tell? What kind of influential character would it be in your world?
I knew from the day ‘BABYDOLL’ debuted, the EP would be a villain origin story.

We predict quite a career for you! We’d love to see you collaborating with all sorts of icons, but in your dream reality, what artists would make you feel like you made it big to collaborate with?
My dream collab has always been Lana Del Rey. She’s my queen and I’m such a fan of hers.

If you could choose five songs from your favorite artists to recreate as your own, which songs would you choose?
‘West Coast’ by Lana Del Rey
‘Life of the Party’ by The Weeknd
‘My own Summer’ by Deftones
‘No surprises’ by Radiohead
‘Cry Baby’ by The Neighbourhood.

There you have it, honey poppers! A little insight into the Fallen Angel EP and the beautifully creative mind of Ari Abdul! If you haven’t streamed the full EP yet, click here to indulge! If you have streamed it, which song from the EP is your favorite? What was your favorite part of our interview with Ari? Let us know in the comments below, or tweet us over @TheHoneyPOP! You can also catch us on Instagram and Facebook!

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TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ARI ABDUL:
INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE