Within months, without the concentrated radio airplay that typically powers pop and rap albums, Acoustic Soul was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), selling 2,180,000 copies in the U.S. Billboard 200 and number three on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.

'Acoustic Soul' debuted at number ten on the U.S. The album was met with positive reviews and commercial success.

Musical careerĪrie released her debut album Acoustic Soul on March 27, 2001. In 1999, a Universal/Motown music scout signed her and made an introduction to former Motown CEO Kedar Massenburg. It was a direct result of writing songs', she said at the press release of her debut album, Acoustic Soul.Ĭo-founding the Atlanta-based independent music collective Groovement EarthShare (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 1998 Lilith Fair. 'When I started tapping into my own sensitivity, I started to understand people better. Simpson had taken up a succession of musical instruments throughout her schooling in Denver, but her interest in the guitar while attending the Savannah College of Art and Design, in Savannah, led to a personal revelation about songwriting and performing. Īfter Simpson's parents divorced, her mother moved the family to Atlanta, Georgia when India was 13. According to a DNA analysis, she descends from the Mende people of Sierra Leone, the Kru people of Liberia and the Fula people of Guinea-Bissau. Her mother is a former singer (she was signed to Motown as a teenager and opened for Stevie Wonder and Al Green) and is now her stylist. Her musical skills were encouraged by both parents in her younger years. She was born in Denver, Colorado, the daughter of Joyce and Ralph Simpson. She has won four Grammy Awards from her 21 nominations, including Best R&B Album.

She has sold over 3.3 million records in the US and 10 million worldwide. India Arie Simpson born, October 3, 1975, best known as India.Arie (sometimes styled as india.arie) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, musician, and record producer.

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