Aaradhna pens open letter to fans
Rmike.alexander@fairfaxmedia.co.nz AARADHNA has opened up about her new album in a heartfelt letter to all of her listeners. The media shy diva, who went global with her last album Treble and Reverb, explains the powerful message influencing her incredibly personal new release Brown Girl, which drops on July 22.
Hello. Talofa. Namaste. Kia Ora.
I amwriting this letter for a reason. Sometimes I share more than I should because I care about my listener. I look at the listener as I look at a friend that I am conversing with. I’m putting this new album of mine out and before I do that I want to write about where my heart and head is at, how I feel about it all.
How do I feel about it all? Initially, I was scared about how this new album was going to be received. But that sense of fear was short-lived. After sitting with Brown Girl and performing it live, I can say that I feel content. If you know me then you know that talking is not my forte . . . I don’t do too well with the media stuff. I get so nervous, my words start to scramble and then I end up sounding like I don’t know what I am talking about . . . I let my music talk to you.
Now what does my music talk to you about? Brown Girl is a collection of songs about love, heartbreak and dealing with life in general. To me, it represents growth. Brown Girl represents how far I have come from a girl to a woman. One song on the album that I do want to talk about is Brown Girl. It is an important song to me – hence naming the album after it.
Growing up as an Indian and Samoan in New Zealand, I’ve seen and witnessed others, including myself, being automatically labelled for what we look like, what we wore, the way we spoke, where we resided. I have been called a curry-muncher, a dumb coconut – all kinds of names in the book while growing up and I’ve always felt like I was looked down on . . . this feeling of judgment has been around since I was a kid. It is frustrating that a single label can take all that I amaway, every single piece that makes me. Brown Girl is a song about racism. I amnot going to pretend it doesn’t happen in my world, because it does. But what I am expressing in this song is that I am made of many complicated layers. Don’t put me in a box – ‘‘I’m more than the colour of my skin. I’m a girl that likes to sing. All I know is what’s within. I’m not just a Brown Girl in the ring.’’ I’m proud of this album. I feel confident in what I do and I am ready for anything that comes my way.
To my listeners. Thank you for taking the time to lend me your ears. You are deeply appreciated.
I will leave it at that and let the music take over. Welcome to the jungle. Love Aaradhna Patel.