I sang my “feel-good” original songs at the American Cancer Society’s July 15, 2017 fundraiser and paid tribute to family & friends who succumbed to that vicious “dis – ease” as well as to courageous survivors. It really made me happy to see sick folks smile and say how much they enjoyed my performance. In a world with roughly 30 million songs on YouTube, Spotify and I Tunes, I figure the best way to stand out from the crowd is to create conscious “feel-good” songs that start a conversation, spreading one love to people all over the world.
(Songs performed: “My Heart” “Nobody Knows You” “Hotter” “Together” “I won’t stop lovin’ you” and “Smile.”)
I wrote “My Heart” in remembrance of my dear brother, Alfred Edwards, Jr., who passed away from heart disease and my first cousin Inez Williams who left us after a long battle with breast cancer. People can relate to “My Heart” because no matter what color you are, how much money you have or where you are from, if you live long enough, you will experience the heartbreaking loss of a loved one.
“Nobody Knows You” came to me one day while walking on a deserted Hawaiian beach at daybreak. “When you’re laughing everyone’s glad. When you’re weeping, you’re the only one sad. Oh! Nobody knows you when you’re blue…” My producer and dear friend, Karl Marrett, wrote the music for “Nobody Knows You.”
My new song “Hotter” is a peace, one love, social justice tune set to bumping, dance, groove music. My dear friend Phred Mosbey produced “Hotter” video. “Hotter than a southern summer/ Sun beating like a drummer/ Blood running like water/ Where are your sons and your daughters? I dream of one love. Cool rain falling from above. Peaceful, white clouds, black soil; laughter loud, labor of love no toil. I wake to blue sounds; wailing mothers, scorched ground. Wars on streets and tv. Annihilation of humanity…”
“Together” is a love song that my dear friend Tony Chauncey wrote the music for me. As soon as I heard the music, lyrics rushed into my mind. I began singing and quickly grabbed pen and paper to write them down.
“I won’t stop lovin’ you” is a sexy, sultry love song I wrote for a very special gentleman. I can spend years trying to explain it to you, but unless you’ve been in love, you’ll never understand.
“Smile” is my ode to positivity and the first single from my debut album titled “Smile.” No matter how many songs I write or sing, “Smile” seems to be everyone’s favorite. “Life has it’s ups and downs. We have the choice to smile or frown. Money maybe funny; smile, it’s free. I choose to be sunny. I smile; no one can steal my joy. Smile, like a kid with a new toy…”
I will be uploading a video of my performance to YouTube soon, so stay tuned.
One Love…
Aria