Meet Ariel Bridges

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ariel Bridges a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ariel, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?

I grew up in a small suburb outside of Dallas called Grapevine, and I was made painfully aware of how different I was from a very early age. The number of other Black people I went to school with was very few, and the number of other mixed-race Black and Asian people I went to school with was zero (there was another girl who moved into our district in middle school who was Black and white, and we are still close friends to this day!) While very difficult, I am grateful that I learned early on what it’s like to be in spaces where people may not immediately relate to you—because this is life! It’s filled with all different sorts of people, and I feel like one of our biggest issues today is that people have forgotten how to connect with the shared humanity in one another. Being quick to listen and slow to respond can go such a long way in knowing how to navigate differences between people/culture/experiences. While New York City is a far more diverse place than Texas, being different shows up in other ways for me, like being the only one with chronic health conditions that require consideration and accommodation. I utilize the same principles of communication and consideration to have more empathy and understanding for the people I meet, and normally, when you do this for someone else, they are more likely to grant you the same courtesy. One of the things I love most about music is its ability to connect people with seemingly nothing else in common. I love that I can foster community and provide a bridge for connection with the art that I create.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I consider myself to be the epitome of intersectionality—a literal bridge between worlds and social categorizations.

A Blasian Artist. A queer actress. And a modeling health advocate. I like to say that although I am chronically ill, I am CHRONICALLY REAL. That means embracing all the different parts of me unapologetically and showing up as who I am, even when it’s difficult. I am for the ones who refuse to choose, and the ones who carry multiple truths. I aim to empower the multi-hyphenate to be their most authentic self and do what they do best: multi-hyphen.

As a musician specifically:

Bridges builds worlds where joy lives, identity expands, and every feeling gets room to dance. Raised Black and Japanese in Texas, I grew up shapeshifting. Now, I create music that resists being shaped by rules. It’s all feeling. It’s all color. A little weird, a lot intentional. Every lyric threads through purpose, every soundspace is a handcrafted link between who I am and who I’m becoming.

I call my genre empowerment pop/indie optimism. What you’re hearing is soul science: rich layers, honest verses, and textures that shimmer like childlike wonder. This is music that makes people believe in becoming again.

My name is my mission. I create bridges that link stories, identities, moods, and backgrounds in an effort to call out to all the multi-hyphenates. I like to think I’m the indie artist for anyone who’s ever been told they’re too much to be one thing.

I’m also a professional member of the organization RAMPD (Recording Artists and Musicians with Disabilities) and sit on their engagement committee. Outside of music, I’m also an Endometriosis/Adenomyosis advocate and educator through the organizations EndoFound and TightLipped.

The newest identity I’m adding to my ever-evolving list is mother! I’m currently exploring the concept of Matrescence and working to fill the gap of music surrounding this experience, and I really want to create a soundtrack that speaks to the journey of becoming a mother.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I think the three most important qualities or skills that have impacted me the most on my journey are patience, focus, and flexibility. The music industry is constantly changing and while we’re now afforded unprecedented opportunity to share our art and stories with the world, that can also feel incredibly intimidating in a space that has become very oversaturated and algorithm-driven. I’ve been working at my professional career for 16 years now, and I am STILL learning to be more patient and flexible. I think my advice for anyone early in their journey is to stay focused on who you are and the story you’re trying to tell. At the end of the day, people are attracted to REAL stories and art they can relate to. It’s much harder to work on harnessing your voice when you’re focused on what everyone else is doing—the true magic comes from all your weird quirks and the things that make you unique! You should expect to experience detours and make mistakes that cause you to shift direction or seemingly don’t make any sense at the time, but these are really all just learning opportunities that are getting you closer to whatever you’re striving for. On that note, I’m extremely ambitious and love a set of goals as much as the next person, but having real longevity and satisfaction in your career comes from learning to embrace the journey you’re on as opposed to a particular endpoint or goal. Again, this is something I’m still working on, but the sooner you can master this, the more fulfilled you will be!

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

As I’m entering this new phase of life and becoming a mom, I’m realizing how important it is for us to increase the representation of mom’s making art and continuing to pursue their dreams and purpose outside of caregiving. Before getting pregnant, I was extremely worried that my career would be ending, but the process of creating life has unlocked unprecedented levels of creativity and connection with myself and the world that are going to make me a better artist and human being. I’d love to hear from more moms who make music! Slide in my dms! I am @heyitsbridges on everything. I want us to foster a community to share stories and resources so people know they’re not alone and the world needs them to keep making their art.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

ALL CLOUD PHOTOS WITH RED OUTFIT: Ambe J Williams of Ambe J Photography

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