Press Archive: AAries in OneWorld Magazine

Written By AAries

AAries featured in OneWorld Magazine’s December/January 2003 issue’s Burn section, page 32.

article text:

Sister Act 

Text Chinara Tate / Photography Keith Major 

Riding the second wave of the Illadelph neo-soul movement, newcomer, duo AAries, makes a splash with their debut album, Always Remember

The young woman welcomes you to Home Cooking Recordings studio in downtown Philadelphia as if you have returned from a long journey. After presenting you with a full embrace, she tells you that she is Ayana Hipps, the firstborn under AAries, Philly's neo-soul sign of the times. Ayana's second-born sister, Ayinke, enters a moment later, spilling peels of laughter carried over from a previous conversation. You stand up to hug her and sense that, somehow, she, too, knows you. It is in this moment that you begin to understand: You are surrounded by family.

Although the nucleus of AAries is found at this studio, their familial love is openly extended to fellow Philly favorites like the Roots, Jill Scott, Jaguar, and Kindred, to name a few. AAries recently began performing with this entire troupe of talented performers on the Philly All-stars Tour, and AAries' vocals were offered on Musiq's "Girl Next Door." But as their Always Remember debut conveys, these talented young songstresses are now definitely ready to step into the forefront.

Once Ayinke discovered that singing to herself was therapeutic, she realized that "music can be a healing process not only for me, but it can be a healing process for other people." Healing others through music is particularly important to both Ayana and Ayinke, who aim to open a music-oriented youth development and education center in the future. The center would focus on providing youth with access to resources now, only made available to the privileged at traditional music schools.

"We want to use music as a platform," Ayinke says. "Respect, love, God- we want to give this off in our music." The sisters Hipps are obviousIy very spirtually attuned, something they attribute to their family upbringing and their (once enforced) participation in the church choir. However, as Ayana very humbly states, "I really don't talk a lot about spirituality because hopefully you see it in the way I walk, through my actions, or in the way that I treat you that I’m a spiritual person.” Ayinke adds, "We keep the Creator first. But as they say, 'Beware of the person who talks too much.’ They often do so because they know their actions don't follow their words." The phrases slip and suspend from their lips like age-old wisdom.

AAries

Ayana and Ayinké, twin sisters collectively known as AAries, have always known they wanted to sing. Born and raised in Alexandria, VA, their father introduced them to Jazz, Soul, R&B. Their mother introduced them to Classical and Gospel, which fostered their love for music. Their mother encouraged their love of music by insisting they sing in church and in chorus; and before the pursuit of a musical career even entered their minds, the two were no strangers to singing at the Kennedy Center and on the Wolf Trap stage. At the age of 14, the sisters showcased their talent on Showtime at the Apollo in Harlem, New York. The two also had the opportunity as teens to sing with Kirk Franklin and Richard Smallwood. After graduating high school, Ayana and Ayinké headed to Lehigh University, where Ayana earned her degree in International Business and Ayinke in Sociology with a Master’s degree in Professional Counseling. Upon graduating college, Ayana and Ayinke set their sights on Philadelphia, which they quickly made their home, embedding themselves into the musical scene including the popular Black Lily showcase at the famed Five Spot venue. Soon after, the two were recognized from their work with Musiq Soulchild. Ayana and Ayinké were featured on such hits as “Girl Next Door,” a cover of Patrice Rushen’s “Settle for My Love” and GRAMMY-nominated records “Love” and “Forthenight.” AAries went on to sign deals with both Atlantic Records and Sony.

Their work ushered in opportunities, such as writing and recording their song “Come Inside” for the Johnson Family Vacation (starring Cedric the Entertainer and Vanessa Williams) movie soundtrack. They also earned the opportunity to be in a national Coca Cola campaign, alongside musical legends Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Amel Larrieux, Angie Stone and Musiq Soulchild. They have provided background vocals to artists such as Joe, Chris Brown, Skillz and RatedArt and Lee Fields. They’ve released a single with the house music collective “Reel People” for the dance floor hit “Don’t Give It Up” and an EP of cover songs called “Cover Girls.” The group has been working on their upcoming EP with the help of talented producer, songwriter, and artist Marcus John Bryant a.k.a. RatedArt. In addition they worked on a song with GRAMMY-nominated producer Ivan (Orthodox) Barias, who also assisted in Engineering the entire EP.

AAries recently released a single off their EP entitled, “Better Days'' This song celebrates our culture in the most encouraging manner, keeping the power we have, ALIVE. It reminds us of who we are, a beautiful people who are creative, nurturing and most importantly, resilient.

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