The Appeal of Aries
In the last article, we discussed the rise of hyperpop–a genre I am becoming increasingly infatuated with through artists like Glaive and ericdoa. A large part of the appeal of Glaive and ericdoa is their stories–teenagers inventing a genre in their room, recording on Xbox headsets, and landing record deals with major labels. Another artist who I feel has a very appealing story (and incredible music) is Arshia Nicholas Fattahi, who goes by the stage name “Aries.”
Aries is a 24 year-old singer, rapper, and songwriter who makes music that draws from punk-rock, rap, and synth-pop genres of music. While Aries’ style of music does not deviate too far from other pop artists like The Kid LAROI and Dominic Fike, I feel the production of Aries’ music truly makes his art unique. His songs are characterized by interesting 808s, processed guitars, and constant beat-switches. In his song “HOW RUDE,” the bass oscillates (pun-intended) between a synthesized 808 and a bass-boosted overdrive guitar. Additionally, once the song seems to end at 2:37, an entirely new song begins for the remaining minute in the track. Typically, beat-switches are used by artists simply to define different sections of the song, like in Travis Scott’s “SICKO MODE.” However, Aries decides to begin an entirely new song as opposed to just a section. There is an evident attention to detail throughout his music, as demonstrated in the 400+ layers in his song “FOOL’S GOLD.”
In addition to the great music he releases, what I feel substantially adds to Aries’ appeal is his story. Aries began his musical journey making beats when he was in high school, and he eventually started posting YouTube videos remaking popular songs like Drake’s “God’s Plan” and Kendrick Lamar’s “HUMBLE.” in Logic Pro X. His background as a producer certainly contributes to the distinct sound of his music. As he says in an interview with Billboard, his intention for releasing the remake videos was “totally just to get people to look at [him] for [his] own music.” His videos garnered millions of views and eventually led to him releasing his debut album, WELCOME HOME, under his own label, Wunderworld. After signing a record deal with Columbia Records, he released his sophomore album, BELIEVE IN ME, WHO BELIEVES IN YOU, which has over 47 million streams.
Additionally, as an American artist of Middle-Eastern ethnicity, Aries helps fill the wide racial diversity gap in popular music we have discussed in previous articles. A combination of his ancestry, background as a producer, and fascination with music from his teenage years makes him such a compelling artist in my eyes. I admire the way he adds deep complexity to his production in the modern pop/rap genre which is arguably mundane. He has done an outstanding job on his recent album BELIEVE IN ME, WHO BELIEVES IN YOU, and I am enthusiastically waiting for his upcoming music.
TLDR: I’m a fan of Aries :)
