We recently connected with Ariel Bridges and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ariel, thanks for joining us today. Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?

Growing up Black and Japanese in Texas, I became a professional shape shifter—now, I create music that resists being shaped by rules. I can’t tell you how many times over the years that I’ve gone to mics and people expect me to be a rapper or R&B singer—just because of how I look. It’s been such a relief to have the industry shift away from such rigid genres and be more fluid—this is how life and art should be! I’ve coined the terms “empowerment pop” or “indie poptimism” to describe the music I make because of how it will make you FEEL, not how you can expect it to sound.

I’ve spent my entire life trying to break out of the various boxes that society has tried to put me in. I’ve learned over time that it’s a lot easier for people to interpret or contain you in ways that they can understand, but you don’t owe it to them to fit into those neat containers! I am a chronically ill, bi-racial, omnisexual actress, model, musician, health advocate, and gluten-free bakery owner! Each of these identities makes me who I am, and affects how I show up in any given moment.

Limiting people to one thing or one path eliminates the possibility for so much magic to occur, and I want my art + the way I live my life to be bridges that lead people from where they are to who they can be if they embrace their authenticity. BRIDGES—the name is the mission!

Ariel, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I grew up in a small suburb of Dallas called Grapevine, where no one looked like me. My parents put me in sports (hoping it would help pay for my college degree), but I coped with my “otherness” through art. This began the requirement to embrace multiple identities. My mom put me in piano lessons at 4, and I wrote my first song in 5th grade. From there, I began convincing my parents to let me take various creative classes (acting for film, voice lessons, guitar lessons, drawing lessons, sewing lessons, and more) as long as it didn’t interfere with sports and I kept my grades up. This continued through college, where I was a two-sport athlete (soccer and track) and majored in neuroscience and behavior (because my parents told me I needed a real job and couldn’t be a starving artist). Eventually, I convinced them to let me participate in a talent competition that led to a record deal with a small label in Oklahoma that eventually went bankrupt. While this taught me some important lessons about the music industry (and how important it is for artists to understand the music business!), it fueled my passion for my art and showed me that I had something worth sharing. Since then, I’ve been working on refining my sound, my skills, and my message. In 2023, I released my first EP as BRIDGES called Ever Evolving, and this Fall, I am growing into my next iteration with the release of my single, “Daydreams.” I’m bringing the audience into my world—one with bright blue cloud-filled skies and a healthy dose of nostalgia for childlike wonder. Multiplicity is celebrated, and it’s safe to return to your inner child who wanted to be a teacher, an astronaut, a singer, and a chef. We are stylish, we are weird, and we are exactly who we were created to be.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Life is a collection of pivots! One of the biggest or most impactful moments of my life was when I decided after over 5,000 hours of working with patients full-time while retaking college courses, and two failed application cycles, I needed to step away from my pursuit of becoming a Physician’s Assistant. I have always loved medicine and was looking forward to a career path that not only provided me with financial stability, but also offered the opportunity to continue to create, but I kept being met with closed doors—much to not only my confusion, but also all of the doctors and surgeons I was working with. I took it as a sign from God and the universe that I needed to take a break and use this as an opportunity to REALLY try to purse my creative passions full-time and two weeks after making that decision, I landed my first agent in NYC. All of my experiences and passions have come together in unique and beautiful ways that wouldn’t have been possible if I didn’t embrace all the different parts of me that make me who I am. You never know how a pivot might change your life, and living wholly and completely as exactly who you are makes those pivots a little easier.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I consider it to be such a privilege that as artists we have the opportunity to share profound moments with and for people we may never have the opportunity to meet. We’re providing soundtracks to memories, bringing people together, and helping others to feel less alone. I’ve always thought music was magical because of its ability to bring people together that may otherwise have nothing else in common AND for the ways that it has proven benefits to our health and wellbeing. Being able to create and share that magic is truly a gift.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bridges.rocks
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/heyitsbridges_
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/heyitsbridges
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@bridgesvevo
• Other: https://arielbridges.com

Image Credits

Cover shot with Juno- Amy Lombard
All cloud shots with red outfit- Ambe J Photography