India arie biography imdb topic

American singer-songwriter (born 1975)

India Arie Simpson (sometimes styled as india.arie) (born October 3, 1975) is an American singer and songwriter.^[1] Her debut album, Acoustic Soul, was released in 2001, and she has since released six more studio albums.

Arie has sold over five million records in the US and ten million worldwide, and has won four Grammy Awards from 23 nominations, including Best R&B Album.^[2]

Background

India was born in Denver,^[3] the daughter of Joyce and Ralph Simpson.

Her musical skills were encouraged by both parents in her younger years. Her mother is a former singer (she was signed to Motown as a teenager and opened for Stevie Wonder and Al Green)^[4] and is now her stylist.

She has an older brother named J'On and younger sister Mary A Martin of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.^[5] Arie is African-American, and according to a DNA analysis, she descends from the Mende people of Sierra