Ari Abdul: “Every show is super exciting because I get to bring all the music to life.” (2/11 at The Met w/ Nessa Barrett)

Last March, the God’s Watching Tour had emerging alt-pop heroine Ari Abdul (alongside Isabel LaRosa) headlining The Foundry.  At the time, Ari was touring behind 2023 sophomore EP CCTV,...

Last March, the God’s Watching Tour had emerging alt-pop heroine Ari Abdul (alongside Isabel LaRosa) headlining The Foundry.  At the time, Ari was touring behind 2023 sophomore EP CCTV, the follow-up to the previous year’s Fallen Angel, which featured debut and breakthrough single, “BABYDOLL.”  A year and a handful of singles later (including “Girls On The Internet,” which you may have heard on the January edition of Philthy Radio on Y-Not Radio), Ari Abdul is preparing to return to the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection on a much larger stage (both literally and figuratively) as the opening act for the first leg of Nessa Barrett’s Aftercare World Tour 2025, which kicks off today and will have the two twentysomething alt-pop sensations at The Met on Tuesday, February 11th.  I recently caught Ari Abdul for a few moments in-between preparing for tour, and she told me about her whirlwind first three years in the music industry and of many things fans can expect in the near future.

Izzy Cihak: I know you’ve been making music for most of your life, but your musical career is still relatively new, with “BABYDOLL” dropping in 2022.  What have been some of the highlights so far?

Ari Abdul: I actually only started making music in the summer of 2021.  I had no idea it was even something I was capable of, and didn’t even realize I could sing.  “BABYDOLL” was actually the first song I ever fully sang and, at first, I was so insecure about the way I sounded, but knew how important its message was for me and others.  The biggest highlight is how fast everything has happened since that first song and all the experiences I’ve had as a musician in the last three years.

Izzy: Have you noticed patterns amongst your biggest fans?

Ari: I think the pattern is that we all relate to each other in some form.  I think all just want to feel something and I feel the same way.

Izzy: Your music is regularly kind of put into the “alt-pop” genre, but I looked through your Spotify playlists, and you seem to be a big fan of a lot of post-punk, ‘90s alternative, nu-metal, and music from the “indie sleaze” era.  What is it that draws you to particular artists, and where is it that you normally discover music?

Ari: I’m always looking for new music.  I feel like recently social media has helped me stumble upon hidden gems.  Before then, I would just let Spotify discover songs and artists based on whatever I thought sounded sick.  The thing that draws me in the most is whatever emotions the song brings me, whether that’s in the production, vocals, or lyrics.

Izzy: Are there any artists or albums that you would highly recommend your fans check out?

Ari: Honestly, a lot of the time they show me songs and artists that I never heard of and instantly love.  Some of them just really know me.  However, if I had to tell them to check out an artist, I’d tell them to check out Mareux.

Izzy: Considering that you’re a relatively new artist, is there anything that you think is particularly important for fans and potential fans to know about you?

Ari: The most important thing I want listeners to know is that I am very new and fresh to everything, I’m still learning who I am and how to evolve as an artist.  I feel like since my first song, the music is just becoming better.  There’re some unreleased songs I’m currently sitting on that I’m so, so excited about because I feel it’s my best work yet.  Anyone listening is super early still.  I want them to know they are in for a ride and them being here already means so much more to me than they’ll ever know.

Izzy: I really love “Girls On The Internet,” which I played on the last episode of my radio show.  How did that particular track come about?

Ari: “Girls On The Internet” happened so naturally.  It was originally a more acoustic song about comparison and trying to be enough, which I’m sure many can relate to.  It did take a while to come out after the first session for it, since I was on the road for most of 2024, but that only gave it time to become what it is now.

Izzy: You’re about to hit the road with Nessa Barrett, who’s also so cool. I saw her two years ago and she sold out The Fillmore, which is 2,500-capacity, despite the fact that she’d just put out her debut LP. What are your thoughts on her and her music?

Ari: The opportunity to open for Nessa feels super surreal to me.  I’ve been on social media for a hot minute and feel like I got to see the start of her music career to now, which is so exciting.  I genuinely have always been a fan and love that it feels like our music could live in the same world.  I’ve also seen her on her last tour in the states as my close friend, Isabel, opened for that, so it all feels close to home for me.  Her latest album has been on repeat since it dropped, and I think she’s going to take over, so this feels huge to me.  She’s a rockstar.

Izzy: Are there any shows you’re especially excited to play, whether because of the city or the venue itself?

Ari: I mean every show is super exciting because I get to bring all the music to life.  However, as a girl born and raised in Brooklyn, I’m so stoked to play back-to-back nights at home.  Funny enough, the venue in NYC is walking distance to where everything started, and I recorded all my first songs.

Izzy: When you’re here, you’re going to be playing The Met, an opera house.  You play a lot of different types of settings, but I’m curious how you like playing theatres, or opera houses, specifically?  They generally have big stages (This one definitely does.) that allow for pretty dynamic performances, but I feel like sometimes the seating can hurt the vibes.

Ari: I’m such an underground venue type of girl, I love being able to jump around and dance, so I agree sometimes seats change the vibe.  The stages are bigger than most of the venues I’ve played on my own, though, which is nerve-wracking, but exciting in so many ways.  I honestly don’t really know what to expect, but I hope everyone has a good time.

Izzy: What can be expected of your live show on this tour, in terms of setlist, production, and just the general energy of the show?  I’m so bummed that I missed your headlining show last year at The Foundry, but am excited to finally get to see you, even if the room is seven times the size of the last time.

Ari: For the first time ever, I’m performing without a drummer on this run, which is new but interesting.  There will definitely be more space for me to jump around and act as crazy as I do on stage.  The setlist is also rebuilt, so I hope everyone likes some of the changes we made.  The newest thing is me opening.  I’ve honestly never opened a tour, so I’m excited to see what that’s like and hope people out in the crowd that never heard of me can feel the music in their souls.

Izzy: Finally, what’s next for you? How are you hoping and planning to spend 2025, after these dates wrap?  I understand that there’s maybe a lot of new music in the works.

Ari: Next for me is so, so, so much new music.  Crazy enough, I’ve only dropped three solo songs in 2024, which is nuts to me.  I have been sitting on a ridiculous amount of songs secretly and plan to drop the most music I ever have.  These next songs coming out this year feel like masterpieces to me, so I’m so stoked for later 2025, if you get what I mean.  I wish I could speak more about it, but you’ll just have to see.

*Get your tickets here.

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During the day Izzy Cihak teaches transgression, subversion, and revolution at Temple University. At night he haunts Philthy's best venues to cover worthwhile acts for Philthy Mag. Morrissey is everything to him and, in their own heads, all of his friends see themselves as Zooey Deschanel.

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