Aria, a classically trained opera singer born and raised in Reykjavik, Iceland, discovered a passion for jazz at an early age and gained quick popularilty in her native land. In the mid 90's, Aria began exploring different music styles, finding herself particularly attracted to the burgeoning lounge-electronica scene.
In 1998, she released her first single "Ariella, " a cool, seductive, hip-hop track that pitched her incredible vocal talents against the MC skills of fellow Icelanders, Subterranean and Cell 7. For her first solo album Aria started writing with another Icelandic talent, a producer/ remixer Dirty Bix, who had previously worked with Gus Gus and has more recently remixed Beck and Madonna amongst others. Together Aria and Bix created their own brand of chilled trip-hop straight from the land of ice and fire.
When she composes, Aria usually begins by finding a steady groove, just drums and bass, keeping the beats simple before adding gredda (the Icelandic word for hornyness). The resulting effect is of a warm rhythm that flows through your body as the adrenaline starts to move you. Her sweetly innocent vocals carry the melody with playful lyrics that turn up the heat by injecting double entendre and mystery.
Aria's first single, "Ariella" became a huge hit in Iceland, and in the process attraced the attention of two young music video directors known as Snorri Bros. Their vision for the song consisted or a groundbreaking montage-effect video that combined 200 photographs in an unusual movement- in-slow-motion-effect. This incredible video not only helped the song and Aria's fast growing reputation, but also won her Video of the Year in Iceland's Video Awards. It also led to Snorri Bros being chosen to direct videos for mainstream artists such as U2 and REM.
