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Soulbird/BMGIndia.Arie released her debut album Acoustic Soul way back in 2001, and nearly two decades later, she’s still making music that fans want to hear. The first single from her new project, Worthy, has hit the top 10 on the Billboard Adult R&B chart, and the singer says after all these years, that’s still important to her.
“Oh, yes,” Arie tells ABC Radio when asked if she still cares about things like chart position. “Because there are years when it doesn’t chart and that doesn’t feel good. But I also say ‘Oh yes’ because that means people are hearing it.”
According to Arie, since she doesn’t have time to listen to the radio and see if her song is being played, charts are the best way for her to know that she’s not making music in a vacuum.
“I’m busy,” she explains. “When the album is out…you’re working. That’s the irony of it! You miss all your TV stuff…you work for it, then you miss it all. And so, just when you see the chart number, it makes you know people are hearing it.”
She laughs, “It’s like, ‘It’s on the radio?’ Like, ‘It’s being played on the radio?!’ That is always real cool!”
Worthy is out February 15.
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