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Artist
Aaries
12+ albums
soulrnbNeo-Soulhip hoptalented
about
In a world where miraculous vocals and incredible harmonies come few-and-far-between, wouldn’t it be nice to be able to double the ear-pleasing sounds? Enter Philadelphia-based sister duo Ayana and Ayinke Hipps — formally, and collectively, known as AAries… For Ayana and Ayinke, growing up in the Baptist church meant beginning to sing at an early age, and before the pursuit of a musical career even entered their minds, the two were already no strangers to gospel or classical music. Throughout their teens and early twenties, they worked steadily on Philadelphia’s “new jack” circuit, finding themselves becoming fast musical soulmates with the likes of fellow Philly artists Jill Scott, The Roots and, of course, Musiq. “We started at Blue Funk and we participated in all the Philly venues,” says Ayana. “Everyone was just giving off what they had to give, so we were a part of that same class, continuing the tradition of soul music.” In 1998, the duo’s management team, Mike McArthur and Jerome Hipps (aka/Mama’s Boys), began a more intense working relationship with Musiq — so much so that, by the time Musiq released his debut album Aijuswanaseing, AAries had already been touring with him as back-up singers. With their distinctive songbird vocals, AAries were subsequently featured on Musiq’s hit, “Girl Next Door” — a twist of fate that further led to Ayana’s stunning, on-screen cameo appearance in the video version of the song. “Working with Musiq was just kinda natural,” offers y
