Arama Brown – or, simply, Arama.
Might want to jot that name down, though some folks from both sides of the water already recognize it, since she lived in her native East St. Louis up until four years ago.
Her name is getting a little more mileage these days. And not just because she moved to Harlem, New York to fish a singing career, Arama is featured on “The River,” one of the hottest songs in the country.
Arama co-wrote the song with newcomer Noel Gourdin and is the female voice on the fresh, soulful tune that breaks away from the shallow lyrics of many of today’s R&B songs.
That’s how the diversely trained singer/songwriter gets down. A touch of soul, a dash of jazz and a drop of hip-hop make up the core of Arama’s music.
But she sometimes branches far away from her core latching, on to her influences like Lauryn Hill, C-Lo of Gnarls Barkely and Dinah Washington, Sade and Rashelle Farrell.
Still, Arama says her musical talent is continually evolving. And it’s as diverse as her adopted New York City. One example of Arama’s talent range is her work with the pop Spanish stylings of Enrique Iglesias and the popular, All-American marketing machine that is Hannah Montana.
Arama credits her mother, Joan Brown, a choir and piano teacher, with interesting her in music (at an early age) and with her genre diversity. And Arama was student in her mother’s class during their stint at the former Lincoln High School in East St. Louis.
“She made sure all of her students were well-versed in various genres of music,” Arama said of her mother who now teaches music at Normandy High School.
Arama said in her mother’s class they studied everything from spirituals to Nina Simone and Manhattan Transfer to Mozart.
“My mother played a big role in my songwriting career because I’m very diverse and learned in various genres of music,” Arama said.
From her father, Edward Brown, a dance instructor who once was choreographer for her mother’s choir.
Arama’s sister, Kine Brown, grabbed theatre from the genetic talent pool.
Kine lives in St. Louis as a working actor. She will be in the upcoming production of Killing Women at the Hot City Theatre in September.
Though they’re miles away, the sisters lean on one another for support, networking and encouragement.
Kine said Arama’s success, “Shows that anytime you place your mind on a goal and set out full steam ahead and don’t let anything or anyone discourage you – you can accomplish anything.”
After graduating Lincoln High School in 1997, Arama studied Finance at the University of Illinois in Chicago with a music minor in vocal performance and music theory.
Since there wasn’t a lot of career options in finance that interested her, she took a worry-free year off, heading to Asia. There she taught English in South Korea for six months. She spent the other half of the year there in Japan, singing at major corporate events through a booking agency that provided her with a band and living expenses.
Yearning to continue singing, she flew back to the states, destination: Harlem, New York.
She said she chose Harlem because of its arts history, pointing that late Harlem Renaissance Writer Langston Hughes dwelled two blocks away from where she now lives.
“I wanted to especially live in the 120s to 130s,” she said referring to numbered streets. And she lives on 130th, walking distance from the famed Apollo Theatre.
“There’s a creative energy that you can feel in the air, and there’s plenty of well-known producers in the area,” Arama said.
When she moved there she didn’t know anyone, but put talent out there by singing in clubs. She performed regularly at the popular joints like Soul Café in Times Square, the Village Underground and the Sugar Bar.
It proved to be a great way to network. She has already worked with Mya, Fabolous, Brooke Hogan, Jahiem, Bilal, JoJo and St. Louis native Track Stars, naming a few, she may soon be working with Beyonce and Brandy.
She’s doing more writing than singing, though that wasn’t her goal, but she is now eyeing more singing.
Arama. Remember that name.
