ariel arbisser
“Not here to make you cry unless that’s part of your journey, in which case let’s cry, hug, dance, whatever you need – we’ll process it together.”
Ithaca-based singer-songwriter Ariel Arbisser creates contemporary pop that's somehow modern but nostalgic, dramatic but reflective with a sound reminiscent of Sara Bareilles, Adele, Alice Russell, and Laura Nyro. With her band, she brings an emotional heat to what she calls dramatic electro pop. The results are songs of authenticity, intimately intertwined in the depth of human emotion.
Ariel’s journey began in middle America Iowa. She’s been singing as long as she can remember but it was her university experience that showed how much music meant to her. She arrived at Cornell University planning to have music, the Cornell Chordials, as a hobby. But within two years she left Cornell to pursue music and performance full-time.
While traveling the US as both an educator and performer, Arbisser nurtured her musical roots in her new home base of Ithaca, New York. For nearly a decade, her distinctive voice graced the stage in several projects. She was a founding member of three award-winning vocal bands – The Funx, Lady Jaye, and Frisky Business – and even guested with Glee-featured, Grammy-winning Swingles.
Later she joined The Jeff Love Band, a popular 11-person funk/soul band, as well as other musical endeavors but she continued to think about what her mother told her as a teen to truly pursue music and center what she had to share.
In 2018 Arbisser broke off from all her music groups to dedicate her energy to her own music. Before releasing her debut solo album “Risk of Love” however, an abusive relationship threw her off track.
“For me, one of the only silver linings of the pandemic was the world slowing long enough for me to reflect and realize where my mental wellness was at and how far away from music I’d drifted.”
Released October 2021, Ariel’s debut solo album, "Risk of Love," encapsulates a profound chapter of her life narrative. Returning to the music and the album, and sharing it with the world, was an incredible personal triumph for Arbisser. It was tagged as a “heavenly gift to the ear” by 14850 Magazine. But “Risk of Love” was only one moment – the other side of a journey.
Across the last three years, Ariel’s journey collided into and through that abusive relationship. In fact her next work captures the process of moving past it and the healing that has followed. Through therapy, much journaling, and the support of her loved ones and extended community she’s now feeling fully embodied, sexy, and energized to experience the world, fully integrated.
Her next album, “Ingenue Corrupt,” is that journey and its current resolution. Ariel's music reflects her identity as a white, Jewish, queer woman, and she uses her platform to engage in important conversations about societal issues. On “Ingenue Corrupt,” she questions love, lust, sub/dom relationships, and yes, the socio-political events of the last three years.
“My therapist should probably get a commission off this album … y’all are about to learn a lot about me.”
“Ingenue Corrupt” will be available where you get your music January 2024.